Meet the Interns: A Summer at Water Mission

Written by Sara Esmacher, Volunteer and Engagement Intern 

This summer, 14 young professionals stepped into Water Mission’s ministry, dedicating their time and talents to help change lives through safe water and the Living Water message of Jesus Christ. Serving across 11 departments, these interns have spent the season growing in their faith, putting their skills to work, and making a meaningful impact in their communities and around the world. The departments who welcomed interns this summer are:  

• Indonesia Program Management;
• Engineering Design & Support;
• Supply Chain Management;
• Culture & Staff Development;
• Project Management (Project Excellence);
• Engineering Innovation;
• Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL);
• Living Water;
• Engineering Standards & Quality;
• Volunteer & Engagement; and 
• Grants Management

To celebrate National Intern Day on July 31, a few of our summer interns shared their experience with Water Mission through a Q&A session. Read on to hear what MEL Interns Jordan Rittberger and Margaret Treanor, Supply Chain Management Intern Brooke Ahlstrom, and Engineering Design & Support Intern Ben Sasser have learned during their summer at Water Mission.  

What has been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on or experience you’ve had during your internship? 

Jordan: The most meaningful experience that I have been a part of thus far in my internship would be attending daily Huddles, especially on Mondays. This is because it has allowed me to meet and interact with new people within Water Mission as well as get to pray with one another on a more intimate level. 

Brooke: [The supply chain team and volunteers] do a daily devotional. Everyone is included, and we start our workday by glorifying God and giving Him our undivided attention. We need to focus on the greater things, like giving God the time and glorifying Him through our work, even when doing mundane tasks.  

Margaret: The most meaningful experience that I have been a part of during my internship with Water Mission is getting to be a part of the daily Huddle meetings with the whole organization. It is so easy to focus so closely on each project and task that I sometimes forget the larger picture and mission of why this organization is doing what they do.  

Ben: Currently, I have been working on a project to help consolidate the list of pumps that we use within our country programs. This is helpful for inventory purposes as well as stewarding the money we are given as Water Mission. 

What have you learned from working alongside full-time staff and seeing Water Mission’s core values of love, excellence, and integrity lived out in day-to-day work? 

Jordan: Working alongside full-time staff at Water Mission has shown me how love, excellence, and integrity can guide not only project outcomes but also everyday interactions and decision-making. I've witnessed how a commitment to serving others with compassion and high standards can create a strong, mission-driven work culture. This is something I hope to bring into any future work environment.  

Brooke: I have learned that even through disagreements and big discussions, everyone is very kind, considerate, and receptive to new ideas. On a daily basis, when we get deliveries, we get to ask drivers if they need water or how we can pray for them. If you are loving someone else, you are loving God. 

Margaret: Sitting in meetings and seeing how staff members conduct themselves has been greatly beneficial because it is giving me applicable tools to live out the Christian walk in the workplace. This is specifically shown in how every meeting is opened and closed with prayer.  

Ben: The most meaningful part of this project has been seeing the engineers talk about the incalculable parts of what we do. It can be easy to see what we are doing as just numbers on a screen, but the impact of these projects is clean, safe water and the Living Water [message] being given to people who are made in the image of God.   

How has your experience at Water Mission helped shape your professional goals or skills?  

Jordan: This experience has helped shape my professional goals by reinforcing my desire to work in a purpose-driven organization. [It] has sharpened my skills in collaboration, attention to detail, and ethical leadership. It has also inspired me to pursue roles where both technical expertise and servant leadership are valued. 

Brooke: I am developing more techniques on how to operate inventory in a warehouse where technology is very minimalistic. I am used to a smaller, in-house inventory scaling where technology is utilized.  

Margaret: I have studied public health for just shy of six years.... However, it was not until working for Water Mission that I so tangibly saw how everything I have learned applies to a professional and occupational context. Getting to use and apply what I have learned in school has been greatly beneficial to my professional goals, helping me shape the vision of what I would love to do in the future. 

Ben: This is my second summer [interning] at Water Mission, and I am so grateful for the knowledge and wisdom that I have gained from being here. I have not only received practical knowledge and wisdom on how to approach a career post-college, but also on how to grow in my relationship with the Lord as I continue in life. I also have really fallen in love with the humanitarian aid sphere, and I want to pursue a career using engineering in this field.   

Overall, the 2025 summer interns feel their time at Water Mission has equipped them for their future careers while also helping them grow in their faith. We invite you to join Water Mission and these interns in the work to end the global water crisis.