If you had told me this time last year that I would be sharing an apartment, budgeting, shopping and cooking for myself in The Hague, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. But it’s true! Yesterday, as I cycled across the bridge stretching over Den Haag Central Station, all I could do was praise God for the incredible opportunities that He has given me as a result of interning here with Redeemer Church.

As an intern I have experienced growth and blessing in three main areas: my personal life, my relationship with God and my relationship with those around me. Within the first two weeks of being at Redeemer, I went Brussels, Belgium for a prayer day in preparation for the new church plant and I went to Sidcup, England for a New Ground prayer conference. Both encouraged and matured me in my walk with Christ. So, not only do you get a front row seat (literally!) at all the events and conferences that Redeemer is involved in, but you as a person are changed and encouraged in your faith in new and exciting ways.

Growth in my personal life has come from several different experiences, the most significant being when I stayed with Chris and Karin Taylor for the first month of interning. I loved being a part of a Christian family and seeing how family-life played out. I learnt incredible lessons from traveling in trams (at night!) to being confident in who I was even though I was in a new environment. The responsibility of having a budget and then shopping according to it is also something that has had a significant impact on me. As an intern, you definitely get that increased sense of responsibility but with it also comes freedom. It is an incredible time of your life though it’s not all easy, which leads me to my third point: relationship with friends.

In the office, there are a lots of different faces and personalities constantly coming in and out but all have the same genuine, God-given love and care for each other. If you are facing a problem or challenge, you are never alone – there are always people around you encouraging, helping and praying for you. From the first time I walked into the office, I immediately felt a part of this team that works to bring the Gospel message to the people of The Hague and beyond. From lunchtime to the weekly staff team meetings, there is a constant stream of banter and joshing as well as a deeper focus on being members of the body of Christ. The discussions and topics discussed are always thought provoking and I can guarantee you won’t leave unchanged.

From maturing in my walk with Christ and my personal life to the feeling of community, interning at Redeemer has been an incredible blessing and a significant time of change and growth. Even if it’s only for a few months, this experience is one-in-a-million!

Interested? 

For those looking to take a year out to serve the church full-time and gain theological training, Redeemer runs New Ground Impact. Impact is for people who want to become dangerous Christians – people who want to see something they’ve never seen before, by doing something they’ve never done; people who want God to shine through everything they do; people who want to grow.
If you’d like to find out more about Impact, check out the following link.