Trip to Madison

This week I was able to visit my sister and her husband in Madison, Wisconsin. This was a great experience because I was able to learn so much more information about what I will be doing in my internship this summer. I also got to meet some amazing people that I will be working with on the Middle School Ministry Team this summer.

Katie and I started out the day by getting a tour of Blackhawk Church, meeting some other interns and employees, and then seeing the rooms where I will be spending a lot of time in the summer. Then, we had some meetings to attend and videos to make! Everyone was really welcoming and fun to be around. I also loved how they made a send off video (from the school) for all the kids in the church. We had a lot of fun doing impersonations and creating the video!

To end off the "work day", I had a meeting with the Middle School Pastor. This was great for me because now I understand exactly what I will be doing this summer and more information of what each day will look like for my Summer Internship. Basically, I will be planning all of the fun activities for the kids to do every night, I will plan the first day activities for the kids to get to know one another, I will be a team leader during the weeks of Madison Missions, and finally I will be in charge of Summer 56.

Unfortunately, during this meeting, I realized that I have not raised hardly any money from my support letters that I sent out. Right now, I still need to raise almost $3,000 before May 15th. This is the area that I could really use your help, support, and prayers! If I don't raise this money, I won't be able to do the internship.

I hope that you will prayerfully consider supporting my summer internship. You can choose to give a one-time gift or you can give monthly - either by check or through Electronic Funds Transfer. When writing checks, please make the check out to Blackhawk Church. On the memo line, write Internship - Nikki Smith so that the money will count towards my fundraising. If you forget to write the memo line, the money will go into the general Blackhawk fund.

"What is Madison Missions and Summer 56?" You may ask.

Madison Missions is a week long camp for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders that happens four times over the summer. During this time, I would be a Team Leader for a group of 5-7 middle school students. The camp starts on Sunday with a few ice breakers and fun activities to get the students situated and welcomed into the camp. (I am in charge of this!) Then, each day, the students will start the day with worship and a group discussion. After that, each team leader will take the kids to two different service events (i.e. food drives, visiting eldery homes, gardening, etc.). At the end of each day, the kids will go to a fun event that is a bonding experience for the students and leaders. (I am in charge of planning this also!)

Summer 56 meets every other week during the summer. This program is for 5th graders of the church. The purpose of this program is to help 5th graders transition into 6th grade (middle school).

If you have any other questions you can call me or e-mail me!

Thanks so much for reading! Continue to read for updates on my Summer Internship and teaching job prospects!