September 29th 2010
“This summer, UrbanPromise International had their first summer internship program in Malawi. Eleven interns from the African Bible College served with the 5 UPI affiliates in Malawi. Here’s the story of one intern.”
Chester, a June 2010 graduate of African Bible College, had a deep impact on the children at RiseMalawi Ministries as an intern. He immediately began taking initiative to know the children and be a mentor with whom they could talk. He always spent unstructured time with several of the boys before and after the official program time to build these relationships. He was also an effective teacher in the 5th grade classroom each day to encourage the academic development of the students. He eagerly anticipates his tenure as a fellow with UPI for the upcoming year because he dreams of working with secondary school students in ministry in the future.
One of the pivotal contributions that Chester made to the RiseMalawi community this summer was his effort to plan and coordinate a special field trip for 37 children. The focus of the trip was both education and amusement. It included a bus ride to the Salima district along Lake Malawi, a guided tour of Salima Technical College, picnic lunch, beach walk, and recreational games. The trip was arranged as an incentive for RiseMalawi children who have displayed satisfactory attendance and academic performance in the school year. Chester led the planning meetings and even took a solo trip to Salima to make the proper arrangements several weeks in advance. The kids were ecstatic to have this opportunity to leave their rural homes and explore the beauty of their nation’s famous lake, most for the first time. They were engaged during all parts of the experience, from bonding through songs on the bus, to inquiring about entrance requirements at the college, to displaying their teamwork and creativity building sand castles.
The experience opened their eyes to many new things and it was truly the highlight of the summer months for all involved. Chester’s influence will always be remembered when these RiseMalawi youth recall their wonderful trip to Salima!