Stepping Past the Familiar: What a College Internship in the North Taught Me About Ministry

With stretches of beautiful land, tight-knit communities full of incredible people, and endless possibilities for sowing into the work God is doing, the Northwest Territories holds far more than meets the eye.

It is a place that has a way of quietly nestling into your heart, making a home in your soul, and changing you in unmistakable ways. I am beyond grateful that God invited me to be part of His work in the NWT this past spring and summer. There is something powerful about knowing that you are not the only one who has been deeply impacted by a place and its people.

Far before my time and long after my time, God is stirring hearts for the North. And perhaps that is one of the first things ministry leaders need to remember: God is always at work before we arrive.

What Led Me to the North?

During the winter semester of my second year of Bible college in 2025, through a chance conversation about the upcoming District Summit and a stirring that only the Holy Spirit could bring, I suddenly could not stop thinking about the NWT.

I had been on a short-term missions trip to Fort Smith, NWT, as a high schooler in 2019, but honestly, I did not have the North on my radar while I was in Bible college. That is why it came as such a surprise when, every time I sat down to pray that semester and the ones that followed, this place kept coming to mind.

The more I prayed, the more God seemed to ask me to remove myself from the equation and instead pray for people I had never met and places I had never seen.

I did not realize it then, but God was beginning to stir a passion in me for people I had never met. It was a small spark of His heart that slowly grew into a flame.

Through an opportunity to serve at Camp Compass in Hay River, NWT, the following summer, I watched God work in miraculous ways. Those small flames became something much stronger, and a deep sense of peace settled over me as hope began to grow that something more was in store.

This summer, “something more” looked like spending my Vanguard Bible College internship travelling throughout northern communities to serve.

The question was whether I would be willing to step into uncertainty, away from familiarity and comfort, and follow where God was leading.

That question is not just for college students. It is a question every pastor and ministry leader will face.

Am I willing to follow God beyond what is familiar?

Learning to Trust the Steps God Has Ordered

Through my connection with Pastor James Clarence in Yellowknife, I received an opportunity to travel through places like Hay River, Fort Smith, and Yellowknife, while also visiting communities such as Fort Resolution and Behchokǫ̀.

I was able to serve these churches in different ways, stepping into gaps in day-to-day ministry and helping complete longer-term tasks that others simply did not have time to tackle.

But perhaps the most important part of the experience was not what I accomplished. It was the relationships.

I had the opportunity to build relationships with believers and non-believers in each community and bring encouragement and support to people who have faithfully been the hands and feet of Jesus in these places for years.

I also served Camp Compass in an administrative role during its three weeks in July. I worked alongside five incredible teams travelling from Alberta, as well as local church leaders and interns from Yellowknife and Hay River who have become very dear to me.

Nearly everything about these experiences felt new and foreign. I found myself stretched time and time again. But because I knew it was where God wanted me, going felt like the most natural thing in the world.

What I learned during this brief time in the North is surprisingly simple:

• All I need to bring is a willing, open, flexible, and teachable heart.

• I do not need to have every answer.

• I do not need to know exactly what the next six months will look like.

• I simply need to trust that God will order my steps.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

For pastors and ministry leaders, this is a critical reminder. Sometimes we can become so focused on creating the perfect plan that we forget the importance of simply following Jesus.

Planning matters. Strategy matters. Vision matters. But ultimately, our confidence is not in our plans. It is in the God who directs our steps.

Look for Where God Is Already Working

One of the greatest things I learned in the North is that God is incredibly intentional in His timing.

It quickly became clear that He had been faithfully working in each of these communities long before I arrived. My role was not to arrive and “bring God” to the North. God was already there. My role was to observe, listen, discern, and discover what part He wanted me to play in what He was already doing.

Jesus told His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (Matthew 9:37). That changes the way we approach ministry. We do not have to manufacture a harvest. We are invited to participate in one.

Sometimes ministry looked like listening. Sometimes it meant sitting with someone in the quiet. Sometimes it was a spontaneous adventure or an intentional conversation over a delicious dinner.

It was belly laughter and moments of “Did that really just happen?” It was being present in the middle of discouragement and simply being a shoulder to lean on. It was also learning to look beyond the familiarity of my own denomination and recognize that I belong to a Church much bigger than my own. We are all part of a Kingdom mission.

For ministry leaders, this is an important challenge. Before asking, "What do I need to accomplish?" perhaps we should ask, "Where is God already working, and how can I join Him?" That question can change the way we lead a church.

Seek God First

When people ask how I ended up spending my college internship in the North, the simplest answer is that it was only by God’s grace and providence.

It has been an honour, privilege, and blessing to be invited to serve in these beautiful communities. And yet, God does not need me to accomplish His purposes. He does not need any of us. But He delights in choosing to include us.

God is always at work long before our lives intersect with His plans, and He will continue His work long after we are gone. He will accomplish His purposes. The question is whether we will surrender ourselves and willingly join Him.

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

The beautiful thing about pursuing God’s heart is that He begins to shape our hearts to look more like His.

Suddenly, the things that once seemed intimidating do not feel quite as impossible. Not because they have become easier, but because we know who is leading us.

God’s call may take us somewhere unfamiliar. It may stretch our plans, challenge our assumptions, or ask us to serve in ways we never expected. But when we know the One who is calling, we can take the next step.

Are We Willing to Say Yes?

We all have a mandate to care for the lost, the broken, and the hurting as we bring the Gospel everywhere. There are a million ways God can call us to our cities, provinces, territories, country, and world.

Our job is not to chase after a particular call. Our job is to chase after the One who is calling. Then, when He leads, we walk in faith, trusting that the details will work out for His glory.

The North has a way of bringing out the beauty in both the mundane and the miraculous. It has reminded me that even in places that may seem dark, God’s light is shining brightly. And what a gift it is that He invites us into those moments.

Perhaps the question for every pastor and ministry leader is simply this: Are my eyes fixed so firmly on Jesus that when He calls me beyond the familiar, my response will be an undeniable yes?

I do not know where that yes will take you. Maybe it will take you across the country. Maybe it will take you across the street. Maybe it will mean starting something new in your church, investing in someone others have overlooked, partnering with another congregation, or simply sitting down long enough to listen to someone who needs to know they are seen.

But wherever He leads, the invitation is the same. Step past the familiar. Trust His leading. Look for where He is already working.

And say yes.

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