INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE!

 

How many of you had internships as students? I did. I had a fantastic experience conducting oral history interviews in Chicago.

How many of you were paid for those internships? These CBF interns did. They worked with us last summer developing educational videos and puppets. CBF's Student.Go program (or, given current circumstances, Student.Stay program) provides a variety of creative options. 

If you, or a student you know, would be interested, feel free to contact Taisha Seabolt, Global Missions Student and Training Specialist, or apply directly at www.cbf.net/studentdotgo. 

We're looking for an intern again this spring, too, to help us with social media. Feel free to contact us directly for more information.

Are you a college student wondering how God can use your gifts virtually during the Spring semester? Apply now to serve and learn through Student.Go, the student missions program of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Students will take part in a virtual orientation in late January 2021, receive a stipend, and serve for 14 weeks, including monthly meetings with CBF staff and field personnel, and weekly meetings with an encourager. Learn more and apply before the January 8, 2021 deadline at www.cbf.net/studentdotgo.

Opportunities List Spring 2021

Student.Go Virtual Positions

 

Webpage and Social Media Advisor/Designer – Westervoort, Netherlands– (1 Student) Undergraduate or Graduate Students – Spring 2021

               Skills required: Desire to serve Christ's Kingdom;  computer, website and social media design and use; patience in working with members from a generation who do not have the same skill set.

 

Assistant for Silent Art Auction – Bali, Indonesia (field personnel currently in South Carolina due to COVID) – (1 Student) Undergraduate or Graduate Students – *Special Project (mid-to-late spring through early July)*

*This is a special project that will start mid-to-late spring and go through early July. Student must be flexible as the pandemic may shift the position to a virtual one, and the type of work required may also include other responsibilities.

Skills required: Interest in art and culture, research and writing skills, social media promotion skills. Must enjoy talking to people and telling stories. Design skills are a plus.

 

 

Human Rights/FORB Researcher – Kosice, Slovakia – (1 Student) Undergraduate or Graduate Students – Spring 2021

Ideally, the candidate chosen will have previous contextual knowledge of at least one African country from the Baptist World Alliance list.

 Skills required: Ability to work in a collaborative environment with an existing, diverse, and dispersed human rights advocacy network. Must have clear writing and communication skills and an understanding of how to weigh the value of research sources.

 

Media Strategist – Somerset, Kentucky – (1 Student) Undergraduate or Graduate Students – Spring 2021

Skills required: Media Strategist needs to be knowledgeable in all aspects of Social Media, comfortable with website design, proficient in PowerPoint and basic video production. The Media Strategist needs to be self-motivated and comfortable working remotely. Excellent communication skills are a necessity.

 

Spring Program Intern (Spiritual Formation Assistant or Social Media Assistant) – Miami, Florida – (1 Student) Undergraduate or Graduate Students – Spring 2021

Skills required: For the Social Media assistant opportunity, the student should have a creative mindset, knowledge of social media platforms and analytical tools, good communication skills, medium level of video creation and editing knowledge, experience using PowerPoint, Word, and YouTube, along with experience with design on Adobe or Canva (or other design websites). Additionally, students should have a desire to explore creative ways to share content pertaining to TML’s mission, ability and willingness to work with others as a team member, flexibility and ability to meet deadlines.

 

Tutor for Kids / Kids Bible Club – Fremont, California – (1 Student) Undergraduate or Graduate Students – Spring 2021

Skills required: Ability to work with children and help with schoolwork, should be friendly, enthusiastic, and creative. Should be able to work on their own and with guidance. Must have a computer and ability to use Zoom.

 

 

I was walking home this evening when I saw this stenciled onto the bike path. A literal translation from Dutch to English is:

Set your light on.

What an appropriate reminder, I thought. Not just for cyclists during these dark winter months, but especially for us Christians. The days seem dark for many. Some chafe at Corona-related restrictions. Others mourn loved ones lost to Corona. Some wonder why one candidate was declared the new US president. Others wonder why the current US president refused to admit it. We Christians have been given the perspective of eternity. We have been given the Light of the world. 

The people who lived in darkness
have seen a bright light.
A light has risen
for those who live in a land overshadowed by death. 

Matthew 4:16 (God's Word translation) 

It's fun to see these kids playing MOSAIC

Would you like to play Mosaic, too? 

How-to video available at:  Davar on YouTube

Written instructions in Romanian, English, and Dutch available at: Davar: Bridging to Literacy. 

Many thanks to Vasilita, for leading this children's club;

to Coco for translating this game into Romanian;

and to Alina for being the voice for the Romanian version.

Een kwartje voor een karweitje

Three little kids stood by the door, calling out, "Een kwartje voor een karwietje!"  (literally, "a quarter for a chore"). It's a Dutch custom that doesn't occur all that often. But I usually have a small chore ready. In this case, they got a trash bag, disposable gloves, the promise of a quarter each if they filled the bag with litter. The littlest one, a boy in a "Pete" costume, held the bag. 

Pete helps the Dutch Sinterklaas distribute gifts. Tomorrow evening is pakjes avond (package evening) when people exchange suprises (gifts) with gedichtjes (silly poems). These children were small enough to still believe that the good Saint Nicholas was the one who brought them. 

The trash bag they brought back was not very full. But in the spirit of the season--and because of a lack of change--they each got a whole Euro instead of a quarter. 

Wishing you all much joy, whether or not children surprise you at the door!

A Chain of Thankfulness

When our children were still too young to write, we started making a thankful chain in preparation for the American celebration of Thanksgiving. We cut strips of paper large enough for the children to draw on. Then, each evening after supper, We each put down at least one thing we were thankful for. 

It's a family tradition we've continued. The chain starts out with just a few links. In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, it continues to grow. Guests at the thanksgiving feast are invited to participate. 

Our thankfulness does not end with Thanksgiving. Sometimes the chain becomes part of our Christmas decorations. 

And sometimes a portion of it wraps around our family bulletin board all year . . . until it's time to start the next thankful chain.

This year has made us stretch our thankful thoughts. There will be no guests. There's been a lot we were not grateful for. But as you can see, even this year we have linked one thankful thought after another. 

With grateful hearts,

Keith & Mary

God at Work . . . even through a forgotten passport

 This story happened back in 2008. But things like this are still happening today!

“It was a blessing from God,” Alina said. We got to know Alina when she was working as an au pair here in the Netherlands. Her employer had a business in her hometown in Romania. One Sunday he had taken the train to Schiphol to return to his business. Once at the airport, he discovered he didn’t have his passport. “He never forgets his passport,” Alina emphasized. He had just gotten back to home to pick it up when Alina received word that her grandmother had passed away. 

Because a family member drove Alina's employer back to Schiphol Airport, Alina was able to ride with him. Once their flight landed in Bucharest, she was also able to ride with him the 400 km to her hometown. This saved her a lot of trouble in a time of great grief. God works through many things . . . even a forgotten passport.

HAPPY KIDS

          Why are 

          these kids 

          so happy?

They were having a great time,  

playing games  (Tag Trio) 

 

and learning about God at a Bible club

 

led by our friend and ministry partner, Zoltan.

F10 Tag trio

 

Needed: space to run around.

 

Activity:

One person stands in front: Number 1.

Someone else  holds his/her hand:  Number 2

Ask the group, how can we make 3 from this? Yes, another person will hold his/her other hand: Number 3

These three are “it.” Everyone else runs from one side of the play area to the other. The three holding hands try to tag them. The three must keep holding hands for the “tag” to count. Once everyone has been tagged, another three are chosen to be “it.”

 

Note: It is possible to do the same game with another number–a “culturally significant number” or  whichever one you want to focus on.