But why internships?   Investing in their lives is a gift of faith to future generations for the vision of Dreams InDeed: "a light in every dark place."

Jinju making her first salad.

"Life-on-life rub" is the essence of a Dreams InDeed internship. No short-cuts. We take them out to hard places. We bring them back into our home. We eat the food they learn to cook. We crash with them in hotel rooms and on bamboo floors. We celebrate the best "bed head" hairstyle.

They live with us. They laugh with us. They learn with us.

Day-in and day-out community permits no pretense. As one intern wrote, "Living together challenged me to be more real at all times. This was not a lifestyle where I could hide my flaws at work, and return home to relax back into bad habits. I had to honestly face my failings."

These young people, just like our dreamers, have the potential to kindle lights in hard places.

Practiced Values.

But fanning the flame of visionaries in tough contexts takes depth of character - values honed and practiced with others. Dreams InDeed's core values, as modeled by Jesus, are revealed in action, not words alone. Here's how, in their own words, interns express their growing values alignment:

Stephanie translating a dreamer interview for Andrew.

• Passion: enduring sacrifice. Passion is unflagging zeal for the mission, springing from a deep inner well of love, willingly choosing to suffer and sacrifice for others. "In my whole life, I've never worked as hard as I have this last week...and it's never been as meaningful."

• Humility: serving with respect. Humility takes the genuine attitude and active role of a servant and perpetual learner; content with shadows, not limelight; focusing on mission, not self. "I understood, through my exposure to the visionaries and Dreams InDeed's work with them, that solutions do not come from 'experts.' The experts are the poor. We must find the solutions in them and through them, not impose our own ideas and ways on them."

David, Janice, and Manal eating at a tribal home.

• Faith: embracing risk. Faith is the spirit of the entrepreneur, with raw courage and unshakable confidence to take bold risks to innovate and invest despite obstacles, sure of future impact. "I was very nervous to raise funds. However, I was encouraged to try. I'm very glad I was pushed to take this big step out of my comfort zone, because now I'm much more comfortable taking risks, having seen the outcome of this one."

• Wisdom: applying insight. Wisdom applies profound truth into complexity, perceiving what is at stake when dilemmas defy answers, finding a way forward under pressure. "Listening and brainstorming for hours with visionaries and their teams was challenging. I understood that skills should be tailored to the needs of those we're serving. I learned to work in teams with different areas of expertise to combine the output of our work."

Manal translating documents with a Thai gal.

• Integrity: deeds equal words. Integrity, the foundation of character, is purity of motive, sincerity of intention, and unalloyed truthfulness that delivers on "my word is my bond" promises. "I learned a lot from the time I spent with the director when we had a problem with our internet provider's office. As I watched, I learned how to engage people in a kind, yet firm way. The battle is in my attitude, not so much in solving the presenting problem."

David Jinju

While we invest in them, they in turn work hard now and prepare to serve for a lifetime. We all take resource stewardship seriously. Here's a sampling of the tangible value they have delivered:   

• Third-author editing of published case studies
• Bi-lingual spiritual formation curriculum, print-ready for Arab kids
• Reliable data collection confirming improved enterprise performance
• Financial analysis and stewardship recommendations
• Cost-effective travel arrangements on four continents
• Photo documentary of achievements in hard places
• Upgraded communications and information technology