My SAM internship was a very big blessing in my life. I had the opportunity to serve at the Ami Training Center in Brazil twice — first for four months and then again for a month-and-a-half.
While I was there I served as an extra set of hands wherever they needed. A couple of mornings each week I helped out in the kitchen preparing lunch, while a couple of other mornings I helped in the children’s room while the parents were doing classes. I myself got to join some classes here and there throughout the week (mainly the Portuguese class because I really didn’t know much of the language at all!). Once a week I would travel to the capital city of Cuiabá with a leader, where we would do bulk grocery shopping for the school. And every week the men have work time in the afternoon where they do various manual labor projects around the property that I got to help with.
Outside of those service duties, I was able to spend down-time and build relationships with the students and leaders through various ways, such as eating meals and playing soccer (futebol) with them. My responsibility as an intern was to serve and build relationships, and I believe the Lord used me to that end and blessed me in so many ways through it!
That being said, it was not always easy for me while I was there. There were definitely a number of challenges and struggles that I faced, especially my first four months there. Being in a brand new culture was exciting but took some adjusting and getting used to. Learning a new language started off well for me as I put a lot of energy into it — but it did reach a point where it became both mentally exhausting and frustrating for me, and I had to learn how to manage that exhaustion and frustration as I noticed it starting to affect my attitude in negative ways.
There were a number of small and big discomforts along the way, from a plethora of mosquitoes and ants in my house that sometimes drove me crazy, to constantly being in a state of not knowing what’s going on when with a group of people (an inevitable side effect of not knowing the language!). And I will admit that I did experience some homesickness along the way.
But through it all, I knew that the Lord was with me as I faced each challenge. I knew that He had led me there for a reason, even if I didn’t always understand what that reason was (another legitimate struggle I faced at times). I chose to trust that if He had led me there, then He was going to lead me through it and provide me with everything He knew I needed. And I chose to believe His Word that the challenges, struggles, and discomforts were a blessing because they were for the sake of His gospel.
My prayer throughout my time serving there was, “Lead on, Good Shepherd.” And He certainly did! He showed Himself to be a good and faithful Shepherd as He led me through each challenge, each struggle, each step. What a blessing to experience!
Caleb Young served as a short-term missionary at the Ami Training Center in Brazil in 2024. His experience there opened his eyes to opportunities for serving in missions and discerning what God is calling Him to in the future.
