I’ve had the privilege of leading Young Life at EFHS for the last four and a half years. As I prepare to leave for this incredible journey that is ahead, I’d like to pause for a moment to acknowledge the significance of a place and some people that I’ll be leaving behind. If you’ve been a student at East during that time or if you’re a student there now (even if you never went to Young Life or ever knew me), this letter is for you.
Dear beloved friend and student of EFHS,
It has been such a gift for me to have you as a part of my life. I’m truly grateful God chose to make East Fairmont High School a chapter in my story. I thank Him over and over for the times I’ve shared with you—for every interaction: good or bad. If you know much about me, you know that I love adventure, and friend, getting to share life with you has been one of the greatest, most life-altering adventures the Lord has brought me to thus far.
In February of 2012, I was placed as a Young Life Leader at your school. That’s when I started praying for you. I prayed that I would be bold enough to say hi (I was secretly always a little intimidated by you) and that God would provide opportunities for me to speak truth into your life. I prayed that God would give me His eyes to see you and His heart to love you, which He did. I’ve been privileged to share so much of my time with you. Now this season of my life is coming to a close, and I’m compelled to share with you some truth that has radically changed me.
First, know that you are truly known and deeply loved more than you could ever possibly imagine. You were uniquely created by a God who knows everything you have ever thought, ever wanted, and everything you have ever done, and He loves every piece of you. No matter what is included in the darkest parts of your heart, the strangest recesses of your mind, and the most shameful corners of your past, you are deserving of more love than you ever dared hope for… because Jesus said so. I literally can’t say it enough. You. Are. So. Loved. Nothing can separate you from this love. (Seriously, read Romans 8:35-39 here)
And this love is nothing like the passionate, gut-gripping, (but wavering) emotion we read about in books and see in movies everywhere we turn. Oh no, God’s love for us is so much more beautiful than that. This is a love that brings full life, unexplainable peace, undeniable truth, and true beauty into our lives. It is a love that sets us free, that defines grace and mercy, and transforms us from the inside out.
It’s because of this love that I’ve been showing up at EFHS for the last 4 ½ years. It’s why I’ve stood outside the school at 7am to pass out donuts and why I’ve spent countless hours at sporting events and in the school cafeteria during lunch. I’ve been seized by the power of His great affection, and I literally cannot be the same person I once was. I want this freedom and this life for every person I’ve ever known, so God sent me to your school to tell about this truth and this life because you are worth it. Because you were created to live a full life in Jesus and NOTHING will ever satisfy you like He will. Trust me, I know.
Jesus once said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” I didn’t know what abundant life looked like until I decided to let Jesus take control in every aspect of my life. Now I can’t imagine life any other way. Choosing God in every moment has not only taken me on an amazing journey that I never would have imagined (and don’t be confused, I’m not talking about this upcoming year travelling around the world, I’m simply talking about the life I have lived up to this point), but has also pulled me through every moment of confusion, sorrow, pain, and loneliness. I want you to know this life.
Lastly, know this: I’m a different person because of you. I never would have imagined that God would use 800 high schoolers to make such enormous changes in my life and in my heart. Even if we only interacted once or twice, or never at all.. I’ll never be the same because of you. I constantly thank God for your life and for who you are. I thank God because your life is precious, and you are so dear to me. I can’t imagine who I’d be without you. I’ve been so delighted to share with you not only the Gospel, but my life and myself. As I finish this letter, I’m praying these words over you:
“I pray that out of His glorious riches, God would strengthen you with power through His spirit in your inner being, so that Christ would dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love may have power together with all the Lord’s holy people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the of the love of Christ, and that you would truly and intimately know this love—a love that surpasses knowledge. I pray that you would be filled to overflowing with all the fullness of God.” (a prayer that Paul prayed for the Ephesians)
With a full and sincere heart,
Hillarie
