Unmasking the Gospel in 2021: Esther, TWR Women of Hope Intern
Esther was born in Hawaii but grew up in North Carolina. This fall, she will begin her second year as a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At UNC, she is double majoring in Linguistics and German Literature & Culture. Her internship at TWR is with TWR Women of Hope, where she will be assisting with projects like the monthly prayer calendars.
Q: How did you hear about TWR?
I first heard about TWR when a Christian friend organized a field trip to tour the facility in 2014 when I was 12.
Q: What caused you to get involved in the internship program with TWR?
I wanted to find some work experience that glorifies God directly.
Q: Have you always been interested in missions?
Since most of my extended family are atheists in China, I have always had a passion to share the gospel with the unreached and unbelievers. In middle school and high school, I was the kid at church who was mainly interested in missionary stories (namely the Christian Heroes: Then & Now series and books written by Elisabeth Elliot), while everyone else was mainly interested in Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. That is also why I hoped to find a summer opportunity that would allow me to glorify God directly.
Q: What projects are you going to be involved in?
I will be contributing to some of Women of Hope’s publications (for example, the prayer calendars).
Q: Are there any challenges you have or anticipate experiencing? How will you face them?
I cannot think of any specific challenges, but in general, encountering and adapting to new situations can be challenging for me. To face these challenges, I will rely on prayer and reading God's Word to find strength.
Q: What are you most looking forward to during your internship?
I look forward to using the skills God has given me to glorify him and contribute to Women of Hope's amazing ministry of bringing hope to women. I am most excited about being able to use writing for Christ. I also look forward to growing in Christ.
Being at TWR with like-minded interns and other staff encourages me in my spiritual walk; I look forward to absorbing the positive atmosphere here so that I can learn how to better radiate God's love. Also, when I read about how Christians around the world are being persecuted in ways we could never imagine, I feel blessed, inspired and strengthened.
Q: What is your biggest goal for this summer?
My biggest goal is to glorify God. To that end, I want to do my best in whatever I do. I also want to learn all that I can so that I can use it later on in life. I'm not quite sure how it would work but gaining insight into the hardships that Christians around the world experience might somehow help me when talking to non-believers, encouraging other believers, and persuading other believers to get involved in missions or ministry.
Q: What are your post-college plans?
I’m not sure what my post-college plans are, but I definitely want to be involved in a church and glorify God in any way possible. I will try to promote homeschooling to a certain degree as well.
Q: Fun fact: What’s your favorite food?
My favorite food to cook is fried rice.