Like many high-school seniors, Reagan Urbanavage had a lot of questions about life post-graduation. What now? Should I go to college? What kind of career do I want? What does God want me to do with my life?
Reagan, who grew up attending Elizabethtown (Pa.) BIC, didn’t have a lot of answers and didn’t want to rush into a decision. So, with her parents, she decided to take a gap year between high school and attending college.
She spent four months of that year in a customized internship with BIC U.S. World Missions at Iglesia Rescate in Okeechobee, Fla. We recently connected with Reagan to hear about her internship, what she learned during her time in Okeechobee, and how it shifted her hopes for the future.
Why did you choose to take a gap year? Why did you want to do something missions related during your gap year?
I saw it as an amazing opportunity to live a little, focusing on the things I wanted to, before the commitment of college. I wanted to experience life in another culture so that I could grow in my worldview and maturity. Additionally, I wanted to put into practice the Great Commission in ways I simply hadn’t up until that point.
One of my favorite things to do is work as part of a team, and I couldn’t imagine a more special partnership than being in a ministry with the people of God. I hoped that God would use my experience to clarify what serving him should look like for me and how my career choice might intersect with that.
Reagan (holding microphone) leads children’s ministry programing.
What drew you to working with BIC U.S. World Missions?
Since I already had some knowledge of Spanish, I decided to pursue an opportunity in a Spanish-speaking country. There were two organizations besides BIC U.S. World Missions that I considered partnering with. It took a lot of prayer and conversation with my parents, friends, and mentors for me to come to a decision. I eventually chose an internship with World Missions at Iglesia Rescate Okeechobee (Rescue Church) in Florida, pastored by David and Olga Salas.
I appreciated World Missions’ relationship with the Salas family, and I got to talk to another young woman who had previously interned with them. She helped me get a clearer picture of what I would be stepping into.
The World Missions team was also so helpful with fundraising and preparation. I felt equipped to go on my first long trip away from my parents and to a new environment with the resources World Missions provided. They encouraged me to read Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility by Duane Elmer which was a very useful introduction into cultural humility and helped me think through how I wanted to interact with the people I would be serving.
At Okeechobee, Reagan’s ministry took many forms, from sorting through donations to leading Bible study groups.
Can you give a quick overview of the work in Okeechobee?
There are a lot of dairy farms in Okeechobee that employ immigrants and migrants from South and Central America. The dairy farms provide housing for their employees which can lead to isolation, especially if they do not have a car or a driver’s license. The schools in Okeechobee are not great with helping kids who do not speak English to adapt to school.
Even though it is small, the church in Okeechobee is super involved in meeting their community’s needs, both spiritually and physically. That is one of the things that drew me to them, actually. It’s a Spanish-speaking congregation and consists of people from all over. They actively care for this community by hosting Bible studies, providing food, and offering children’s programming to teach English and the Bible.
I got to participate in Bible studies in the Salas’ home, meals together, planning and facilitating children’s programming, Sunday school, distributing food, and just helping each other out when we could. The people in the Okeechobee church are so friendly and generous and were careful to apply the Bible to the way they live their lives.
How did you grow in faith and discipleship during your four months in Florida?
I learned a lot of things while in Florida. It was so wonderful to have Olga Salas in my life. She so intentionally mentored me, working on goals together and meeting weekly. That accountability really helped me grow in my attitude and my faith, even though I did not see as much progress in behavior as I had hoped for. I developed stronger faith in the promises of God and in the value of prayer because I saw so many prayers being answered in Okeechobee. I believe that the church is really following God’s will, and I saw him provide for them again and again.
Discipleship was modeled for me through weekly and daily Bible studies and through the women’s group that would meet over the lunch break. It was amazing to see examples of how the church practically edifies each other by being active into each other’s lives. And while I was being mentored, I was also encouraged to mentor others, which I had the chance to do even when I returned home.
Reagan (left) was deeply impacted by the fellowship and community at Iglesia Rescate Okeechobee.
How has your experience in Florida shaped your decisions for the future?
I honestly felt that I was called to mission work while I was in Florida. God used that time to convict and strengthen me. I am currently at college, which I view as a time of preparation for the rest of my life. During my internship I decided that I wanted to pursue social work as my major, and it has been the right decision so far. I do not know where I will go, but I know that I want to be a part of showing people who Jesus is in very practical ways.
I also know that if I marry, my husband will need to be completely devoted to God and be willing to do anything for Him (as I know that I am also relying on the Holy Spirit to become that person). Witnessing Olga and David’s passion for the Lord – and how they put it into practice in the marriage and ministry – was very inspiring.
I want to keep using my life for God where I am. It’s a challenge to figure out what that looks like, but I am not going to give up. Besides, Jesus will never leave me, and he’s my shepherd.
BIC U.S. World Missions offers customized internships like Reagan’s that provide an opportunity for you to work alongside long-term BIC U.S. missionaries and pastors. With personalized location and term length, interns gain invaluable experience in the field and an opportunity to discern a call to long-term missions. Contact Vicky Landis for more information: vlandis@bicus.org.