An Unexpected Friend
The interns helped with a Kids Club Week, which Ivana and her sister experienced as well.
Learning the local language was a repeated emphasis during my NEXT internship. I understood why to some extent, but I hadn’t expected that God would work through the everyday moments of this language learning process.
My fellow intern Katie and I took language lessons with a teenage language tutor, Ivana*, three times a week. What started as formal language lessons quickly turned into lots of laughter, coffee outings, and toward the end, we experienced daily life with her in her culture. Her family welcomed us into their home, invited us to spend time with them and their extended family, and even sent her little sister to a Kids Club Week we hosted, which Ivana volunteered to translate for. This gave both of them an opportunity to hear scripture.
During our summer, Katie and I were asked many questions about our faith by Ivana. She shared that she felt frustrated by not being able to get specific answers from many people about Christianity. As we conversed, we were regularly met with curiosity, new questions she was wrestling with, and encouragement that our friendship has provided her with hope to continue the search. She even agreed to come with us to a Bible study, which was enjoyable for all of us. The more time we spent together, the more she also demonstrated her passion for the rich history and culture of her country, which created many fun memories for us. We’ve been blessed by her friendship!
Emma enjoyed daily Croatian sights Worship, fellowship, helpful conversations and practical and culture during her internship.
In our final couple of weeks, we spent as much time as possible with her. She decided to join us for lunch at church on our last Sunday, where she got connected to the local pastor who offered to talk through some of her deeper theological inquiries. After Katie and I completed our internship, we have stayed in contact with our new friend and have encouraged her to continue meeting with the Christians she met in her country. I never would have expected such a special connection to come from this experience, and I am thankful for how God used us to bring new connections, light, and hope into Ivana’s life.
*Ivana’s name has been changed for security reasons.