Hey y’all! I’m so excited to get to share this amazing summer experience with you!
First, let me introduce myself. My name is Maggie B Lewis (she/her) and I’m from a small town in southern Indiana called Bedford (home of the infamous Camp Bedford and Conference Center)! After graduating high school, I headed all the way to New Orleans where I currently attend Loyola University New Orleans. I am a rising senior majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Catholic Studies, with plans of attending a Disciples seminary after graduating. I have the best job on campus as a Campus Ambassador, giving tours to prospective students and sharing my major school spirit with anyone who will listen!
Camp has been one of my favorite summer activities since middle school and I’ve always felt the sacredness when on camp grounds. My absolute favorite part of going to camp each year was getting to meet the Peace Intern we would be getting to work with that year. Each time, I could look at the camp staff and know that I could at least be comfortable with the Peace Intern because their whole job was to be mentors for campers. While I now understand that there’s a bit more to the job description than that, I cannot wait to show up to camps and make campers feel comforted by my presence. More than that, I cannot wait to share the Good News of God’s love that I know to be true.
My home church, Bedford First Christian Church, has shown me that love every day of my life. It is because of the love and open arms of that congregation that I am the person I am today. They have given me unconditional love, just as our Creator does. My hometown also is the place where many of my favorite memories take place, mainly because of my wonderful friends and family there who continue to give me the best support a girl could ever ask for. None of this summer would be possible without the aid of my loved ones, I’m eternally grateful for their astounding and wonderous love. All of these people are great examples of Christ’s love and I cannot wait to share that same compassion with everyone I meet this summer!
Last week was our DPF training week and I was able to see that wondrous work within our national church. My cohort of Peace Interns was lucky enough to meet with numerous denominational leaders, and we were fed amazing spiritual information! More than that, we were so lucky to create a strong group of folks who are excited to share the information we were given with our home churches and all of the camps we will be at this summer.
Speaking of my amazing cohort, Allison and Ella are two of my newest favorite people. The bond we created over a week will last a lifetime (even if half of the week was getting to know each other through Zoom)! The moments that we didn’t spend laughing at inside jokes made within the first few days were spent eating wonderful snacks provided by Allisonville Christian Church or exploring Indianapolis with our lovely Peace intern Chaplain, Sarah Zuniga. I believe this summer will only bring us closer together, even though we won’t be back together physically until the beginning of August for our closing retreat!
One of my favorite facts to share this summer is that my connection to the Disciples Peace Intern Program runs deep. My first Peace Intern experience with Rev. Sarah Zuniga left a lasting impression on me as a freshman in high school. When I came home from camp and shared this amazing experience with my home church’s minister at the time, I learned that this was not a new program for him. Turns out, my minister and now great mentor, Rev. Bruce Ervin, was the very first Peace Intern!
This connection fueled a fire in my heart to continue such an amazing legacy started by Bruce and continued through wonderful folks like Sarah. Now, I get to be a part of history as a member of the 50th Peace Intern cohort! I cannot wait to share all of my favorite moments and memories of this summer with you all.
As Jerry Garcia once sang, I love you but Jesus loves you best!
With Peace and Love,
Maggie B