Hello!
Who am I and What Am I Up To?
My name is Hayden Lark Banks, and I am a 21-year-old graduate from Erskine College. I have my Associates of Business Administration from Gordon State College, my previous institution, and I recently graduated from Erskine on May 4, 2019, with a Bachelors of Arts in Bible and Religion and a minor in Visual Arts. While attending Erskine, I was involved on campus with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as a member of the leadership team, Campus Resident Life Team where I served as a Resident Assistant for Freshmen Women, and finished my tenure as the Vice President of the Visual Art Society at Erskine. I am also an alum of the Erskine College Women’s Soccer Team where I played center-mid and forward. After graduation through August 2019, I will be serving as the Outreach intern at Fellowship Greenville, and then embarking on the World Race in October!
Who is My Family and Where Have I Lived?
I have lived in various small towns in rural Georgia throughout all of my childhood. I am the only child of a beautiful, single mother, Holly Banks. For the past two years, I have been in South Carolina playing soccer for and attending Erskine College. My two years at Erskine have been one of my most sacred blessings given to me from God our Father.??This summer, as I prepare for the World Race, I will be living in Greenville, South Carolina as I intern with Fellowship Greenville.
What Has Impacted My Heart and Life?
The biggest impact in my life has been my Mom. She is the one who taught me to love without fear and to be passionate about the things that I hold dear. Being the only child of a single mother has not been easy for either one of us, but it has definitely shaped me into who I am today and I am so grateful for the sacrifices that she made to get me to where I am today. Financial hardship and having to mature faster than most of my friends has impacted me exponentially, but looking back, I see God’s hand in it all. I never lost hope, even as a child, that everything always works out and I have now seen that come to fruition in my life.
Soccer has been another huge influencing factor in my life. Soccer was my first love and my first identity. It has allowed me to meet people of all colors, tongues, races, and ethnicities and nurtured my fascination with people who are different than me. God gave me a heart that loves His people and his creation and as an artist, I love the way God made Humans unique and different, yet all images bearers of Him.
What Things Do I Love?
Confession, I have too many hobbies. I love being artistic, playing soccer, hiking, and camping. I am a ceramicist/potter, and I love to work with clay. I enjoy painting, drawing, crafts, crocheting, repurposing wood, and refinishing furniture. I enjoy cooking, and learning how to cook different ethnic dishes.? Most of all I love to love people and to make others smile.
What Is My Personality Like?
My Myers-Briggs Personality Type is EXFJ. Being a people person, it is not surprising that I would score high as an extrovert. God has blessed me with a love for people and I love communicating and learning about people. I scored equally as sensing and intuitive, appreciating both the big picture and the details in it. As an artist and a person, I prefer both the creative and practical as well. I like to be creative and come up with my own ideas but I am drawn to concreteness. Change does not bother me and I am adaptable, but enjoy a routine.
As a Feeler, I look for the emotions in the room and aim to base my responses on how I gauge the feelings of others. I also perceive myself as warm and friendly, trying to constantly show that I am open, approachable, and willing to connect. Relationships are very important to me and a foundational part of who I am. Finally, scoring high in Judging over Perceiving indicates my desire for a schedule and the completion of tasks. I value promptness, goal setting, and hard work.
What Are My Spiritual Gifts?
My spiritual gifts are vulnerability, discernment, public speaking, creativity, encouragement, and hospitality. I have the ability to be easily vulnerable with people and open up about my personal trials, testimony, and choices and how they have affected me. Many people have told me that God has given me discernment and wisdom. I personally do not always see this myself, but I know God has used me to speak into people’s lives using the wisdom in the Word. Public Speaking is also one of my strengths, as I do not get nervous talking in front of large numbers of people, and I enjoy public speaking. However, God seems to only give me opportunities to speak when I cannot be prepared and just have to depend solely on Him. Creativity has been with me since I was a child and probably evolved from being an only child and trying to keep myself entertained. Art has been a huge outlet for me. It has also helped me to see God and His beautiful creation and enhanced my appreciation for creation and for Him as the greatest artist. I enjoy lifting others up with encouragement. I like to serve others through acts of service and being hospitable and making the environment comfortable for those around.
How Do I Feel Called?
