On Mission Like St. Patrick
Many high school students around the country associate St. Patrick’s Day with leprechauns, Ireland, green beer, and partying.
Hope Academy’s High School students spent St. Patrick’s Day in a way that would have made St. Patrick proud: spreading the gospel.
As a teenager in the 5th century, Patrick was taken into captivity in Ireland. At age 16 he committed his life to Christ. “I turned with all my heart to the Lord my God,” he writes in his Confession. He boldly preached the gospel for the rest of his life.
Right now, I am with our senior class on a mission trip in the Dominican Republic.
We arrived last Friday, and have been serving in the name of Christ since our feet hit the ground. Our St. Patrick’s Day was spent leading a Kids Club for more than 200 children, including leading songs and Bible dramas. I continue to be proud of their servant-hearted love this week.
Our sophomore class is on a mission trip as well. They spent most of St. Patrick’s Day driving, and they arrived Sunday evening in New Orleans, LA for a week-long mission. They are staying in a local church, and will be serving in a rehab center, painting, doing basketball ministry, and serving in an after-school program – all while learning to share the gospel through word and deed.
One student with me here is Jeff Holley (12th grade). He has been at Hope since his sophomore year. I asked him what has been most meaningful about his time at Hope Academy. “Definitely the mission trips,” he says. As a sophomore, he served for a week in New Mexico.
Pray with me that Jeff, his classmates, chaperones, and the people we are serving alongside in the D.R. and New Orleans, would, like St. Patrick, turn with all our hearts to the Lord our God.
As we look forward to the coming of Easter, we will pray the same for you and those you serve.
