Growing in leadership and faith isn’t about one single experience—it’s a journey made richer through a combination of opportunities. For twin sisters Amy and Meg, the Lead for Life internship and leading on a Hunter PY Camp has been genuinely life transforming.
How it all began
Amy and Meg were blessed to grow up in a Christian home, with parents who taught them the gospel from an early age. They began to take their faith more seriously as they entered high school and joined the youth group at their church, Grace Presbyterian Church in Newcastle. When the girls were in Year 12 they both made the decision to undertake a Lead for Life internship post-graduation.
Their joint decision came about after they realised that a few of their youth group leaders would be moving on, for various reasons.
“We thought, ‘We’ve been a part of this group for a long time now, and there’s a big age gap between us and the other youth,’” Amy explains. “We were kind of already seen as leaders, so we thought it’s not actually going to be that big of a step for us to become leaders. But we also thought we needed to do something to equip us for it, and the internship sounded perfect.”
As it turns out, it has been exactly what Amy and Meg needed as they stepped up into youth leadership in their church.
Starting with PY Summer Camp
Their internship kicked off at PY Summer Camp after Christmas, where the girls spent six days learning about leadership, growing in their knowledge of the Bible, and deepening friendships with other interns.
“It was very intensive,” Meg admits, “but I liked that we were in small groups, so we were growing together as a group throughout the week.”
Stepping into leadership with mentorship
Once the camp was over, as part of their internship Amy and Meg committed to a particular ministry role in their church for the year—in their case, youth leadership—and began meeting regularly with a mentor.
“I meet up with my mentor once a month, but you can meet up with them as regularly as you want,” Meg shares. “During that time we read the Bible and catch up, and also talk about how the leadership role is going and how my mentor can help me or support me in that.”
Facing new challenges
Another aspect of their internship involved serving as leaders on the Hunter PY camp at Anna Bay. Amy and Meg were grateful for the experience; they felt both lovingly supported and challenged during the process.
Amy explains, “We had to lead a small group with another leader. They were very nice and encouraging, supporting us in knowing that we hadn’t done it before, but also challenging us to give things a go.”
That experience sums up the entire internship for both Amy and Meg.
“I like that it was a perfect way that I could commit to serving God in a way that is pretty out of my comfort zone,” Meg says. “I’m usually a more quiet person who likes to stay in the background, but I saw the need in our church for more youth group leaders. I’ve loved that Lead for Life has been something that can equip me to do that.”
Amy’s experience has been the same as Meg’s: “It’s helping me to be more confident talking to the kids,” she explains.
Meg shares that one of her greatest encouragements has been watching God at work in some of the members of their youth group. She explains that she wouldn’t have led on the Hunter PY camp if it weren’t for the internship, and if she hadn’t gone she would have missed out on something significant.
A girl from their youth group came to the camp. Meg says she reminds her of herself at that age—a bit quieter, with a preference to stay in the background.
“I was leading the group that she was in, and maybe since I was a leader that she already knew she felt more comfortable, but she did lots of talking and she was asking questions and answering questions,” Meg reflects. “I saw her growing in her faith and I was really encouraged by that.”
Both Amy and Meg have been encouraged by the way God has been at work in each of them during their internship, too.
“We’re both on the quieter side, but we’ve definitely become more comfortable with talking in front of people,” Meg explains. “God’s been helping me be more confident in the knowledge that I have, and how I can share that with the kids.”
To find out more about Lead for Life Internships, check out our website here.
