Friends,

Thank you so much for your interest in applying for the opportunity to serve as a Convoy of Hope Intern. You’ve seen and heard about the intern program, and the driving passion that Convoy of Hope has to feed the world. Now, you’re interested in being a part of this. We’re thankful for you.

The first step is to email us at interns@convoyofhope.org with a brief introduction and your phone number, and then to finish an on-line application. These thoughts will take you through that process.

Convoy of Hope Interns come from many backgrounds of Christian faith

I’ll note our thanks to the people from the Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM). Convoy of Hope is an independent organization that works with various groups and denominations all over the world. We’re thankful for the partnership we have with AGWM and the people from their staff who process the intern applications. They’ve helped us process many team members from the many denominations and churches. It’s exciting to see the Kingdom of God work together.

 How the application process works

In the AGWM office, which is a 10 minute drive from Convoy of Hope, Tiffany processes our interns. She’ll be the first to see that you’ve officially applied, and she’ll walk with you through any questions or concerns you have.  She may be reached at tstark@ag.org or by calling 417.862.2781.

She’ll share your application with me, the director of the Convoy of Hope Interns. If we’re not already in touch in person or on the phone, I’ll give you a call so we can get to know each other better. Tiffany or someone from the AGWM staff will do a background check on you and will connect with your references.

This is why it’s important to email us at interns@convoyofhope.org with a brief introduction and your phone number. 

Assuming all believe the internship is right for you, we’ll then send an “invitation” to AGWM for you to officially be on the team. You’ll hear of the acceptance (or denial) from Tiffany who will communicate this with me as well.

From there, we’ll be in touch about all that is in store. We’ll use email and Facebook as two important means of communication. Phone calls/text messages and more are good too. If you’re local…talking over coffee is fun.

The application

We want this process to be as easy as possible for you while getting the information that will best help us in preparing for what is ahead.  We also want to ensure that the people who join you on the team will help the term be the best it can be.

DETAILED STEPS

There is a $25 non-refundable application fee. This does not go to Convoy of Hope, but instead helps goag.org maintain the website.

·    Be sure you’re emailed us at interns@convoyofhope.org with a brief introduction and your phone number.

·     Click on www.goag.org/opportunities/  (or the application link listed on the page describing the term that interests you)

·      You’ll see a link to the “On-line application.” Click this link.

·      Click on “New applicant”

·      Enter a name/username/password and email address

·      Click on MAPS Volunteer (1-11 months)

·      Answer the age/citizenship questions. (Note: All Convoy of Hope spring/fall interns must be 18+, and all summer interns must be 16+…16/17-year-old summer interns need to use a different application, available at www.convoyofhopeinterns.org).

·      Continue to the next screen

DASHBOARD:

On the next screen, upload a photo of yourself to the server, using the “upload” photo button. This will only be used as a part of your application. This page is considered your “Dashboard.” You’ll see it as you log-in in the future.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO UPLOAD A PASSPORT OR SS CARD PHOTO FOR THIS INTERNSHIP!! Only those serving more than 3 months must upload these documents.

At the bottom of the screen, enter the information for 2 emergency contacts.

Go back up to the middle of the page and click “Continue.” I’ll note that the tabs on the left can be clicked, and after 3-5 seconds, the page to which that tab refers will appear. You can use this to go back and fill in information/etc.

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

The next screen will ask for “Personal information”. Please fill in the blanks with the correct answers regarding your address/etc. You shouldn’t have trouble with this page. Here, you will need to share your SS#, as it’s used to make background checks.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Next, you’ll see the “General Information Form”

On this form, answer the questions asked.

Where it says, “Home District,” this is an A/G question. The Assemblies of God is broken into districts. Usually, your district is your state. Sometimes, there are multiple districts in one state, or multiple states in one district. If you have questions as to which district in which you live, you may email Tiffany at the AGWM office at tstark (at) ag.org.

Where it says, “Ministry Credentials held,” please know that very few of our interns hold credentials with any organization, but credentials are certainly welcome.

CHILDREN:

If you have children, share the information about your kids. Most of our interns have not had children, and it would be difficult (impossible) to do a full internship with a child (who doesn’t meet the other requirements) with you.  We have had a few interns with grown children. Additionally, we could have interns with children not in their custody for the term. Most of our interns have been in their late teens, early/mid-20’s, and kids aren’t in the picture.

FINANCES:

There are a few simple questions. Share your answers.

EDUCATION:

This is a frustrating page. I wasn’t able to enter the name of my high school or college. Do your best to answer the questions provided. If you’re not able to correctly enter the name of your school(s), just type what looks the best. For the degrees/majors, you can include a “Four-year diploma” if you’ve graduated high school, and whatever is appropriate for any college/master’s work you’ve done.

EMPLOYMENT:

Include information on any past positions you’ve held.

CONTACTS:

If you already entered your emergency contacts, this should already be filled in. If you haven’t, you can enter them here. You’ll need 2.

CONVERSION:

We require that all of our interns profess to be followers of Jesus, but we do not require that all are “spirit-filled.” Interns have had a variety of doctrinal stances about the infilling of the Holy Spirit, and this is ok. We do however, all seek for the Holy Spirit to work in and through us throughout the term. The work of the Holy Spirit will be a part of what we do on the field.

This is a great place to share about your current relationship with Jesus.

CHURCH:

Please list information regarding the church you attend. Some churches will have “missions pastors” and some will not. If your church does have a missions pastor, we encourage you to find out who that person is and to connect with them about this internship. Also, we don’t require that you are a voting member of your church, but it’s certainly encouraged!

Current church/home church: We do ask that all of our interns attend a place of worship. Sometimes, especially for college students, you’ll know your “home church” better than your current church/etc. That’s fine. Just enter the current/home church information.

