Dionne and other students gearing up for the DWU Blue and White Days parade. Photos from Dionne.

Dionne Jansma, a junior at Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU) in Mitchell, South Dakota, is serving as an Elisha intern at Fusion – the United Methodist Church located on DWU’s campus – in partnership with DWU Campus Ministry.  

The Elisha Project is a college internship program designed to assist young people in discerning God’s call in their lives. Churches partner with the Dakotas Conference Board of Ordained Ministry to provide a learning experience and intentional mentoring. Interns are also provided with a stipend. 

Growing up, Dionne attended church with her family in Rock Rapids, Iowa. She was an active participant in the church youth group, helped with children’s ministry, and enjoyed her church community. Dionne felt connected to Christ but didn’t feel like she had a deep personal relationship with God until she was in high school.   

“In high school, I really started to get more involved with the nonprofit I was working for, Atlas. That's where my faith life really started to grow,” reflected Dionne. “I feel like my faith really grew through service in high school and helping with the kids' after-school program on Wednesday afternoons.”  

When she started college at Dakota Wesleyan, Dionne knew she wanted to be involved with campus ministry events and eventually join the leadership team. In her sophomore year, Dionne had the opportunity to serve as a campus ministry chaplain. This program was created to provide more structure for campus ministry leadership and to allow leaders to mold what they think discipleship opportunities and worship experiences should look like on campus.   

Students serving a meal during the Denver service trip.

After her first year as a chaplain, Dionne was approached by Campus Pastor Taryn Ragels about applying for the Elisha Internship program. After learning about the program from past interns and talking through the differences with Pastor Taryn, Dionne decided to apply.   

“I knew the internship would help me grow in my faith more because I was able to have more of a defined role in my chaplain position. I also wanted to work more with Fusion. I was doing a lot for campus as a chaplain – promoting events and planning things – but I really wanted to work more with the congregation and connect with new people,” shared Dionne.  

One of the main lessons Dionne learned from her internship was to have confidence in the work she was doing.   

“I’ve gained confidence through the Elisha internship. I know how important it is to take part in service, but also to create service opportunities for other people. I'm also more confident when talking to new people and making new connections in the church,” said Dionne.  

The main project Dionne was in charge of during the first semester of her internship was planning a service trip to Denver, Colorado. This was the second trip to Denver that Dionne helped plan, but it came with new challenges, opportunities, and God moments. 

“I knew that the trip was going to be really exciting, but it was even more fulfilling than it was in March,” Dionne affirmed. “I thought it would kind of be the same thing, but I was constantly learning new things going on that trip.”  

Dionne also serves in ministry at Fusion and has recently started sharing her musical talents by playing keyboard on the worship team.   

Dionne sharing a bible lesson with children during a immersion trip to Uganda.

During her internship, Dionne has explored different ways to incorporate her faith into her future goals and to live out her vocation.   

“I'd say one of my main goals is to build a faith-based community, whether that is starting a nonprofit or having a big part in church,” explained Dionne. “I really want to focus on service, and I feel like this internship has helped me to find my role in service, through taking part in it, planning it, or giving people the confidence to take part in it themselves.”  

“I would recommend the Elisha internship because it really helped me gain a lot of confidence in my faith life and talking about it, but also putting it into practice through service. It really pushed me to see a need and then help with the need. My internship opened doors for new opportunities, but also new connections,” summarized Dionne.  

If your church or someone you know is feeling called to be a part of the Elisha Internship program, check out the Conference website to learn more.