A Summer of Transformation
One of the best ways to discern if God is leading you to become a missionary is to experience cross-cultural ministry firsthand. For this reason, Pioneer Bible Translators offers multiple internship opportunities each summer.
Our greatest hope for our interns is for them to grow in intimacy with God and in hearing His voice as they come face to face with His heart for the world. Our heart is to equip them to thrive in an overseas setting and to journey alongside them as they explore the Lord’s leading in their lives.
The internship begins with Pre-Field Orientation, intentionally designed to help interns prepare for their time on the field. During these two weeks, interns receive hands on training in language acquisition, team formation, cultural anthropology, spiritual formation, and conflict resolution. They participate in interactive team-building activities under the direction and mentorship of certified life-coaches. In addition, interns get to participate in a myriad of opportunities – Bible translation demonstrations, literacy equipping sessions, disciple-making strategies, community development, and support ministries. They attend Discovery, where they meet many of our missionaries and catch our vision to see networks of churches using translated Scripture to grow, mature, and multiply.
The internship continues with the field portion, which lasts about six weeks. Interns participate in activities designed to help them acquire a broader vision of God’s world, gain further insight into His heart for the unreached, and continue becoming the people God created each of them to be. Our internships are organized to walk interns into the day-to-day life situations of the missionaries who are hosting them.
The internship concludes in Dallas for debriefing and reconnecting with other interns.
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Internship
In partnership with one of our sister organizations, interns will work alongside nationals to participate in the following: Explore the operations of a pineapple juice canning and bottling company and participate in organic pineapple farming Animal husbandry with goats and pigs Take part in the beginning stages of a chicken farm and butchery Observe local […]
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Internship
Across the world in many places that accept refugees, there are communities of a heavily persecuted and displaced people group from eastern Congo called the Banyamulenge. Because of the unstable environment in their home area, we have organized a project stateside to serve their needs. We are primarily involved in four major outreach strategies: Bible […]
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Internship
The Deaf Missionary intern will play a vital role in advancing the mission of Pioneer Bible Translators by working with Deaf communities to provide spiritual support, promote inclusivity, and facilitate communication and outreach. This internship offers a unique opportunity to combine faith, cultural sensitivity, and language skills to impact the lives of Deaf individuals. Focus: […]
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Internship
The Deaf Research and Sign Language Translation internship is an exciting opportunity for individuals passionate about exploration and interpretation of data within the realm of Deaf culture, sign language, language deprivation, and modality. This internship places a strong emphasis on research and its application in improving the translation of God’s Word into sign language for […]
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Internship
Language barriers hinder human flourishing. Where language barriers exist, whether between individuals or between an individual and critical information, there is also a barrier to flourishing. In partnership with one of our sister organizations, you could be part of creating language technology that overcomes these language barriers for the most overlooked communities on Earth. This […]
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Internship
When technology breaks in today’s world, translation is unable to move forward. The IT Department of Pioneer Bible Translators offers crucial support to our missionaries around the world. They keep computers running and do a lot of behind the scenes work to enable our field workers to succeed in their ministries, while communicating with loved […]
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Internship
The Caucasus Mountains are home to some of the most unique languages on Earth. This internship will provide an opportunity to experience the Caucasus region and learn about the many opportunities available there. Interns will participate in language learning, as well as have opportunities to visit different parts of the area, learning about the languages […]
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Internship
Since 2015, Italy has been at the forefront of the European refugee crisis, receiving asylum seekers from around the world who have travelled through North Africa in order to cross the Mediterranean Sea. The Diaspora team in Milan works alongside the Italian Church to respond to both the challenge and opportunity presented by new reality. […]
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Internship
What if you could use your passion and skills this summer to have a global, Kingdom impact? What if at the end of the day you could rest knowing that the code you wrote, tested, and deployed to production was now helping hundreds of missionaries around the world? What if the website you worked on […]
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Internship
The Vickery Meadow program, implemented by our partner organization, works to equip refugees for their new lives in America with English as a Second Language (ESL), interpretation services, literacy, and Human Language Technology (HLT) development. An intern with this department would come alongside the team in Dallas to assist with current projects in which they […]
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are overseas internships like?
Our teams usually consist of 3-4 students (generally college-aged) and a team coach, who serves as a facilitator, leader and guide. Since we want students to see a broad range of ministry and cultural learning activities, intern teams typically visit multiple locations in the country where they are serving. They also get to interact with many missionaries and their families, and they have opportunities to observe the behind-the-scenes activities that are at the heart of what it takes to be a missionary.
On any given day, an intern might:
- Participate in a literacy workshop with veteran missionaries
- Assist in a back translation or village check of a passage of Scripture
- Work alongside national translators as they edit, revise and discuss word usage in translation
- Practice language learning in an open market
- Go on a prayer walk
- Show the Jesus Film
- Worship in a village church
- Distribute Scripture in villages
- Observe how the local people incorporate their art forms into their worship
- Learn about the local culture and bond with nationals through hunting, fishing, drinking tea, picking peanuts, cooking, fixing thatched roofs, or whatever other adventure God takes you on
Although we do not require potential interns to know they definitely want to be long-term missionaries, we do ask every applicant to be open to the idea of serving overseas as a vocational missionary. Applicants who are just looking for a fun experience or a great short-term mission trip are not a good fit for our internship.
Can I get school credit?
How much do internships cost?
Can I raise support for my internship?
Absolutely. In fact, we highly encourage interns to get the full experience of being a missionary by going through the process of raising both financial and prayer support.
What kinds of interns are you looking for?
We are praying for God to send us teachable, humble and servant-hearted followers of Jesus who are investigating how God may want to use them to impact and build His Kingdom.
How do I apply?
You can apply for an internship by contacting one of our recruiters. After dialoguing with you about which internship is the best fit for your interests, they will send you an information packet that includes:
- An electronic application
- Electronic reference forms
- Sample budgets
Click here to send us a message. (Be sure to select the ‘internship’ option.) Or call the recruitment department at (214) 699-4221.