When Katalia decided to spend her summer as a Mesa Intern in Slovenia, she wasn’t sure what the experience would bring. The opportunity came unexpectedly when a Mesa Worker visited her church, shared about his ministry in Slovenia, and mentioned that they were accepting summer interns.
Katalia responded in obedience, beginning the application and placement process and praying about what God might have for her that summer.
In Slovenia, Katalia joined Shawn and Christena, Mesa Workers serving in youth ministry. Much of her time was spent at church camps, where she helped with games and crafts, spent her days alongside the kids, and built relationships with them. It was there that she began to see how God can work through seemingly ordinary relationships.
One boy in particular had been coming to camp for years. He was energetic, sometimes difficult to keep on track, and known for breaking the rules. Each summer, he would reach the end of camp and say that he had come to know Jesus and wanted to give his life to him. Yet each year, he returned with much the same story.
This summer, something was different.
The boy returned to camp—but this time, he brought a friend with him. By the end of the week, both boys had given their lives to Jesus.
And the story continued beyond camp.
When the boy returned home, he told his mother about Jesus. Soon after, the family left for a vacation to Croatia, but on the way, their car began smoking and caught fire. Without a reliable car to continue their trip, they returned home.
For years, the family had found reasons not to attend church on Sundays. But that Saturday, they called Shawn and Christena and told them they wanted to come the next morning. Shawn, Christena, and Katalia prayed for them and encouraged them to come.
The next day, the boy and his mother drove an hour to attend church. By the end of the service, his mother shared her testimony and gave her life to Jesus.
For Katalia, the experience became a picture of something she encountered throughout her internship: the importance of community in the Christian faith. She saw how much it matters to have believers around you who will welcome you, pray for you, encourage you, and continue walking alongside you—even when growth does not happen all at once.
She also saw the quiet power of a faith lived faithfully over time. Year after year, Shawn and Christena had welcomed this boy back to camp. Their kindness, consistency, and the way they lived their lives testified to the gospel they shared. They may not have known what each summer was producing, but eventually, the faith they had demonstrated began to take root—and then to spread.
A boy who had been welcomed brought a friend. A boy who had heard about Jesus told his mother. And a family that had avoided church found themselves walking through its doors.
For Katalia, witnessing that progression offered a tangible picture of the global body of Christ. The people around her came from different countries, cultures, ages, and backgrounds, yet their faith was not lived in isolation. One person’s faithful presence strengthened another. An invitation opened the door to community. A young boy became someone who invited others to encounter the Jesus he was beginning to know.
That same pattern extends far beyond one church camp in Slovenia. Across cultures and generations, the church grows as believers faithfully live out the gospel in relationship with one another—welcoming, encouraging, praying, inviting, and sharing what they have received.
Katalia’s summer gave her the opportunity to take her place in that larger story. She served alongside believers from another culture, encouraged young people in their faith, and witnessed the gospel move through a community one relationship at a time.
Because the global church is not simply a collection of believers scattered around the world. It is a body—each person playing a part as faith takes root, grows, and is passed on.
Stories from the Field
