Ava and her mom, Rev. Amber Laffey.

“My internship definitely helped strengthen my faith and gave me a feeling of being really close with God, knowing that I was directly doing his handiwork,” shared Ava Laffey, Samuel Intern.   

Every year, the Dakotas Conference of The United Methodist Church invites high school students to explore their call to ministry and grow in leadership by participating in an internship through the Samuel Project. Unlike the Elisha Project for college-aged students where interns are matched with a different local church than their own, Samuel internships are given the opportunity explore different aspects of ministry leadership more intentionally in their local church.  

For Ava, whose mom was serving as the pastor of her local church when she applied, the placement process was more unique. Ava spent 10 weeks of her summer serving as a Samuel intern at Downton First United Methodist Church in Mitchell, South Dakota, just 30 miles from Parkston where she is a senior in high school. 

Growing up, Laffey and her family were very active in the church. When Laffey was in middle school, her mother, Amber, decided to pursue pastoral ministry and was commissioned as a Deacon in 2023. Since then, Ava has embraced her UMC family and continues to find new ways to grow and serve.   

“I feel like I am pretty involved in the Dakotas Conference,” said Ava. “This is my second year as the chairperson for CCYM (Conference Council on Youth Ministry). I also attend LTC (Living Transformed for Christ) every year, which is the high school camp at Lake Poinsett.” 

“I’m also kind of my mom’s personal assistant a lot of the time,” she added. 

Laffey heard about the Samuel internship from her mom and other friends in the connection.   

“I thought the internship would be good for my faith journey and kind of just seeing what ministry can look like and all the different experiences you get with it,” shared Ava.   

Ava pictured with other members of CCYM at Annual Conference.

After applying, she was then matched with Mitchell Downton First UMC. Ava had visited Downtown First for a few different youth events, such as Winter Connection, but hadn’t interacted with Rev. Keith Nelson or the congregation.   

“I think it was kind of nice not knowing Pasto Keith prior. Since my mom’s a pastor, I know what she’s like and I know what to expect, but learning from Pastor Keith brought new ideas, different traditions, and different ways of doing things that were very interesting,” explained Ava.   

One of Ava’s favorite things about the internship was something she had never done before. Along with Rev. Nelson, Ava went to care facilities in the area where they would visit residents and lead a monthly service.   

“We have a list of members that are in each care facility, and we don’t always visit them at the monthly services, but if we know that they just had a surgery or if they had fallen, or if we know they don’t have a lot of family to visit them, we like to stop by,” said Ava. “I met a lot of new people, and just listening to them and hearing their stories and knowing that you’re providing them comfort in some way, was very beneficial to me. I enjoyed it a lot and I had a lot of fun doing it.”  

Throughout her internship, Ava learned just how important it is to step out of your comfort zone. Although visiting the care facilities ended up being her favorite part of her internship, she had to take a big step to connect with so many different people in the congregation.   

“I think one of the biggest takeaways was that it’s a blessing to be uncomfortable and to feel that feeling,” explained Ava. “When meeting new people, you have to step out of your comfort zone, and it is a little intimidating at first, but when you go out of your way to have those conversations and make those connections, it’s super rewarding."

During her summer, Ava was able not only to serve in different ministry roles but also to further discern her own calling.   

Ava pictured at LTC (Living Transformed for Christ) Camp.

“At the moment, I know I do want to do something in ministry, but probably something more part-time. I have always wanted to be a teacher, and I think that’s a ministry in itself,” expressed Ava.   

Ava had a great internship experience and wants to encourage other high school students to step out of their comfort zones and explore what God is calling them to in their lives.   

“The internship is such an eye-opening experience, and it will definitely get you out of your comfort zone in some way. You get to create a lot of new and fun connections, and you learn so much throughout the whole experience. There is not a dull moment,” encouraged Laffey. “It’s about getting out of your comfort zone, celebrating being uncomfortable, and taking advantage of the opportunities given to you.”  

If you or a student you know is interested in discerning their call, you can find more information about Elisha and Samuel internships here.