Clarity for the Future and Creating Safe Spaces
Emma’s story of serving with one collective
Emma narber
2022 Intern in Athens, Greece
One Collective is a global, Jesus-centered nonprofit that focuses on a holistic, sustainable approach to ministry and development around the world. Over 250 staff serve in various communities on the ground, and any given year around 30-40 interns join established teams to join in the work happening. If you’re interested in serving with One Collective, talking to a serving coach here.
When Emma said yes to a cross-cultural internship with One Collective, she was hoping the experience would provide more clarity about her passions, purpose, and post-grad plans. Her time serving in Athens, Greece did exactly that. Below are Emma’s insights about serving in a new environment, discerning the future, and relying on the Lord in the midst of it all.
What was a problem or issue you faced before interning with One Collective?
“Before I was introduced to One Collective, I was in a season of uncertainty and figuring out where the Lord was leading me next. It was my junior year of college, I was double majoring in Filmmaking and Peace and Conflict Studies, and I didn’t fully know how God would provide opportunities for me to use these passions. It was a season of asking what the Lord was doing and where he might be directing me. At the same time, I had been going through a personal situation where some relationships had been broken off. These things together left me feeling pretty alone and questioning where the Lord was leading me next.
Working with my mobilizer, and through time in prayer, I felt God was leading me to join One Collective in Greece. For my internship, I worked with refugee women and got involved in anti-sex trafficking in Athens. My time serving helped answer the questions I was having in life.”
How did your internship impact these questions?
“First, through my experiences working with vulnerable women, I felt God cultivate in me a desire to create safe spaces for people who needed them. I went into my internship asking the question, ‘what does life post-graduation look like?’ - and working with women who were displaced from their homes, and had experienced significant trauma or abuse, opened my heart to being part of creating homes and safe spaces for others.
Second, while I was in Greece, I contracted COVID and had to go into isolation for 10 days, where I felt the weight of being by myself in a foreign country. That was a difficult experience, but it also provided space for me to dive deeper into Scripture and spend time with God in prayer. That time in isolation introduced me more to the power of God’s word, and how impactful simply being with the Lord can be, especially when feeling lonely or isolated.”
What surprised or challenged you about your internship experience?
“I’ve had opportunities to travel quite a bit, so being away from home has typically excited me more than been difficult for me. During my internship in Greece, however, I found it hard being away from home - I missed my community and the proximity of people I knew well and who knew me well. It was a huge challenge, but I also think this helped me better see and empathize with people I met who had been displaced, moved away from, or lost their homes in much greater ways than I had. Although homesickness was a personal challenge, it also greatly influenced how I now see and work with people who are away from home.”
What did you learn about yourself while living and serving in Athens?
“I would say rather than learning something completely new about myself, I uncovered more of who I was, and saw how little pieces of who I was were actually a much larger part of my heart and story than I had realized.
First, the arts were something I’d always enjoyed and had been part of throughout my life, but also something I’d often put on the back burner. I have always loved dance, art, and theater, and the fact that the team in Athens was doing creative ministry in various ways with refugees confirmed how much it was of value to me. Seeing how the arts were integrated into ministry so well uncovered more of my heart for creativity within ministry.
Second, I uncovered more of a heart for long-term ministry presence. When I spent some time with Nea Zoi, the anti-trafficking organization One Collective partners with in Athens, I was told it took 10 years of consistently building relationships and reaching out for anyone to come and ask for help. That gave me a new appreciation for ministry that doesn’t quit when things are hard or don’t go as expected. I generally hate waiting, and learning more about a ministry like this was a reminder that there is no wasted time in the waiting.
Third, I learned that I can be a peaceful presence to others even when I don’t feel all that peaceful. There were many times where I didn’t feel as at peace as I would have hoped - I was navigating new challenges, living in a new country, and experiencing a lot of different emotions with that. But at the end of my time there, multiple people from the team I worked alongside shared with me that they felt I was a peaceful person and that my presence brought peace to the larger team. It helped me recognize that in times where I might not personally feel peace, the Lord is greater and can allow me to exemplify more of his peace and Shalom.”
How has your internship continued to impact your life?
“Like I mentioned earlier, I found I had a deep passion for creating safe spaces and environments for people to feel safe and welcomed in, and I wanted to learn more about how to do so. That passion led me to pursue grad school to learn more about what it means to create environments that help people from all different backgrounds feel safe. The Lord has opened doors for that in the day-to-day, too - right now, my neighbors are refugees, and I’ve gotten to practice being a welcoming presence in capacities I wouldn’t have been able to before my internship.
Part of my job now also involves overseeing serving opportunities for students at my university outreach center, both short-term and long-term, and I’ve learned a lot of practices from One Collective about doing cross-cultural ministry well that have influenced how I do my job.
My internship also prompted me to keep learning more about human trafficking in the U.S., particularly sex trafficking. I’ve pursued ways to advocate for the work that’s being done by Nea Zoi in Greece, but also on behalf of other local anti-sex trafficking organizations. I’ve seen myself grow in awareness and advocacy, and also tangibly in learning to love my neighbor and learn from other people’s stories.”
What advice or thoughts would you share with someone who is interested in serving but isn’t sure?
“I would say, why not serve? I think oftentimes we come up with a lot of excuses for reasons why we shouldn’t serve - whether that’s money, expectations from family or friends, or something else. But at the end of the day, the Lord will provide for you all that you need. Saying yes to serving - whether that’s for a few weeks or a few years, and whether it’s overseas or in your neighborhood - makes a difference. The Lord will use your yes, and I think you’ll be in awe of how he uses it. Plus, One Collective is an incredible organization to say that yes with, because from my experience, they really take the time to learn about and empower communities.”
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