Ric and Sharon Bruce On a journey with you to Thailand 
Our first week as full-time interns went very well considering all the new things we were exposed to at once. We learned more about what exactly we’ll be doing during our time in the office and adjusted a bit to our new surroundings and a new team.
A question we get a lot: Why an internship?
Well, it’s not a simple thing to answer. The long and short of it can be summed up in two subheadings:
Re-acquainting Ourselves with Trinity:
Trinity Church sent us into Missionary Training in August of 2007. At the time, I had already done an internship there and Sharon had been attending regularly for years. I had served on the janitorial staff since 2002 and had volunteered in the youth ministry and as an usher Sunday mornings. I already did a year’s internship that took me to Africa, Europe, and conferences across the US. The church knew us. We were (and are) both members.
However, major organizational changes as well as Pastors and other staff coming and going have left us with the need to re-acquaint ourselves with the church. The internship is partly solving that problem.
Serving the Church:
The second issue the internship addresses is more sublime. We feel that the church needs our help. Our current missions pastor, Matthew Philip, is trying to re-organize and re-think Trinity’s Global Outreach strategies. He write on the church website, "We are in the process of re-working Trinity’s focus and priorities in international missions, and are excited about the clarity and synergy that is building."
Sharon and I get to be a part of that process! Among other projects, Sharon is working on a focus for next year’s short-term missionary trips and I am working on a process by which we can get prayer requests from Trinity’s missionaries into the hands of the people in the church. Please pray for us in this ministry and view our internship like a pre-field test. If we can’t do missions here in the United States, we will not be able to do it in Cambodia!
Does this mean Trinity will get all your attention?
No. Another priority for us in Michigan is connecting with New Hope Church, the church Sharon grew up in and that we have been so encouraged by for the past few years.
We also want to connect with YOU! Please send us an email if you would like to spend some time with us while we’re home! We would love to see you.
How will you pay to live while doing an unpaid internship?
As missionaries, we have to get used to working for free (also known as ministry) and looking to the Lord to provide for our needs. We are trusting Him not only for the money to provide for our daily needs, but also for Sharon’s upcoming "practicum" on a Cherokee Reservation in Oklahoma. This important part of her training will cost about $2,000 dollars.
Please pray for us as we ask God for wisdom regarding this internship. We trust that it will be a beneficial, useful time that will launch us into ministry in Cambodia. We couldn’t do this without you and we appreciate your support and prayers.
