ALICE NA
sent by church of southland to over-the-rhine, cincinnati.
Alice currently lives in Southern California working as an ICU RN in the Los Angeles area. She enjoys serving at Southland and hopes to incorporate her field of nursing with ministry in the local community.
1. When did you go on your 1-yr internship?
2015-2016
2. Where do you currently attend church?
Church of Southland
3. How did you decide to devote one year to serving as an intern?
From my first missions trip with Southland to OTR in 2011 and for the next 4 summers, I’ve witnessed God change the hearts of the children of the church and wanted to be part of the experience year long, as well as the church’s ministry in OTR.
4. During your time as an intern, what roles did you play?
The most significant role I played as an intern was to be a flexible agent for the staff. This included and was not limited to: Sunday School teacher, kitchen duties, cleaning, Small Group teacher in the after school programs, administrator, logistical coordinator for events, media technician, sound technician, worship, transportation for the children and woman’s bible study.
5. What is one realization or revelation that God showed you about Himself, people, and/or His kingdom as a result of your internship?
During my internship, one major lesson I learned was that God stops at nothing to reveal Himself to His children. No person is too far gone, no matter how their circumstances might declare who they are in society or what they understand about themselves. Nothing can stop God’s love from invading into someone’s heart and changing their lives forever. Also, God’s love can grow through one person’s declaration to follow Jesus and reach out to many, even an entire household.
6. How has your experience while interning influenced what you are doing now and what you hope to do in the future?
What influenced me greatly, and even more so now, is the realization that God cares more about the condition of our hearts more than anything. This simple truth has shifted my paradigm in how I interact with God as well as with others in the church and at work. Despite trying situations and my patience being tested, it doesn’t change that we are all broken people and we need to be loved more than we need to be right.
7. How would you advise interns to maximize their experience while they are on the field?
The greatest lesson that I learned during my internship time was this: if we can approach our internship (and even our life) with a prepared heart to receive what God already has in store in every circumstance, we would live the abundant life He designed. This goes the same for this internship. He already has something planned, and I pray that our hearts would be ready just to experience and follow Him in it.