Summer is a busy time at our Peredo campus as we host several short-term teams that serve alongside our Haitian brothers and sisters. Whether helping carry and lay block for the construction of Phase II for Peredo Community Hospital, teaching kids at VBS, prayer walking, or training and equipping our Haitian staff, each team serves an important role. Our summer interns help each team on campus, answering questions, leading projects, taking them to various places around campus and the village, and being a general resource and encouragement. Interns also spend a lot of time serving with our Haitian staff, practicing their Creole, and encouraging the Peredo community.

While it is an amazing experience, it is also a challenging one. As you get to know them, we hope you will pray for them -- for wisdom, strength, patience, leadership, and all they need to do their work faithfully. We trust that God will guide them as they guide our teams.

This summer, we are excited to have four interns: Allison Conder, Faith Dalhquist, Kara Roland, and Jonah Steele. We'd like to let you get to know them in their own words and photos.

Allison Conder

Hello friends! My name is Allison, and I'm 23 years old. I am currently an elementary school teacher, nanny, track coach, and an aspiring missionary. You can find me most days with a book, journal, or camera in hand. I love storytelling in any capacity and find I'm most fulfilled when I'm in community with others hearing what makes them tick. My adventuresome spirit keeps me busy hiking, biking, running, exploring, and traveling constantly - and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

My journey with Haitian Christian Outreach began when I was 18. I spent a month with HCO, shadowing physicians in our up and running clinic, as well as assisting with the ever-growing Peredo campus. The Lord has blessed me with many more years in this community growing friendships and lifelong prayer partners. This will be my fourth summer in Haiti as part of the intern team, and I am honored to be spending this one as the lead intern. My passion for Haiti is strong, my passion for evangelism is greater, and my passion for our creator is stronger still. I'm so blessed to be working alongside some of our Father's most humbled servants. 

Faith Dahlquist

My name is Faith Dahlquist.  I am from Centralia, Illinois. I have just graduated high school, and I plan on going into nursing. I have grown up with a family who is in love with missions. From a very young age my parents have told me all about their trips to Haiti through HCO. It has opened my eyes to the world of missions, and I absolutely fell in love. Being with HCO this summer will give me a chance to see how God can use me in Haiti. I am so excited to see what God will do this summer.  

Kara Roland

My name is Kara Roland. I am a senior in high school. My favorite things in life are smiling, laughing, and serving alongside my family and friends. The reason that I first sought out this internship is threefold. Number one, I want to live my life in such a way that through everything I say and do, God is given glory. I do not know what God has in store for my life, but my desire to serve and glorify Him may result in me working as a part of a mission organization. This summer I am hoping to see more of the mission and how it works, not just the parts I would see on a week-long trip. 

Number two, I love to serve! I am extremely excited to be stretched and challenged as I search for opportunities to serve the Haitian people, the short-term group members, and the staff of HCO daily, despite the challenges (a language barrier, exhaustion, spiritual warfare, etc.) that will come. 

Number three, I love Haiti. My family went two years ago and I fell in love. The country is beautiful, the people even more so. God is, and will continue, doing amazing things through His people in Haiti. I am so excited to be a tiny part of that legacy. When we come together as the Church, Haiti will be won for Christ.

 

Jonah Steele

Hi! My name is Jonah Steele, and I'm a seventeen-year-old who lives in Zanesville, Ohio. But I'm not a Buckeye fan, just so we're clear--I've lived in Illinois, Colorado, and Indiana, as well. I work at a movie theater, and I enjoy being outside camping and hiking. 

I am psyched to work in Haiti! I've been to Haiti twice and the Dominican Republic one time. I can't wait to work with the American teams as they serve alongside Haitians this summer. I'm looking forward to the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges that will come up throughout these next two months, and I can't wait to meet a whole bunch of new people!