June 22, 2007
This is Part I of an interview with Shannon (Kubiak) Primicerio, a leading voice in teen culture and a best-selling author.
Suzie and Shannon get real as they talk about missions, writing, purpose, and more. . .
Suzie: Shannon, welcome to Real Teen Faith. When I went to your website, I noticed right away that we had some things in common: a heart for missions and mentoring writers!
Let’s start with missions. You recently went on a trip to Peru. Tell us about that.
Shannon: Last summer I was invited to join Brio magazine on their annual missions trip. We took something like 500 teens with us to Peru for two weeks. We spent our days working in the poorest communities of Lima washing clothes, washing children?s hair and visiting schools where we handed out school supplies.
Our evenings were spent together in fellowship with the whole group. We were led in worship by Vicki Beeching, and each evening there was also a teaching by Susie Shellenberger, Dannah Gresh, a few other speakers or myself.
It was an awesome trip, and I would recommend it to any teen (they take guys too) who is looking to spend his or her summer making a global impact and making new friends at the same time. I have more information about the trip in the Purpose section of my website.
Suzie: And your next trip is to Africa?
Shannon: Yes. My husband and I will be joining a ministry called Project Lucas in
Kenya for two weeks. Project Lucas is an orphan care ministry that provides food, clothing and school supplies to children who are orphaned by AIDS. This allows them to stay with family members who otherwise couldn?t afford to care for them instead of being sent to an orphanage. We are really excited about the trip because Africa holds a special place in our hearts.
Suzie: Really, why is that?
Shannon: Currently we sponsor a college student named Robert living in Kenya, and a nine-year old boy named Issouf. While we are in Kenya we will have the opportunity to meet Robert face to face. For six months we have been exchanging letters with him and praying the Lord would provide this opportunity. So we are thrilled to be headed to Kenya in April.
Suzie: What would you say to a teen who wants to be involved in missions?
Shannon: My first experience with global missions came when I was eight years old, and my dad used to take me to an orphanage in Mexico with our church. He would work on service projects and I would play with the kids. When I was fifteen I went on my first overseas trip to Eastern Europe with my youth group. My passion for global missions is something God has been working in me for a long time.
If this is a seed God has planted in your heart, don’t let anything discourage you from continuing to pursue it (my mom wasn?t thrilled when I first brought up international travel). If you aren’t able to go and do missions right away, keep praying for an opportunity. But don’t let that keep you from participating in other ways.
You can sponsor a child through an organization like Compassion or Project Lucas or you can support a missionary through your local church. Again, you can find several ideas on how you can get involved and start making a global impact today by going to the Purpose page on my website.
Suzie: What would you say to an adult (waving her hand in the air) that would love to go on the African trip with you?
Shannon: I’ll tell Project Lucas you’re interested in coming!
Suzie: Very cool! Well, on to another fact I discovered. You and I are also both CWG (Christian Writers Guild) mentors for teens. How many students do you mentor, and why?
Shannon: How exciting to meet another mentor! I mentor fifteen students through the CWG program, and I am so thrilled to see how so many of them improve with each lesson.
I signed on to mentor teens because writing has been a lifelong passion of mine. My second grade teacher even told my mom he believed I would eventually become a writer (I wish I could track him down now). And my first book was published when I was only twenty and still in college.
I strongly believe our world could use a generation of fresh voices, and I want to do everything in my power to help cultivate and grow those voices. I have a special section on my website entitled On Writing where teens can find some advice on how to get started. The CWG offers an excellent program, and I strongly encourage all aspiring writers to enroll.
RTF: Come back tomorrow where we’ll pick up this interview where we left off. Shannon shares her advice with teens who want to publish their writing, and talks about the four new books that were released in the past three months!
Jade/Debbie says:
This is AWESOME! Shannon Kubiak Primicerio is one of my favorite writers!
your friend,
Jade/Debbie