This summer, elementary education major Maddie Davis ’27 partnered in ministry with Ingalls Creek Enrichment Center in Peshastin, Wash., near Leavenworth, through Whitworth’s Summer Fellowship Program. In total, 18 students served as fellows with churches, nonprofits, camps and retreat centers this year.
Davis shares about this meaningful experience and how it helped her grow:
“In Leavenworth, I spent time getting to know the residents of three community homes for adults with disabilities. I loved playing board games with them, talking and coloring with them, taking walks with them, and even participating in a yearly play with them! I am incredibly blessed to have been given this position. The other fellows/interns and I also were able to spend time together – shopping, hiking, swimming and working on-site at Ingalls Creek.
“I have two main takeaways from this summer: Every Thursday evening, we came together and read chapters of a book called The Sacredness of Secular Work, by Jordan Raynor. One of the points I learned from this book and our discussions was that whatever occupation God leads me to, it doesn’t have to be ‘ministry-related’ for it to glorify him. If I love God and love my neighbors, or in my case it may be my co-workers, parents of the children I care for, and the children themselves, God will keep my work holy. I wish not to glorify myself, but God.
“Secondly, through all of this, I have grown to be ‘more self-aware’ in a way. To me this means I pay more attention to how I think – toward others and about my own health and/or actions. I want to go into this next school year and beyond not timid or nervous about my ability, but with the knowledge that, like 2 Timothy 1 says, ‘God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.’”
Students and ministries can learn more about getting involved in this amazing program at www.whitworth.edu/summer-fellows.
Worth a Look 