Elkhart, IN
June 2 – August 1, 2025
Includes housing and a $2,500 stipend.
The Mission
This site allows interns to serve with Lifeline Youth Ministries doing various ministry work in downtown Elkhart, Indiana. The street that interns will be living on has undergone big changes over the past several years. It used to be a hub for drugs and prostitution, but now Lifeline owns most of the houses and has remodeled them into beautiful homes.
Lifeline Summer Camp is an experience that will help you grow in your relationship with God and others. Staff and counselors live on the same street all summer long, where outside of camp we get to minister to people as they walk along our street. This internship will stretch you as you live in community with the rest of the counselors. Along with community work, counselors and staff have regular volleyball and game nights at the Lifeline building, right across the street from the house counselors live in.
Interns in Elkhart can expect:
Living in community with counselors and one another.
Ministering to people along the street they reside.
Invest in children coming out of troubled homes or pasts.
Engage in activities and practices to grow in relationship with God and each other.
The Site
Lifeline Summer Camp ministers to students grades 2 through 6 in inner-city Elkhart, many of whom come from immigrant families, single-parent homes, poverty, and a lot of trauma.
From June 3 to August 2, we provide eight weeks of fun activities, pool time, and field trips. Every morning, we teach a Bible lesson and meet in small groups, along with providing opportunities to reach kids and share Christ’s teachings.
“My internship challenged and encouraged me. I was pushed in new ways, especially in working with kids and diving into a new community. I was deeply encouraged to see the Lord at work in the hearts of the kids. It was impactful to learn about missions and carry it out at the same time. I'm so thankful to be part of the amazing team at Elkhart this summer. God is so good!"
Lisa H.
Summer Intern in Elkhart, IN
Site Director,
David Gaona
David grew up in Elkhart, IN, and is passionate about inviting youth and families to know Jesus. During his time at Bible college, the Lord burdened him for Elkhart, but he didn't know how he was going to minister there.
Through a series of crazy events, David met the executive director of Lifeline and started working with them right after bible college. Darrell Peterson, Lifeline's Executive Director shared, "He now ministers to my friend’s kids, and longs for his friends to come to know Jesus as well."
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I grew up in Elkhart and used to hang out on the same streets as the students I now minister to. I made a lot of wrong choices, but when I gave my life to Jesus, the Lord led me to work with the youth in the area where I grew up.
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I grew up in a home where the Gospel was always being preached, but my heart was far from God. When I was 19 years old, I hit an all-time low, and the only place I could turn to was Jesus. I committed my whole life to Jesus and never looked back.
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I would travel to beautiful destinations, read, write, and pray. All of those activities always lead to spiritual renewal.
Transform communities — and yourself.
The QuadW Missional Internship lifts communities and unites people around common values and beliefs. Our interns and program leaders work to embody Jesus in everything we do, making change in our communities and uplifting congregations all over the world.
