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Imitating the Training of John Mark and Timothy
Development of internships in UIM has been ongoing for many years. Warren Cheek has worked effectively in this area, and Jerry Holm, along with input of other UIMers, has written a manual. While the administrative team wishes to continue to encourage "short-term" ministry with UIM (such as individual and group spring break trips and summer season ministry), we'd like to take this to the next level as well.
The UIM administrative team has discussed putting greater emphasis on providing extended internships to encourage a young generation of missionaries to join UIM. We are still working on details, but the biblical models of John Mark and Timothy are foundational prototypes. John Mark was an intern with Barnabas and Paul (Acts 13-15), and Timothy was an intern with Paul, Silas, and Luke (Acts and Pastoral Epistles). The biblical account of these young men provides a classic framework for missionary internships.
Pray with UIM's leadership as we seek to develop and implement a more formalized internship program, a vision that was affirmed at the October 2014 administrative team and International Board meetings.
In Christ Jesus,
 Dan Fredericks, Executive Director
UIM International
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Warren and Carol Cheek
UIM International Representatives 
Warren and Carol Cheek joined UIM in February 1985 and have filled multiple ministry roles over the past three decades. They continue to have a passion to know Christ and make Christ known.
In June 2008 they began serving as the International Representatives for UIM. This ministry includes a great deal of travel throughout Canada, the USA, and Mexico and focuses on:
increasing UIM's prayer, financial and people resources as UIM continues to make disciples of Jesus Christ and establish churches; sharing UIM's vision and opportunities for involvement with God's people;encouraging pastors, missionaries, church-establishing teams, mission leaders, and indigenous church leaders; and recruiting and training short-term and long-term missionaries.
They want God's people serving wherever He wants them, and they try to share practical steps of faith in the process of their journey. UIM missionaries and churches offer many "hands on" opportunities for people who are pursuing full-time service with UIM or ongoing partnerships in ministry with UIM.
The Cheeks have been representing UIM and building relationships with the faculty, staff, and students of Frontier School of the Bible (www.frontierbible.org) and Calvary Bible College (www.calvary.edu) for many decades. They consistently present short-term and long-term ministry opportunities that are available within UIM and trust God to lead some of His choice servants to UIM.
Last spring a supporting church provided them with a motor home to use in the International Representatives ministry, and they traveled in it for nearly 60 days last summer in Central British Columbia and Washington. While there, they were able to visit many field missionaries who were at one time UIM short-term or intern participants. One of the CBC students who served for two weeks last summer is recruiting other CBC students to serve on a UIM Canada short-term team for the summer of 2015. It is wonderful to see God working out His plan!
For the past decade UIM has been offering an annual spring break short-term mission team opportunity to FSB students. The teams travel with multiple long-term missionaries and serve with a few tribal churches and tribes in New Mexico and Arizona. The Cheeks are in the process of recruiting another team for March 2015. They are also recruiting for a summer team in partnership with FSB and UIM, one for British Columbia and another for Mexico.
"The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made both of them" (Proverbs 20:12, NASB). They strive to first use the "hearing ears and seeing eyes" God has given them before they use their "tongues" to give people counsel. Please pray for God to grant them wisdom, discernment, and understanding as they interact with and seek to encourage so many people in multiple cultures throughout North America.
They are available to represent the ministries of UIM and serve local churches, Bible camps, Bible schools, and other ministries. Please contact them if they can be of help to your ministry: wcheek@uim.org.
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Internships:
A Cross-Cultural Experience
A variety of internship experiences are available for students who want to see firsthand ministry in a cross-cultural setting or need to participate in order to graduate from college.
In the fall of 2001, then General Director Warren Cheek started teaching mission classes at Frontier School of the Bible in LaGrange, Wyoming. In the spring of 2004, Warren and other seasoned missionaries took a group of students from Frontier on a ten-day ministry trip to encourage and serve churches and church and community leaders among the Navajo, Hualapai, and Havasupai. In the fall of 2004 FSB started offering a fourth-year internship option to the graduates of their three-year programs. UIM immediately partnered with FSB by providing mission internships for two of the recent graduates who had also participated on the spring short-term mission team. These women served in various locations and ministries in Canada, the USA, and Mexico. Over the last decade many students from a variety of colleges have served as interns throughout North America, and the program was expanded to include opportunities with UIM Aviation. UIM missionary Jerry Holm oversees the entire internship program with Communications Coordinator Renae Hodgin processing the applications. For the Southwest field, missionary Ann Kontz is involved. Using the airplane, UIM Aviation offers involvement in a cross-cultural setting without leaving North America. The participant also gains invaluable knowledge of airplane mechanics, flight techniques, and how aviation can best be utilized to serve in missions. If you or someone you know is interested in an internship experience, contact Renae at uim@uim.org to start the process.
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