Introducing Summer 2020 Interns
Haitian Christian Outreach
Please help us welcome our 2020 Summer Interns: Rebecca Rivers, Blaine Hoxworth, Cade Walker, and Nazara Taylor!
Between now and summer, these students will be raising support for their summer of service, preparing for the Intern Retreat, studying our Team Leader Guide, and reading some recommended resources to help prepare them for one of the most difficult and rewarding summers of their life. Please join us in praying that God will stretch them and use them in great ways over the coming months!
Interns serve all of our summer teams, and we want our 2020 teams to get to know each one of them! We’ve made it a habit to ask the interns about favorite snacks and have listed those in BOLD below so teams can be sure to pack a few blessings for the interns when they go!
Rebecca Rivers, Lead Intern
Hi everyone, I’m Becca! I am so so excited and thankful to have the opportunity to return to Haiti for a second summer and serve with HCO as the lead intern! I live in Arizona and have been here for 5.5 years; I grew up in Maine. I love living in the desert (yes, even in the summer… but thank you God for AC)!
I just transferred to Arizona State University from community college and I’m studying social work. I’m in the Child Education Welfare Program, which means that the Department of Child Safety is paying for the two years I’m at ASU then I work for them for two years after graduation. Only 3 more semesters and I’m done!
I decided to come back for the summer of 2020 because God so strongly has my heart in Haiti and has been calling me there for a while. I knew when I was leaving last summer that I would be back again sometime and somehow. I am very thankful that happens to be with this incredible organization again and I can’t wait to see what God does!
My favorite snacks, while I’m in Haiti, are healthy ones that provide energy and nutrition for the long hot days; RX bars (of any flavor) were my go-to for day trips. I also loved having Terra vegetable chips to add some variety to the PB&J sandwiches we frequently ate, but any type of chip or snack mix is nice if you can’t find those. I’m not picky and would be thankful for anything!
My favorite Bible verses are Romans 8:38-39, Proverbs 3:5-6, and Philippians 4:11-13. I think it is important to keep and love verses in context, so that’s why each is a short passage instead of a single verse. The one from Romans assures me nothing can separate me from God’s love even when I feel unworthy, the one from Proverbs always reminds me where to place my trust (God is worthy of all of it), and the one in Philippians speaks to my heart to be content in all circumstances I experience because I have Christ and He gives me the strength to do that.
Blaine Hoxworth
I am from Millersburg, Ohio around the middle of Amish Country. It is a small town, but I love living here! I am currently enrolled through West Holmes High School, but I am taking full-time college classes through The University of Akron. I will graduate in the spring and have been looking at different colleges to go to where I will be studying Early Childhood Education.
I decided to apply for the internship because I went down to Haiti this past summer and fell in love with the people and the country itself. I have always wanted to do missions and thought this could be the perfect opportunity to continue God’s plan that he has for me! And to be the hands of feet of Jesus!
Some of my favorite snacks include fruity candy-like starbursts and skittles, whales and goldfish crackers, and also trail mix.
My favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11 which says, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” I love this verse because I feel it is so true with all of the challenges I have faced in my life. It is also in the movie Soul Surfer, which is one of my favorite movies!
Cade Walker
I am from Wadsworth, Ohio, which is near Akron Ohio. I attend Barberton High School and also have classes at the University of Akron. After graduation, I will be attending the University of Akron part of the Honors College, studying in a field of Computer Engineering.
I applied for the internship because I was so blessed to be a part of a weeklong trip in 2018 and I thought I could be a big asset to one of the teams if I got the opportunity to serve. I also believe what HCO is doing in Haiti is something I would do anything to be a part of.
I’m not a very picky guy but some of my favorite snacks are beef jerky, almonds, or pistachios. I like anything that will last awhile but is also a little filling for long days.
I know that it is a pretty well-known verse but my favorite bible verse is Philippians 4:13 it says that “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength“. The past few years I have lived with this verse in my mind because it gives me the strength and courage to try anything out of my comfort zone.
Nazara Taylor
I am from Zanesville, Ohio, but graduated high school from John Glenn High School. I am currently attending a regional campus of Ohio University in Zanesville. I am studying Pre-Medicine in Biological Sciences and hope to double-major in Pre-Med and Health Administration. I will be transferring colleges after my sophomore year, possibly to the main campus of Ohio University or Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.
I am constantly praying for an opportunity to spend a significant amount of time serving in Haiti so that I can learn more, grow, and prepare myself for one day living and serving in Haiti full-time. I learned about this opportunity from Megan, HCO’s US Director and on the last day that I could apply, I felt an urge to apply. God was calling me to do it, and so I did. I am ecstatic to work and serve with HCO. Haitian Christian Outreach is doing so many amazing things, and I can not wait to get to serve and be a part of what God is doing with HCO in Haiti.
My favorite snacks are cashews and M&M’s.
I have several verses that really hold meaning and value in my heart, Romans 12:12, Matthew 28:19-20, and Jeremiah 29:11. I try to constantly remember Romans 12:12, as it an important guideline in the way I live my life. “Be joyful in hope, patient in tribulation, faithful in prayer.”
Matthew 28:19-20 is super important as it is Jesus’s calling to all of us: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
In Haiti, in 2018, I stood on top of a mountain with a coffee cup in hand and a heavy heart. That coffee cup was a gift from a friend, and something I almost did not take with me, as I was worried about the weight of my luggage. It read “‘For I know the plans I have for you’ declares the Lord, ‘Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” I often overlook that verse just because of its contextualization and overuse, but in that moment, on top of that mountain, God whispered to me, “Just trust me.” And I did, I let go of my wants, desires, plans, and let him take complete control, and he did. I learned new things about myself, new talents, and desires. If we ever get the chance to talk, I will tell you about how God is still working in me because of that day.
