Baptist Camping Internships Update 2016 – 2017

The Baptist Camping Victoria Internship has been established to offer a gap year to VCE students before entering university, the work place and for those still searching. This program is run in conjunction with Whitley Theological College and GOTAFE.

This course is challenging, rewarding and it pushes the interns in body, mind and spirit, while also allowing time for reflection. 

This is a great training and development opportunity for young adults between 18-23 who are serious in developing personally and professionally in the following ministry areas:

• Jesus
• A Mission Trip
• Youth Ministry Camps
• Leadership
• Outdoor Education
• Bible Studies
• Prayer
• Camp Life
• Spiritual Formation
• Life skills
• Missions & Ministry
• Doing life with new friends

Live on site at Camp Wilkin, get paid to study & work, receive a Certificate 4 in Outdoor Recreation and 5 subjects toward a Diploma of Ministry from Whitely Bible College.

The program ensures a balance between study, training and site work. This is a full live-in position working Monday to Friday with a weekend roster.  It provides experience in all areas of camp so participants learn what Christian camping is all about.

‘’The year really pushed me into my faith and the biggest lesson I learnt is that I can only take others where I have gone myself with God. Like Moses we have to climb that mountain to see the glory of God, and what Jesus did is made it possible for all Christians to climb that mountain. To teach that is easy, but to walk with them up that mountain is another challenge altogether. It meant knowing the path myself, knowing where the pitfalls are, the snags and the challenges you face along the way. If I hadn't climbed it before how can I lead?” explains Chase Goodwin, Ministry and Program Manager, responsible for the Intern program.

In late 2016, Chase went to northern Thailand to see what may be possible for the internship program in terms of a mission trip learning experience.

Why are our BCV Interns going to Thailand?

In October 2017, the interns will be spending a two week adventure in the heart of the Ethnic Thai, partnering up with Global Interaction for a Global Xposure trip. The aim of Global Xposure is to expose participants to the culture of a least-reached people group and the work of Global Interaction among them.
 
Our team will engage in cultural activities and specific projects (e.g. English Teaching, home churches, and kid’s camps) that connect with and support Global Interaction’s long-term mission strategies. Global Xposure is learning what it means to be a part of this wonderful ministry. Teams are encouraged to ask questions, explore cultures, experience cross-cultural mission work and reflect deeply on their experiences.
 
These trips provide awareness of and exposure to mission, incorporating action-reflection learning, prayer walking, and interviews with cross-cultural staff, team meetings, biblical reflection and debriefing.

The team will be visiting home- long outreach kid’s camp for local children in western Thailand and meeting the long term missionaries and spending the days alongside them.

The intent is that the interns get a holistic experience in all areas of Christian ministry and what serving means in all cultural contexts. In running a camp overseas for kids that come from extreme poverty, some that have disabilities, and some that will most likely spend their whole lives in the rice fields and not ever see a plane never mind travelling on one, will broaden minds and hearts.

‘’It will provide perspective on our lives back in Australia and what we do with our finances, lives and how we spend our time” says Chase
 

This "camp" is three stories high and provides beds for over 30 children. The leaders sleep on the top level. Every floor has its own toilet block with showers. It cost $10000 AUD to build.

 

The majority of children attend this school. This is their playground which I thought was scrap metal.

 

 

The village that the children will come from. In the monsoon season the roads are heavily flooded.

 

 

Jit has been running the camp for many years with his wife Jan. Jan flew over 30 years ago as a nurse missionary and married Jit (a local) after he became a Christian. This was an unfortunate way we had to travel together as I (Chase) was too heavy for the side car. 

 

This children's after school English class is where the interns will teach English. Using the Bible to teach English opens the children up to the Gospel. Paul the teacher was a rich business man in Bangkok then through intervention of God he moved back to rural northern Thailand and became a Christian and now gives his life to teaching children and pastoring the local church.

The group will attend this home church and share a meal. The levels of poverty are extreme and the risk of being associated to the Christian church here can affect their whole families.

 

Bamboo shoots and a spicy crab oil sauce being prepped in their outdoor kitchen for the believers. This man became a Christian through the missionaries in the area.

 

If you stop attending the village Buddhist temple with alms with the rest of the village in this area, the local headsman can cut your family off buying/selling and force you to move out. The Christians here put their whole livelihoods on the line when they become Christians. That doesn't stop them getting baptised and meeting weekly.

The local missionaries are free to worship and do church but when Thai's get saved they risk excommunication and can only turn to the church for future support.

The markets are amazing with fried chicken the most popular along with other delicacies such as live frogs and eels. The smell of the place makes it hard to eat while walking around so take away was a must.

 

Breaking bread and the bank

The team of BCV Interns needs to raise $7500 more to fund the mission trip this October. The tickets have been bought and the itinerary almost finalized and the teams are ready on the ground over there. They are praying and organizing some more fundraisers for the next two months. There is a cultural context day planned where the team will learn basic Thai and learn what it means to be a visiting Christian in a nation that after over 183 years of evangelical missionary work, an investment of thousands of lives and millions upon millions of dollars, out of a total population of 65 million there are only 370,000 evangelical Christians, one half of one percent. 

With roughly one hundred days to go the pressure is on. If you would like to make a donation to the team directly or have any ideas or would like us to share at your church, please contact Chase ChaseG@baptistcamping.com.au

You can find out more about the Baptist Camping Victoria Internship Program here http://baptistcamping.com.au/internships/
 

Source: BUV News