Kelly Harris, a member of First Baptist Church, Alexander City, was one of six National Acteen Panelists who addressed the national Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) celebration and annual meeting June 9. She shared the following:
Acteens has definitely played an important role in my life for the past six years. It started out as another time to hang out with my friends, but it turned into so much more. We quickly realized that the point of Acteens was not to serve ourselves but to serve others. The lessons and skills I have learned in Acteens have changed my life forever.
When I joined my Acteens group, I knew we would continue missions education. Little did I know we would start to take it to the next level. Not only did we learn about and pray for missionaries, but we actually became missionaries in our school, in our community, in our state and even in neighboring states. We learned to allow God to lead us far from our comfort zones. We learned it was going to be OK because God was with us every step of the way.
Acteens also changed the way I viewed people. Through Acteens I began to see people I had often overlooked. My Acteens leader is constantly opening our eyes to things we still don’t notice. For example, at our local Chinese restaurant she noticed the owner’s kids running around. These three children had never seen the inside of a church before she brought them. Now they are soaking up Jesus like a sponge. We hope eventually they will accept Christ and minister to their parents and their Buddhist grandmother.
Not only am I learning to notice people different from me, I am beginning to view the people I see every day in a new light too. Sometimes we tend to steer clear from kids at school that we should be ministering to. We see their faults and the mess ups and don’t want to be associated with them. But in all reality, Jesus called us to show these kids His love and grace. I am learning to do this as well. Acteens has expanded my vision through the eyes of God.
Acteens changed my prayer life. When I started Acteens I was terrified to pray in front of other people and even more scared to share some of my prayer requests. Acteens developed my trust in fellow Christians and helped me learn how to talk to God in front of others. It also changed the way I pray when I’m alone. I used to spend all my prayers asking for things to be done or given to me, but Acteens taught me the importance of praising God, asking for His will to be done and taking time to be still and listen to Him.
Acteens showed me two very important issues that are now dear to my heart. Through Acteens Camp we learned about refugees. Now for the past two spring breaks I have had the opportunity to work with these precious people. Acteens has also shown me the epidemic of human trafficking. I, as a girl, now know the signs and tactics people use to get girls. I also am learning how to approach and fix the problem. We must spread awareness to stop the demand but must also minister to the victims who have been rescued. Without Acteens I probably would have never realized these two groups of people existed.
Lastly Acteens changed my relationship with God. I’ve learned to trust God in all aspects of my life and to recognize His presence everywhere I go. I now listen and watch for Him to guide my path because I know only His path is worth following.
So if you had asked me six years ago where I thought Acteens would have taken me, I would have never dreamed this is where I’d be. … I am thankful that He has given me the opportunity of sharing how Acteens has made me the Christian I am today and for letting me stress the importance of Acteens in a young lady’s life.
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