The First Intern, Before There Were Interns : 10 Years Later

Many years ago, Mark Wurtz found himself holding a question: What would it look like to invite young adults not simply to learn about faith, but to live inside it, to work it with their hands, to test it in real responsibility, and to be shaped by it over time in the rhythms of life at the farm?

Over the years, ideas surfaced and faded, conversations happened, possibilities were imagined, maybe a program, maybe something closer to discipleship, something that would go beyond summer camp and short experiences, something slower, rooted in ordinary days. Then, in 2016, that question took its first real step, quietly and without much structure. The very first intern arrived, though at the time we did not even call it an internship.

After that year, a season of pause and waiting came as others joined the conversation, helping to dream again, to plan, to reimagine what that early step might grow into. What slowly emerged through shared discernment, patience, and prayer is what we now know as the 3E Internship. What follows is the reflection of that very first intern, written years later, still carrying the weight and tenderness of that formative season.

I am Susanah Laguerre. I came to Youth Farm Bible Camp from the fall of 2015 to the fall of 2016 as the first and only intern.

It was a completely new environment for me. Though I grew up in a Christian home, I did not attend Bible camp as a child. I was met with many new opportunities and challenges that grew and deepened my faith as I learned the daily running of the camp, fundraising, and traveling out of the country for the first time, first to Israel and later to Mexico. I took part in Bible College courses, hosting groups, and of course, the year ended with summer camp.

Though my year as an intern was impactful in my journey of faith, after ten years the biggest impact remains the trip to Israel. Not only because it was an adventure, though it was that too, but more so because it brought the Bible to life.

One of my favourite places was Lake Tiberias, also known as the Sea of Galilee. I never quite believed that there could be such a storm to cause waves big enough to fill a boat, as described in Matthew 8. I still do not understand physically how there could be such a big storm on a lake, let alone on a Saskatchewan lake. But after seeing how rough the waves became on the Sea of Galilee, I was able to imagine these kinds of storms more clearly.

Something that was beyond humbling was to actually walk where my Savior walked. This was thousands of years ago, and I can only imagine what it must have been like to literally walk with Him. For some, I believe they recognized the preciousness of the opportunity. For others, He was just another man.

_____

Reading Susanah’s reflection today, years later, reminds us how privileged and blessed we have been to witness what God has done through this program. What started as a question, then as one courageous yes, has been shaped, refined, and carried forward in ways none of us could have planned.

The growth of this program has never been the result of a perfect structure or a strong strategy. It has grown because God has faithfully met people in real life, in ordinary work, in shared meals, long days, travel, worship, and service. Each season has added something new by God’s grace. What we now call the 3E Internship carries the fingerprints of many people, many stories, and ultimately, God’s patient and guiding hand.

We hold this with humility and gratitude. Not as something we own, but as something we steward.

If you are a young adult sensing a desire for something deeper, more rooted than a program or a title, we invite you to listen. This may be a place where faith is not only learned, but lived, tested, and formed over time. As it was for Susanah, and for many after her, the invitation remains open.