I believe that everyone has a purpose in life and that God uses His children in ways that seem unimaginable in order to share the Gospel and bring glory to Him. I have been a part of many different organizations and have helped volunteer with many different things at my church, school, and in the community. But, I have never felt so personally involved with anything until I became a part of the organization Project 5:11. This organization was created by a girl at another school after a friend in my Sunday school class took his life a year and a half ago. Project 5:11 seeks to spread encouragement to others to let them know that they matter, are loved, and have a purpose in life. The name comes from 1 Thessalonians 5:11 about encouraging others. Shortly after hearing about the organization I felt God lay it on my heart to bring it to my school. At first I tried doing other things to distract myself from this calling but I then realized I couldn’t ignore it. A few months later, a few friends and I came together and brought Project 5:11 to Hoover High School by making and passing out thousands of Valentine’s cards. Since then, we have written encouraging notes to students, faculty and staff at school, and kids in the foster care system. We have also posted encouraging messages on social media and have done several other things to encourage those at our school and in our community.
If someone had told me a few years ago that I was going to lead a new organization at school and in my community I would have thought that would be cool but I don’t think I would have believed them. Although the reason that Project 5:11 was created is heartbreaking, it is fascinating to see how God uses terrible situations to spread His light and bring people to Him. Even though I do not know how our encouragement has directly impacted anyone, I do believe that God is using it in mighty ways to either simply brighten someone’s day or to help them realize their need for Him. Through my involvement in Project 5:11 I have learned that God uses every single believer in ways they could not imagine and that He is right there beside me every step of the way.
Is this your favorite essay? Click below to vote today!
