Using Talents to Bring God's Word to Others

The Priority of God’s Word

One of the most important things in our walks with the Lord is time spent in His Word. It is within the pages of the Bible that we get to know God the Father, his Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. It is there that we learn God’s heart and will, and the Bible is where we go for wisdom, direction, and comfort. Without the Bible, we cannot grow in a relationship with Christ. And yet, many Christ-followers do not spend regular time in His Word. Maybe we don’t feel like we have the time, or we don’t understand it, or we don’t realize its power. 

But God is clear that His Word changes people. 

Using Talents to Further the Kingdom

Leah Schaefer is a senior at Marshall High School in Marshall, Minnesota. She believes so strongly in the power of God’s Word that she has embarked on a journey to get it into as many hands as she can. 

Leah plans to study marketing and graphic design at Northwestern University in Orange City, Iowa next year. During her marketing internship class last fall, God stirred her heart to consider how she might use her talents in marketing and graphic design for good. After college, she hopes to work for a non-profit but knew she could use her skills now for something positive too. As she thought about it, she knew some things weren’t her thing, and then she landed on the something that is.

Leah said, “I have a love for reading the Word. There’s so much power in it. Being disciplined in the Word is so on my heart, and I want others to experience it.” She designed a graphic and got to work.

Collecting God’s Word for the Hurting

As she thought about who most needs to hear the truths from the pages of scripture, she landed on three groups: foster kids, sexual assault survivors, and teens at Hope Harbor, a ministry with the goal of reconciling youth with their families. All potential recipients have walked or are walking a hard road. Leah knows the truth in God’s Word will give them hope and show them how to walk this hard road with Christ by their sides.

Transformation through Camp

Leah hadn’t spent much time in the Word and didn’t know the Lord three years ago when she attended her first FCA Leadership Camp. Before camp, Leah said, “I knew little to nothing about FCA other than you got donuts and hear a speaker.” Though this camp was usually for juniors and seniors, FCA Area Rep Robin Knudson had noticed leadership potential in Leah and agreed she could go to the camp. 

If you’ve been around FCA long, you won’t be surprised that Leadership Camp completely transformed Leah’s life. She said, “Ever since that day, my life has never been the same. He met me where I was.” She has grown in her walk with the Lord and love for His Word, and she has grown into that leadership capacity Robin first saw in her, largely because of how she’s grown in God’s Word.

A Focus on God’s Word

Leah said, “FCA is the vessel God has used in my life for my love for His Word.” When she considered how she could use the talents God had given her for something good, she just kept coming back to God’s Word. She designed her flyer and made it a goal to collect 100 Bibles by the end of February 2022. She had already collected over 200 new and gently used Bibles by the end of January. That meant there were 200 Bibles to put into the hands of the down and out, the hurting, and those who feel unloved and unwanted.

What’s the Big Deal?

People often wonder, “What’s the big deal about FCA?” This. This is the big deal. A teenage girl meets Jesus at FCA camp, grows in her love of Him and His Word, develops a heart for bringing that Word to others, and sets out to accomplish it, creating a ripple that no one can fully measure. More than 200 people will have the opportunity to open God’s Word and hear directly from the One who loves them most. Prayerfully, they will hear the message of salvation and give their lives to the Lord. Will you pray for each one who receives one of these Bibles, that God would grab hold of their hearts? 

And pray for students, like Leah, in FCA who are learning to be bold witnesses for Christ and to lead in their spheres of influence. Leah’s life verse is this: “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity” 1 Timothy 4:12. Let Leah be an example to all of us as we love others to God.