I feel called to full-time ministry, specifically Global Out Reach. This calling has been on my heart for the last two years, although God has been preparing me for it throughout my entire life. I have had to deal with hard situations and think quick in times of emergency. Soccer has opened me up to people who look different than me and all the wonders each new person’s culture held. Jesus went from being solely my savior to the Lord of my life and the calling began to run strong. Finally, I spent three weeks in a poor rural town in Managua, Nicaragua in 2017 and it changed my life. I loved to love and share God’s Word. I love how big God is to those who seem to have nothing.
What Are My Strengths and Weaknesses?
My strengths are leadership, team-oriented mindset, being a people person, kind-heartedness, and I love the Lord. In terms of my weaknesses, I can come off as intense because of how passionate I am about God and others. I also have dyslexia, so sometimes I struggle to express myself with words. I get frustrated with myself and I am hard on myself at times, but I learn by asking questions and I love learning, so it tends to work out in the end.
Where Has My Spiritual Journey Taken Me?
My spiritual journey has been a long journey and an ultimate battle, but it has brought me to a place where I never imagined myself before I accepted Christ into my life. Hallelujah! I was forced to my lowest point my freshman year of college during the second semester and I felt like I had no one but God so I turned to Him. As time went on, I was connected to a church and the Gospel began to actually make sense. The pieces were falling perfectly together in my head like a huge puzzle. Southern Hills Christian Church in Carrolton, GA is now my church home. I began to study, heal and grow. I originally went to a Community College called Gordon State, where I began my collegiate soccer career, but it was only a two-year athletic program and I had to either transfer or finish my degree there. I thought I was not going to play soccer anymore until my coach told me about a school in South Carolina that was looking at recruiting me. I drove up for an ID camp and was offered a scholarship on the spot. I was excited, because of financial reasons and for another opportunity to play. On top of that, I had received my Associates of Business at Gordon and Erskine had a business program for me to transfer into. However, God had a much different and far greater plan for me when I got to Erskine. One afternoon before I enrolled at Erskine, my Mom and I went to the movies to see A Case for Christ, and the movie changed my life. I emailed the professor over the Bible and Religion Department at Erskine and immediately changed my major. The same summer I went on a mission trip to Nicaragua for three weeks and this experience verified that God had called me to be in some type of missionary field or program. At the time I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but it was a huge gift. Once I came to Erskine I was in a weird season of life and found myself being overprotective of myself and the environments I allowed myself to be in. Then I was asked to be a huddle leader at an FCA camp at a middle school retreat, where I shared my testimony for the first time to 300 plus people (mostly middle schoolers). When I came back, the President of FCA at Erskine asked Huddle Leaders to speak at FCA and I began to regularly attend FCA. I had officially found my community. By the second semester at Erskine, I had a solid community of like-minded believers and friends. During my time here, I have been blessed with wonderful Professors who pour knowledge and wisdom into me and pray over their students. The intimate relationships between professors and students at Erskine has greatly challenged and advanced my faith. Leaving Erskine, I am entering into another faith environment that I pray nurtures my faith just as much and then embarking on my World Race journey which I know will further my love for Christ and others.
Where Am I in Life and What Am I Learning?
At this moment I am in a beautiful season of singleness. God has taken from me the want for a significant other and I have been healing from past relationships and learning how to be more dependent on and intimate with Him while meditating on His Word. I have been learning to not put others burdens on my own shoulders, but put them in my hands and pray to the Father that He be with my friends and that He answers their prayers. I would like for this year to be a year of growth, dependence on God and learning to hear God’s voice more clearly, while loving on people and sharing the Good News of the Gospel.
Why the World Race?
Ever since I heard about the World Race it has intrigued me and I have wanted to go, but honestly, it was always just a dream in my head. I am so ecstatic and thrilled that I am going to be a part of God’s Kingdom Building through the World Race. When I was reading through the requirements and rules it only made me more pumped, because it was everything I was looking for. I have high hopes that God is going to do extraordinary things and open my eyes in so many different ways. I am worried about my Mom and how she will do while I am gone. I know this will be good for both of us, but I have been her world for the last 21 years and I am her only child.
How Can You Pray for Me?
Please pray that God’s Will be done during the whole process from today and until the end of the Race. I ask that you pray my faith, relationship and dependence on God grows stronger, deeper, and wider. Pray for strong Godly friendship to be born and grown. Pray that I may be a servant to all of God’s people out of love and reverence for Him and that all the glory and praise point back to the One who created everything. Pray that I put on the Armor of God and fight of any spiritual warfare of negativity, doubt and pride. Pray that my church, family, and friends scoop up my mom and love her with kindness and patience as she enters into the process with me.
