"It takes a village to raise a child."
 
Growing up in a broken home, I didn't know who I was and had to grow up quickly. With my mom working so much and my dad out of the picture, I tried to discover what it meant to be a man. I tried to become like the "tough" guys around me and on TV. I valued what they valued, said what they said, and did what they did. The problem was the people I was imitating were men because of their age, not their character. Their character mirrored that of the world, and because I was mirroring them, I started to reflect the values of the world without realizing it.

On the outside, I was the rowdy kid, but on the inside, I was struggling with my identity. I defied authority often, especially male authority. Every year from 4th grade to my first year of high school, I got suspended. Not once, but twice. I was a real knucklehead. But the whole time, I was just trying to figure out who I was and what it meant to be a man.
 
Thankfully my mom raised me in church. I became a volunteer at Legacy when I was in middle school. I felt like I found a home; I found mentors who would patiently teach me how to be a man of faith. They helped me recognize and separate my traumas from my identity. Because of what God is doing in Legacy Church, I discovered who I was in Christ. But it took lots of time for me to realize it and lots of patience for those pouring into me (believe me, they needed it).
 
Volunteering at the church was huge for me, but I always felt called to ministry. However, I was scared; whenever I thought about working for the church, I couldn't help but feel unworthy. I often thought, "I'm too messed up to be here." I allowed this thought to cripple my faith, which often held me back from stepping into who God called me to be. It took me a long time to realize it's not about a performance, goodness, or even brokenness; it's about your heart. You don't need to be perfect to serve God. You just need to give your heart to Him, everything else will follow.
 
I am a testament to the saying, "it takes a village to raise a child." Because of my Legacy family and the mentors within, I am no longer unsure of who I am. I would not be the man I am today without the support of my church family, and I am honored to serve my community alongside them.

VOLUNTEER SHOUTOUT!

This is Mia! She has been attending Legacy Church since she was born. Her parents are awesome and faithful volunteers who believe that being a part of the church means being a part of the family. Mia loves serving people everywhere; whether at school, helping her teachers, serving in the preschool team at church, or helping with her little sister, she is constantly serving others unto the Lord. Mia is such a great part of our Legacy Church Family!

I was introduced to Legacy Church in 2002. I attended for several years before building up the courage to audition for Legacy Worship. At the time, my husband and I were not married, and we had just had our third child. With such wonderful women mentoring me on the worship team, along with Pastor Steve’s weekly sermons, God convicted my spirit in such a way that I told my husband either we had to get married or we would have to go our separate ways. My husband wasn’t attending church, and we were unequally yoked. 

We soon got married, started attending church together, and began to tithe. I can honestly say what happened next was God’s work. I returned back to school to earn my bachelor’s degree while working full-time and having my wife and motherly duties. Then I earned my master’s degree in nursing. Our children began serving in the LKIDZ & Students ministries. My husband also began serving at church. I was once the spiritual leader of our home, but God has now made my husband the spiritual leader of our household. My husband & I have been together for almost 20 years and will be married 15 years next month. Has marriage and our lives been easy? The answer is no. However, we know there is power in prayer, and if God is for us, then who can be against us? Serving on Legacy Worship has been a true blessing in my life!

I sat on the couch in the playroom, watching my young daughter. She was basically begging me to play with her, but I couldn't. I felt so weak and tired. It had been the most challenging couple of months I had ever experienced. I totaled my car in January and then had a miscarriage in March. I was physically and mentally drained and felt guilty about it all. I still had this beautiful little girl, who was a huge blessing. I felt I should cherish her and not miss a moment of her being little, but I could not find the strength to get off the couch and play. In the Bible, Samson was known as the strongest man, yet in many instances, he relied on his strength and, therefore, was weak. I realized I fail when I try to rely on my strength to rise above troubles and hardships. As my husband and I continue to try for our rainbow baby,  I'll remember to rely on God's strength, whether His will is for us to raise more children or not. God is strong despite my nerves, fears, and weaknesses. 

Matthew 6:30-34 states, "If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

How can we practice this? How can we commit to entrusting God with our fears and worries? Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

God wants to be our strength regardless of what we go through. We can always depend on Him. He will hold us through it all.

I have been teaching in APS for nine years, and it baffled me when I found out that there was an organization holding Bible Clubs in public school buildings. It felt like we were not allowed to talk about God in our schools for a long time, but that all changed last year. I learned about Follow the Son Bible Club late last year when I saw my son's school was holding an after-school Bible Club. I got a message that they were meeting on Wednesdays after school. I signed up for my son and went to their website to find out more. I discovered they're in multiple APS and East Mountain schools. I emailed them to get more information, and I quickly asked my principal if it would be okay if I could hold my own Bible Club in our school. 

The first day we started Bible Club, I was excited and nervous. We had about 30 kids sign up, and an exciting buzz was in the air. We almost didn't have enough seats for all the students in my classroom. That day we started with some prayer after worship, and so many kids were in tears because they were touched by the Holy Spirit. Many didn't understand what was happening, so I explained that God had touched their hearts. One little girl I will remember forever was crying after we prayed for her. She was in tears, and we couldn't figure out what was happening. I asked one of the other teachers to find out. She pulled her outside to talk to her and asked, "Hey, what's going on? What's wrong? Is everything okay?" The little girl sobbing, said, "I've never felt this way and never prayed before." After Bible Club that day, we knew that the work we were doing was so important! We quickly realized that many of these kids had never been to a church before, but one place they do go is to school, and one opportunity they get to do is join Bible Club. I remember the feeling I had that day while handing out Bibles in my classroom. God encouraged me that this is what I am called to do!

There were some obstacles placed in my way when I first started the Bible Club, which I now see were spiritual battles. A few teachers complained that the Bible did not belong in schools, and they complained that we shouldn't be able to hand out flyers and that I shouldn't be able to talk about it during the school day, but at the end of the day, God won the ultimate battle, and nothing can stop the work He's doing in our schools!

This is my second year doing Bible Club in my school, and it has grown tremendously. We had so many kids return from last year, and several new kids joined too! Even a teacher at Rio Grande School found out and reached out to me, and I connected him with the organization! 

When I met with Gail, who heads up the organization, she said, "Because of the equal access law, we are allowed to have organizations use the buildings for periods of time to host clubs. The public schools are there to serve the community, and I think there's been so much separation that we have forgotten about that." She started this organization about 20 years ago in her school as a teacher herself. When I asked her about all the negativity the organization faced with APS, she told me, "Raquel, the devil has just been really loud for a long time, and it's time for us Believers to get louder." 

I am proud to be a part of the Follow the Son Bible Club organization. The Word of God is spreading fast in our schools! Our schools are a very dark place for so many of these kids and teachers, so it's vital to reach out to the community and meet them where they are–in the classrooms! I get to bring God right to where the kids are and teach them about all the wonderful things in God's Word. Nothing and no one will stop God's work!

-Raquel R.