Abi Scott Uses Her Writing Gift for Mission

Abi (right) and her fellow TWR summer interns, Kristina (center) and Elizabeth (left) give back to the community by volunteering at a local center. 

If you’ve been following our profiles of TWR interns this summer, you already have witnessed Abi Scott’s gift for putting words together as part of the Marketing and Communications Department. She not only has written all the profiles (except this one), she has written newsletters for TWR MOTION, compiled listener stories and written articles for a special project.

Abi hails from, in her words, the cornfields of central Illinois. But she is part of a family that’s interested in cultivating the Lord’s harvest. Her own interest led her to Belhaven University in the much more urban environment of Jackson, Mississippi, where she is a rising senior majoring in creative writing and minoring in global studies.

She spent 40 days in summer 2024 serving in mission in Uganda, which is in Africa. This summer, Abi’s heart for mission brought her to TWR’s U.S. offices in Cary, North Carolina.

What led you to join TWR?

My dad is the general manager of a local radio station back home in central Illinois, so he knows all the radio things. He told me about TWR last August, and I tucked it into my back pocket to think about later. January rolled around and I started thinking of how I could use my summer, and I somehow remembered what my dad had said in passing months earlier. The internship was exactly what I was looking for, so I applied. To this day, my dad doesn’t remember telling me about TWR.

What has been your favorite part of the internship, and why?

I’ve enjoyed so much, but my favorite would have to be being in communication with so many people. I’m in contact with all of the interns to create their profiles and hearing how God has moved them and how he’s working in their lives is super encouraging. I’ve also met so many people by living at the [TWR] Lodge, and there have been some fascinating stories.

What is one of your biggest challenges this summer?

My biggest challenge is finishing a task. I’ve gotten into a terrible habit at school of doing “good enough” for the teacher’s approval, but not following through to make sure it’s as good as it can be. That said, I still make sure it’s good enough for other eyes to see. And for fun, I’ve started so many writing projects that are currently sitting unfinished. For this internship, I’m sitting with one of my articles and refining it when all I want to do is say it’s good enough.

When and how did you get interested in missions?

I think in second grade I told a friend that I wanted to be a missionary, not because I understood what it was, but because they traveled somewhere else. My parents had gone on short-term trips, and I loved seeing pictures and hearing about what happened while they were there.

Flash forward to my senior year of high school when I attended Cross Conference, a huge missions conference in Louisville, Kentucky, and my love of missions began to transform from simply a cool travel experience to having a heart for God’s global people and their stories.

About a year later, one of my friends was sent to Mexico as a teacher, but before she left, she told me I was going to write her memoir someday. I laughed about it but couldn’t get the idea out of my head. That was something people did; why couldn’t it be me? I enjoyed writing and I loved hearing people’s stories, especially cross-cultural ones. I prayed about it, and God led me here.

How is this internship preparing you for the future?

It’s preparing me in three ways that I can think of. This is the first office, 8-5 setting I’ve been in, so it’s a very exciting step into my career path in writing. I’ve gotten some insights about what I might struggle with in the future and things I really enjoy. It’s also giving me a better understanding of working in ministry and what that looks like daily in an organization like TWR. Finally, I’m definitely growing spiritually, learning more of who God is and who I am. I can’t say exactly what God is preparing me for, but I know that it’s for his glory. 

What have you been doing for fun?

At the beginning of the summer, I set a goal of hiking once per weekend. So far, I’ve failed merely because there’s so many other things to do. I’ve gone to flower gardens and farmers’ markets and lakes and downtown parks and bookstores. I love exploring, so it’s been super fun to go out with the other interns even if it’s not a hike.

In the office, we’re still finding ways to keep things fun. Joanna Moser, an intern in the same department I am, needed to test some marshmallow toothpick towers,* so we took a break and let the fun begin! Just a few marshmallows were eaten in the process.

We turned to Joanna Moser for the answer to the all-important question:

If Abi were a Disney character, what character would she be?

If Abi were a Disney character, she would be Doc from the Cars movies. She has a dry sense of humor (probably why we get along so well) and will say things as it is with no sugar coating it. She is also sensible and has a lot of wisdom to share. Abi is also down to do anything and will be there for people when they need it.

Fun fact: Abi has six dinosaurs, two dragons, two ducks, a frog and a lizard on her office desk. She thinks it would be fun if they came to life because they’re too small to do any real damage.

*Joanna is developing materials to help children understand the work of TWR.

Images: (top, banner) Abi (right) and her fellow TWR summer interns, Kristina (center) and Elizabeth (left) give back to the community by volunteering at a local center, (middle, left) Abi finds a creative new application for her TWR workspace, (bottom, right) Abi (center), and fellow interns Joanna (left) and Kristina (right) enjoy some fresh treats.