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| Destiny Hall |
Student Spotlight: Destiny Hall
As Louie Giglio, pastor of Passion City Church in Atlanta, once said, “We give glory to God, and we honor people.” There are times when it’s right and appropriate to honor individuals for what God is doing in and through their lives, and that’s exactly my intention with this article. As a youth minister, it’s always a joy to get a chance to brag on my students as I see God moving and working in their lives. Destiny Hall, a sophomore at Rockport-Fulton High School and member of FBC Rockport, needs to be bragged on. In the short two years that I have been around as youth minister, I have seen a tremendous change in the heart and life of Destiny. She is what many youth ministers would refer to as a “core student” in the youth ministry because she is faithful to attend all the youth ministry services and activities. She attends these activities not out of duty or because her parents force her, but because Destiny has a passion for her Lord and a passion to see her fellow peers and classmates come to know Christ. Towards the beginning of the current school year, I began meeting with a small group of students every Wednesday morning before school to pray for their teachers and classmates that they may come to know Christ. Destiny is one of those students that is always there to pray. Trusting that God would answer her prayers and use her life to reach her fellow classmates, God has done just that. While attending a Christian conference earlier this month with some college students and high school seniors from our church, one particular high school senior, Reyna, stated that she contributes her coming to know Christ to Destiny. She went on to tell about how Destiny constantly encouraged her for weeks and months to come to church. But, like many, Reyna resisted and even began to dislike Destiny’s consistent pestering. However, Destiny never gave up. As a result, one Sunday this past November, Reyna finally gave in to Destiny’s request and came to church, and it was at that service that Reyna gave her life to Christ. Through the awesomeness of our God, Reyna now meets with our group on Wednesday to pray for students just like herself to come to know Christ.
I share all this not to just brag on Destiny, but to give a testimony to the rest of the church that God is using and working through the lives of our students here at First Baptist. Although many of you may not come in direct contact with all of our students, please know that God is doing some great and amazing things through students like Destiny. This is why I do what I do! I love to see students stand in the gap spiritually for one another, and see God move mightily in their lives!
-Jordan
Journey Youth Camp
Our summer youth camp is coming up right around the corner. Our students are returning to Highland Lakes Camp and Conference Center, right outside Austin, to attend Journey Youth Camp for the week of June 13-17. Youth camp is always a highlight of the year for our youth ministry as we get to take part in and witness God do some amazing things in the hearts and lives of the students. Last year, we were able to take around 45 students and leaders to Journey. Out of those 45, we had 7 students make professions of faith, many rededicated their lives to Christ, and 3 students felt God calling them out into ministry. What an awesome report to give of God’s work! It would thrill my heart to take twice as many students to youth camp this summer and come back with an even greater report. Please pray with me that God would open the doors for these students to attend Journey. The cost for students to attend Journey is $175, and if history repeats itself, almost half of the students will only be able to pay 1/4, if any, of the cost. The only way many of these students are able to go is through loving gifts by members within the church. To those of you who have already given, I say Thank You, and to others, I would like to ask if you would be willing to help our students get to camp this summer. Youth camp always holds a special place in my heart because I know that many students’ lives are eternally changed after experiencing an encounter with Christ while at camp.
Honduras Mission Trip
For those of you who may be unaware, the services, activities, and trips that the youth ministry of FBC Rockport hold or attend all operate under one strategy. The strategy of the youth ministry at First Baptist is a three-part strategy based on the word KNOWN. As youth minister, I want the students that come into the youth ministry to first and foremost, come to Know who God is and have faith in Him. Secondly, I want them to make the faith their Own through discipleship and spiritual growth. Then, I want them to go out and make Christ Known to others. This last part of the strategy is better known as (no pun intended) Missions.
This summer, many of our students are taking part in the third aspect of our youth ministry strategy by going on our mission trip to the country of Honduras. The dates of our trip are July 2-9th. There are 16 going on this trip, and 7 are youth and college age students. Our team is composed of: Jordan and Hollie Mims, Robert Edwards, Ronda, Nicole, and Brittany Barnes, Eric, Angela, Drew and Nate Scott, Erin Albin, Erica and Erin Andrews, Blaire Barnard, Dani Parker, Tyler, and Carol Crawford. Nearly half of the team is youth and college students!
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| Rhonda Jackson |
For this trip we will be traveling to the city of Siguatepegue, and working alongside full-time missionary Rhonda Jackson. Rhonda, originally from Georgia, has been a missionary in Honduras for over 12 years. While in Honduras she has worked to create a children’s home and school that is called Destino Del Reino (translated Destiny in the Kingdom). Our team will be completing jobs around Destino, as well as put on VBS for the week at one of the surrounding villages in Siguatepeque.
Our team truly covets your prayers, not only while we are in Honduras, but even now as we prepare to go. Here is list of prayer needs:
- Planning and preparation of the VBS and all it entails
- Spiritual preparation of our hearts and minds
- That God would soften the hearts of the unbelievers we will come in contact with
- Physical preparation of our bodies
- Financial funds to go with enough left to give a financial gift to Rhonda and Destino
- Smooth and safe travel as we go
- Protection while in Honduras
- That we would be Christ to the people we minister to
- In everything, that God will receive the glory and His will fulfilled
Part of our prayer is that, as a group representing FBC Rockport, we could bless Rhonda and Destino with a financial gift before we leave. Rhonda is a self-supporting missionary, meaning that all the monies she receives to live and run Destino are from mere donations. She is not on any denominational or church budget. This is a big reason we would like to leave something for her and Destino. The only way that we can do that is if we raise money above and beyond what it costs for our team to go on the trip. With 16 members, it will cost approximately $16,000-17,000 for all of us to go on this trip. I would love to be able to leave $5,000 behind, but that means that our team would need to raise around $22,000 before we leave for our trip on July 2nd. After February’s Mission Fair that was held at the church, our team received $500, leaving us with around $21,500 left to go. In my own personal eyes, the amount of $21,500 seems insurmountable, but Psalm 24:1 tells us that “the Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” Understanding this, our mission team and I believe that since our God owns everything that He will faithfully supply the needs of those seeking to do His will. My question is this; will you allow God to use you to be a part of faithfully supplying the needs of this mission team? Just as Paul and Barnabas were prayed over and sent out by the church of Antioch to do the work of the Lord in Acts 13, our team is asking that you pray for us and send us out too.