If you “sync” the churches, the information will fill in on the bottom part of the form. You’ll still need to again hit “continue”

SKILLS/GIFTINGS:

Answer the questions and let us know about you!

LANGUAGES:

If you speak another language(s), let us know! This is not required though.

EXPERIENCE:

If you’ve been on the “mission” field before, this is a great place to let us know. This is not a requirement. The choices listed are opportunities provided by the Assemblies of God and a few others. Let us know too if you’ve worked with other great organizations/churches/etc.  We’d love to hear about opportunities you’ve had to serve.

ASSIGNMENT:

There are many questions here. This form is used with people doing many things for many lengths of time around the world. The key is that you put “Convoy of Hope International” where it says “The Country You’re Most Interested in Serving”.

Here are other answers/thoughts:

 Length of service requested: (Summer=6 weeks, spring/fall=3 months). We’ve had numerous interns do more than 1 term. Regardless of what you put here, that can potentially be worked out.

·      Date available to begin: List the term that interests you (i.e. Spring 2012).

·      Desired type of ministry: Put “Convoy of Hope Intern”

·      Country most interested in serving: Convoy of Hope International

·      Do you have an invitation from an A/G Missionary: “No” (After our Convoy of Hope Intern staff has spoken with you, and after references are checked/etc. we at Convoy of Hope will send an invitation to the goag.org people).

·      Would you consider working in another country: If you’re interested in other opportunities besides this internship, put “yes.” If you are applying just for the internship, put “no.”

SELF-ANALYSIS

It’s important to be in as good of mental/physical health as possible. The questions are quite clear…let us know what you think of yourself in these areas!

BACKGROUND

Here, some personal questions are asked. Answering “yes” to one of these questions certainly doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t be on the team. This is good information to help the processing team at AGWM, and our intern staff, and it will be used in coordination with references/background checks.  So far, we haven’t had a perfect intern, btw…

I also know that in some of the areas mentioned (i.e. alcohol), Christians have differing views on what is appropriate. This is ok. However, know that there’s a code of conduct we’ll ask all to sign for the time with the team.

RISK

Here, we ask you to initial a number of statements. This is a legally binding document that speaks for itself. Please read through this and let the intern staff or the AGWM staff know if you have any questions. These are the typical statements on an assumption of risk form, much like what you’ve filled out for years to do things through school/church.

INSURANCE

As part of the intern program, each of our interns pay a set amount that covers all travel/housing/food/insurance/etc. The cost of the internship, which is listed at convoyofhopeinterns.org, includes the insurance mentioned here at no additional cost to you. If you already have insurance, this will serve as secondary insurance to you. If you don’t have insurance, this will be primary insurance for you.

I encourage you to note the various coverage limits/etc.:

•                $100,000 24-hour accidental death and dismemberment

•                $100,000 limit for permanent total disability based on an accident (See Global Program Brochure for more details)

•                $250 monthly limit for permanent total disability based on illness (50-month maximum, with a 3-month waiting period)

•                $50,000 accident medical limit

•                $12,500 sickness medical limit

•                $50 deductible per occurrence

•                $75,000 medical evacuation limit

$10,000 repatriation limit

 

The death/dismemberment/disability/etc. should be self-explanatory.

You’ll see a $50,000 accident limit, and a $12,500 sickness limit. In working with thousands of team members, I have seen one team member exceed the $12,500 sickness limit when she came down with kidney stones that required surgery in the USA. It’s not a high sickness limit, or accident limit. There is just a $50 deductible, and that is not extreme.

Some have wondered what “repatriation” means…thankfully, we’ve never had to use this service, which takes care of the cost of returning deceased people to hometowns.

Evacuation insurance means that if there’s a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment, this insurance will use multiple means to evacuate the team member to a place to get help. This might include a special flight from a remote location, a flight to a major city for better hospital care/etc.

BENEFECIARY:

The beneficiary is a legal word that indicates the person who would receive benefits in case of the loss of life on the field. You’ll notice the insurance includes funds for “accidental death…”. If you die, you won’t need those funds, someone else will. That person is the “beneficiary.”

 

CONDUCT:

All team members must sign this code of conduct, which covers the time of the term. While various people have various beliefs regarding some of these conduct issues, we all must be on the same page in terms of our conduct while serving together.

Additionally, as a team we have a “Personal Covenant” that we’ll ask each team member to sign. You’ll see it on the group’s Facebook page. Hopefully, this will help you see the heart of where we’re coming from on this.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY:

We want to be sure that all of our interns are healthy enough for the hard work of the field.  You may not have precise answers to each of the questions, but using the answers to help us assess your overall health would be great. Thanks!

RESIDENCE:

Assuming you live in the USA, since this is a short-term project, you likely qualify as being a resident in the USA. Unless there’s a specific situation (i.e. you live overseas, etc.) then you should be able to answer the top button, which signifies that you do “qualify” for what it’s asking.

After clicking that you agree to everything, it’ll take you to your “dashboard.” On the dashboard, you need to add at least 3 references. One of them must be your pastor. If you go to a larger church, this can be the pastor to whom you’re the closest…i.e. the young adult/youth/music pastor. However, they need to be someone on staff at the church.

This is a dashboard to which you can return to see what’s still necessary, read notes from the processing team, etc.

CONCLUSION

Thanks for taking the time to fill out the application. When the application is finished, and your references have filled out their on-line references, it should take 2-3 weeks maximum for you to be approved for the term.

We’re excited about what is ahead. Please feel free to email me at interns (at) convoyofhope.org with any questions/thoughts/etc. you have.

 

Many thanks!

Matt Wilkie

Director, Convoy of Hope Interns