Sophia Coke and Ben Scheffler from Lansing, Michigan, spent 12 weeks as summer interns at YLM

Over the years, Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care (YLM) has been home for summer, winter and year-round interns.  This year, we had four summer interns and among them, Ben Scheffler and Sophia Coke spent twelve weeks working all aspects of service at YLM for the purpose of helping build up a new program known as Ambassadors for YLM.

Having served through YLM for the last three years with Martin Luther Chapel from Michigan, both were excited to spend a summer as interns this year.

Sophia and Ben with Martin Luther Chapel Servant Event team from Lansing, MI for the last three years

  “I was inspired by the enthusiasm of the staff and volunteers who serve through YLM,” Sophia shared when asked why she agreed to do the summer internship, “Having been part of a YLM Servant Event team for the last three years has immensely impacted my faith.”

Ben shared how the patience YLM’s staff showed their inexperienced team when they were building houses in Anapra helped him make the decision to spend his summer serving at YLM.  Many of those who have served as Servant Event teams think YLM is a house building organization, something Sophia and Ben once believed.

“There’s always something different going on at YLM,” Sophia stated after having shared her initial impression of YLM’s work, “It’s not just building houses…there’s picking up food from the food bank, putting together food bags for distribution, stuffing backpacks and assembling hygiene kits.  Collecting, sorting and cleaning toys, picking up donations, cleaning and folding blankets.”

“In the twelve weeks we’ve been here, over seven houses have been built, six teams led VBS in several of the different mission churches partnering with YLM,” Ben added to the list, “There was always something to do…a lot of physical labor that helped build inner character.”

Ben and other volunteers made daily runs to the local food bank to pick up items for the Saturday Emergency Food Program

From daily runs to the food bank to organizing the warehouses where food, school and hygiene supplies are kept, Ben and Sophia found themselves busy from morning until dinner time.  They helped another summer intern with Vacation Bible School at San Pablo Lutheran Church, the El Paso mission-church located on the YLM campus.  “We learned to rely on interacting with others who served,” Sophia smiled along with Ben, “It was a life-changing kind of experience.”

Becoming a part of the YLM team gave Ben and Sophia the needed experience to help further build on a new program to further spread the work and mission of YLM.  The purpose of Ambassadors for YLM is to equip and empower individuals to share with their city’s congregations and service-minded organizations on what YLM does and who they serve.

“For the Ambassador program, there was a skeleton presentation already done,” Ben pointed out with Sophia nodding in agreement, “We were able to use it as a foundation to build a presentation to use to take to service-oriented churches and organizations back home.  This way, we can share with them what YLM does and how they can get involved.”

Sophia and Ben spent their evenings further developing the Ambassadors for YLM materials and presentations

The objective of Ambassadors for YLM is to cast a wider and deeper net to get as many people as possible involved in YLM in as many ways as possible.  Whether its to bring in a Servant Event team to build a home, lead VBS, hold dental, medical or eyeglasses clinics, or to donate school supplies, blankets, jackets, hygiene items, food, and toys, there are many areas of service where people of all ages and cultural backgrounds could help change lives through simple acts of kindness.

When asked if being an intern helped them become effective Ambassadors, Ben answered, “Experiencing the work that is done at YLM helped give us a broader and more personal view of their mission…and it makes it a lot easier to persuade people to come here, because we are able to share what we experienced.  We can speak from our own experience of what we did when people ask about what to donate to YLM or how to help YLM.”

Many thanks to Ben and Sophia for their time spent with us!  Both have become a part of our YLM family and we’re truly blessed to have seen their lives change along with the lives of those they served and will continue to serve.

If interested in more information regarding the Ambassadors for YLM program,
give us a call at (915) 858-2588 or e-mail us at service@ylm.org