A Gift Shared, A Gift Growing
/Summer Internship at CFNA
Editor’s Note: Paul encouraged young Timothy that age need not limit our service in God’s Kingdom. God calls young and old alike, nurturing the gifts He has given us and providing opportunities to use them in service to others. Addie’s story here is also a beautiful picture of how God grows the gifts He places within His people. Addie Janssen first came to CFNA as a 6-year-old volunteer, serving alongside her mother and brother in the After School Tutoring program. 13 years later, now a college student and CFNA summer intern, she is using her own love of reading and learning to serve another generation of children in our Lord’s Kingdom.
When I was young, I discovered the joy of reading. The power of books to transport readers to different times and worlds has always amazed me. For me, an ideal day is one filled with books, blankets, and a pot of tea. Because of the joy I have found between the covers of a book, the library has always been a happy place for me.
I was so blessed to have the opportunity to help lead this summer's Library and Lunch program. Excitement filled me at the prospect of sharing my favorite place with these kids. This year, 15 children made the most of their summer free time by visiting their local library twice with CFNA volunteers.
Libraries are incredible resources. After signing up for our very own library cards, we explored the children’s section, met the librarians, and dove headfirst into the wonderful world of reading. Each kid had the opportunity to use their brand-new library cards to check out a book for the week, and we wrapped up our time with a picnic lunch together.
This year’s reading program, The Summer Adventure, wasn’t just about how many books you could read. It gave us lots of fun activities to work on at the library, like creating our own planets, learning words in new languages, playing the cloud game outside, and reading stories we’d never heard before.
On the last day, after completing at least 10 Summer Adventure challenges with our amazing volunteers, our kids received awesome prize packets from the library. Afterwards, we celebrated together with Gus’s pretzels in the park.
As I watched our kids read 1-on-1 with volunteers, laugh while they colored in their new planets, and discover the joy of reading for themselves, I couldn’t help but feel thankful, thankful that libraries exist and offer so many wonderful opportunities to learn, laugh, and find community, thankful to have the opportunity to spend my summer working with such incredible kids, and thankful that these kids have the opportunity to learn to love reading as much as I do.
by Addie Janssen (CFNA Summer Intern)
