“I dance in the freedom you have given.” These are the words that describe this summer internship most clearly and deeply for me. Before summer began, I had heard many stories from past interns about how life-changing this season had been for them–a time when faith, hope, and love grew. Of course, I believed it could happen to me too, but experiencing it myself was so much more powerful and personal than I ever imagined. God gave me joy, a free spirit, and a longing heart to serve the youth of Estonia.

When I was younger, I was pretty convinced that youth ministry was not the area where I saw myself serving in the future. But today, I carry a desire and longing in my heart to possibly continue in youth ministry even after this summer, because I’ve seen how deeply needed it really is. That longing was placed in my heart by God, through the JV (Josiah Venture) summer internship.

So how did I even end up serving with JV this summer? When someone asks me that, I usually say, “God called me.” And that’s the truth. I joined my church last fall when I moved to Tallinn to begin university. About halfway through the year, I met a lovely woman named Brittney at a Sunday service. We talked, prayed together, and got to know each other a bit. A couple of days later, she sent me a voice message telling me about the JV internship and the opportunity to be a summer intern. It was all so new to me that I honestly didn’t know how to respond at first; I had basically never heard of JV before.

Eventually, I replied that I wanted to learn more, so we arranged a time to have lunch. Our conversation helped bring clarity, but I still had doubts. We agreed that I would give her my final answer in a week. One night, I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep, but I just couldn’t. I kept waking up, reading, and praying–nothing helped. At one point, God reminded me that I still hadn’t said my “yes” or “no.” Without thinking too much, I picked up my phone and messaged Brittney: “I want to be a summer intern.” Immediately after sending the message, I fell asleep. God gave me complete peace. That was my first confirmation that God was truly calling me into this summer of service and that he had something very special planned.

To me, the summer and this calling felt like a door leading into the unknown. But, at the same time, I had the assurance that Jesus would be with me there. Because I knew that he holds everything in his hands and my faith rests entirely in him, nothing would be too scary.

After saying “yes,” I experienced blessing upon blessing. Even before the summer began, God took care of my living situation after the internship. The whole fundraising process was completely in God’s hands. The whole summer–every camp, every moment—was full of situations where God’s hand and power were greater than anything else.

We started our bigger summer adventure in the Czech Republic with the Amazing Race. I honestly had no idea what to expect from the competition at first. I still remember the anticipation as we stood there at the airport with our little Estonian flags, waiting for our summer teammates to arrive. A few minutes after the first brave arrivals, the race began, and we started laying the foundation for our team. Building this “house” wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. From the very first moment, these people already felt like family. One of my favorite sayings is that a team is only as strong as its weakest link. In our case, though, I would say that we didn’t have a weak link. Even during the Amazing Race, it became clear that each of us had our own strengths, and we complemented each other perfectly with them. I have learned so much from these four amazing young people. I can fully trust them and know that they stand firmly behind me, and vice versa. I’m grateful that I got to work alongside them this summer, serving the youth of Estonia. I wouldn’t trade them for anyone else. I thank God for these four every day.

After the Amazing Race and intern training, it was time to truly start our summer mission. Two weeks after we returned to Estonia, the first youth camp began. Sports have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, but the moment I found myself on the football field in that yellow camp t-shirt, I suddenly doubted all of my athletic strengths. On the first morning of the soccer camp, Katre (my fellow intern) shared a story where Jesus fed 5,000 men with just two fish and five loaves of bread. Katre shared that this camp could be a place where, in our weakness, God might grow and use us the most. I tucked that thought firmly into my heart and trusted that if God called me here, then he must have a plan! It was such a blessing to see the small things God was doing in these young boys’ lives during the camp. We had so many special conversations and heard beautiful stories. We taught the boys the camp dance, and on the last day of camp, they performed it for us. “I haven’t been this happy in a long time!” Katre shouted across the room as we laughed and watched them dance. At that camp, God started something, and I can trust him to continue the work he began in those boys’ hearts.

After the soccer camp, I got to be part of and serve at the Edge Disc Golf camp. This is truly the ideal ministry sport. Walking through the beautiful forests of Estonia, God gave me several great opportunities for conversations, and I got to see how he continued to work in the hearts of the young boys from the soccer camp. The camp was filled with life-changing moments and new commitments. A few young people received their first Bible, and some took several big steps closer to God. Those moments were so special, and I feel so deeply grateful that God called me to this summer, using our team to bring these young people closer to himself. “If there were a way for this camp and this environment to last all year, I’d be so happy!” and “This was the best camp of my life” were just some of the comments we heard from the boys after the camp. But as our camp leader said, their comments weren’t because we put together a cool camp; they were because God was there, living and moving among us.

We wrapped up our summer adventure with an intern debrief on a beautiful Estonian island called Saaremaa. We shared stories, looked back on the summer, and took a moment to dream and listen. We imagined what might be ahead and heard what God still wanted to bring to light. It was truly a time that words can’t fully describe.