Amanda Brock '14 Recruiting Profile

God is using me to influence the lives of other people by being involved and plugged into so many different families, places, teams, clubs, and organizations.

As Houston Christian’s Female Student Body Chaplain, I was elected by the entire student body, senior board, administration, teachers, faculty, and staff for this position. I get to work along side our Male Student Body Chaplain, under the council of our two adult Chaplains on staff. We get to plan a devotional everyday for morning announcements for the entire school, plan and start our chapels once a week, and are active leaders in our Discipleship Groups that are ministry for freshmen and sophomore students led by juniors and seniors. My favorite part of being a Chaplain at Houston Christian High School is that I get to do life with my peers every single day. Knowing that I am someone that anyone in the student body can come to for prayer, counsel, advice, or just a listening ear, shows me that God has only greater things in store for my life. I also experience a lot of love and peace because I am constantly prayed for, prayed with, and prayed over by our students, Chaplains, teachers, faculty, and staff. I am blessed to be used as a vessel for the Kingdom of God daily. This position has taught me the importance to God’s Call on my life and to have a  “Here I am, send me!”(Is. 6:8) attitude, boldness, and mindset for my life.

            I have been blessed with the ability and opportunity to play many sports throughout my high school season, including: cheerleading, drill team, football manager, field hockey, basketball, softball, and track. As an active part of my teams, or these families, that I have poured my heart and soul into, I was elected captain and held leadership positions in: cheer, basketball, and softball. Though each sport taught me something different, the biggest thing that I have taken away from my leadership positions is that I cannot do it by myself. It is about the team and not me. God does not ask us to do life alone, but with the “company of good character”(1Cor.15:33).

            JUMP, is children’s ministry provided by Second Baptist Church. Each weekend while the parent’s of the first through fourth grade students attend “big church,” or worship, these students have the opportunity to experience a worship service catered to them! JUMP is lead by high school students, with hearts for sharing the Gospel and Jesus with children through worship ministry. These high school students volunteer their time every Wednesday night for practice, Saturday nights for a worship service, and Sunday mornings for a worship service. As the senior captain of the JUMP team this year, I have gotten to work with and mentor other high school students who are passionate about sharing Jesus, like I am, through leading worship in children’s ministry. This position has been one of the biggest blessings and life changing experiences for me because I have seen what Jesus can do to the most broken people. That His love is not only for the undeserving, but for the broken and that He redeems with relentless love. I have seen a third grader, who’s parents are going through a horrible divorce at home, become the most joyful child you will ever meet. A fourth grader, with a skin disease so awful she has lost majority of her mobility in her joints, still lift her hands boldly, every week, in worship to her Creator. From students who are missing limbs, to missing a father, from students watching their mother fighting for her life against cancer, or fight a learning disability of their own. For a first, second, third, or fourth grade boy or girl to be able to look me in the eyes and say “I know Jesus is real because I can feel His love in my heart,” makes every second worth it. To hear a child ask “May I get on my knees to pray because Jesus is my King?” is what ministry is. This position has showed me that I can show Jesus to anyone. It has blessed me with the ability to fight everyday for what I believe in.

            Houston Christian High School is a school that is dedicated to inspiring and equipping leaders. As an elective course, Houston Christian offers a leadership class distinct from any program in the entire country. Colonel Tom Wilson, a retied Air Force Colonel, who is equally passionate about teaching students about leadership, teaches the leadership course. The course teaches students how to become better, more effective leaders beyond high school, beyond he football field, student council, or as homecoming queen. Students face real life challenges and situations that multi-million dollar businesses, companies, and industries are facing today.

            “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew28:19-20)”. I have been given a wonderful opportunity to not only get to do missions and ministry here in the United States, Houston and Dallas, Texas, and Biloxi, Mississippi, but also around the world in Turkey and Nicaragua this summer, and Belize for the past three spring breaks. This summer I was chosen to go on a leadership and educational trip by my school, with my school. Now “missions” was not the point of the trip, but we made it our mission. I got the opportunity to witness first hand to Muslims, Jews, and the flat out lost. I had the privilege of sharing Jesus’ relentless love with people who had no idea that their Creator loved them that much! I went on a mission trip to Nicaragua with the Bible Department of my school this summer as well. In Granada, Nicaragua we stayed at a church called El Puente. We were there for two weeks and our ministry consisted of driving to El Pantanal in the back of a goat truck to start the morning off with door-to-door evangelism. We can to El Puente for lunch then loaded back up to El Pantanal to run a VBS and sports camp for the children there. I know I will be back to Nicaragua soon because of what the Lord did in my heart and in my life with those kids this summer. Belize has been an active part of my story. Second Baptist Church had taken groups of students from all five campuses for three years now and I have been blessed to be a part of the planning process and go on the trip itself all three years. I have gotten to lead worship, Bible studies, and present the gospel to children, teenagers, adults, and grandparents. I have seen miracles in Belize by simply letting Jesus us me.

            I have the ability every single day to share Jesus with so many people around me. He has created me “fearfully and wonderfully”(Ps. 139) with such unique gift like leadership, ability, diversity, and boldness. He has given me a heart for others that I cannot even put into words. And this is how He uses me to influence the lives of others.

Leadership is Character. And character is what you are when no one else is watching. A leader steps out of the spotlight in order to lead. Leadership is influence. A Christian leader makes Christ the spotlight. A leader is secure in who God has made them to be. They are okay with themselves outside of the spotlight. They search for opportunities to put Christ in the spotlight. And lastly, a leader serves. If it is your job to serve others, you are never in the spotlight. In order to get to a place to be able to be secure, to search, and to serve, a leader must contain an open heart, open life, open mind, and open hands. An open heart requires you to ask yourself "Am I sensitive to the Lord’s calling?" to be maximized to His calling. An open life requires you to ask yourself "Am I available to God's will?" that even if it's “stupid,” you will do it. An open mind requires you to ask yourself "Am I teachable and willing to learn?" If you are prideful, you aren't open to the kingdom of God. And open hands require us to let go of the things that we hold most tightly to.

This encompasses both my long term and short-term goals for myself. To be the best that God has made me to be. He has gifted me with leadership ability and the power to influence. I want to lead, serve, and contribute to all aspects of life and Softball is a huge part of why I am so passionate about everything that I do.