Tenth grader Jesslynn Taylor quickly learned the value of memorizing Scripture after joining the 4.12 Leadership Training Program. Two years later, she continues to experience the impact. She regularly takes verses that stand out to her, memorizes them, and then applies them to her daily life.
This started when Jesslynn began meeting with the Barnabas mentor she was required to bring through the program with her. Jesslynn chose her grandmother, Christy Gardenhour, to serve in this role.
“We’ve gotten closer since starting the program together,” Jesslynn shared. “When we first started, we’d get together and I would share with her things that are bothering me. She would find me verses that helped with those situations, which I would memorize so I could have them with me every day. Now I’ve started looking up my own verses for these situations.”
Jesslynn also has a summer mentor while she serves at Joy El Camps and Retreats. Female junior staff coordinator Marta Bahrenburg met one-on-one with Jesslynn during each week of Jesslynn’s summer service the past two years. One week, the two read the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. This became one of those impactful passages for Jesslynn. She chose to memorize verses 40-42 right away.
“They definitely helped me while I was at camp, while I was at home, and getting ready to start school,” Jesslynn stated. “They remind me to keep God first in all my circumstances. It’s so easy for us to go away from Him or get distracted, but these verses really stuck out to me as an example of how we need to put God before everything else.”
Jesslynn applied that summer camp lesson to her post-camp life by being sure to make intentional time for God each day before she gets going with her other plans. “I’ll read my Bible or practice my Scripture verses before I get going on what I have to do,” she explained. “I’ll pray and talk with God before and during my activities. This makes it more natural for me to talk with others about Him too.”
Jesslynn is one of 120 students participating in Joy El’s leadership training program for teens. She begins level three of the program, along with her grandmother-mentor, on September 1.
