05 Nov

WOW SPEAKER SHARES TRANSFORMING POWER OF JESUS

Abigail Brown – Loveland, Colorado … Campion Academy (CA) in Loveland, Colorado, held a Week of Worship (WOW), October 21-25, with Pastor Lucas Lujan, head pastor at Colorado Springs South and Woodland Park Seventh-day Adventist Church in Colorado Springs and Woodland Park, Colorado, respectively. Lujan shared a powerful testimony about his past and focused his messages on the school year’s spiritual theme, “I AM.”

Lujan grew up in a world of violence and gangs. However, when he gave his life to Christ, he began to change. He learned about Seventh-day Adventism through studying Voice of Prophecy’s Bible guides while in prison. He gave up his old lifestyle, accepting the love and forgiveness of Jesus, and he is now a pastor.

Brayden Marroquin, CA student chaplain, reflected, “His story impacted me the most because, essentially, it shows God’s ability to transform people’s lives.”

The main point of the Lujan’s talk was how God wants us to come to him no matter where we are at because God loves us, forgives us, and desires to have a relationship with us.

Lujan engaged with the students outside of the meeting times through participating in student volleyball intramurals and getting to know them personally. During the Bible classes and Fusion on Wednesday night, October 23, the students wrote down questions for Lujan to answer in his talks.

Each meeting started out with praise songs including the theme song: “Who you say I am.”  Lilly Resz, CA junior student, shared, “I appreciate how the theme song brought my mindset into the worship and allowed me to focus on the message. I liked how he explained to us that it is okay to ask questions about our beliefs and why things happen. It was also fun when he came to talk with us one-on-one and answered questions for us.”

Jasmine Smittick, CA senior student, commented, “I enjoyed how he emphasized the thought ‘I am who I am because I AM’ (the Great I AM), and I also appreciated how he was real with his past.”

—Abigail Brown, Campion Academy Student News Team. Photos supplied.

04 Nov

MHA GIRLS CLUB SUPPORTS GLOBAL HEALTH INITIATIVE WITH ADVENTHEALTH

Cindy Roldan and Karrie Meyers – Highlands Ranch, Colorado … The Middle School Girls Club at Mile High Academy (MHA) in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, held its monthly meeting, October 18, featuring a special presentation by Courtney Haas and Jeanne McCollum from AdventHealth.

The presentation introduced students to a global health initiative focused on supporting mothers and infants in under-resourced communities. Haas and McCollum highlighted the critical work being done to ensure essential healthcare reaches those in need, providing life-saving support for vulnerable mothers and babies.

The club is committed to empowering its members to make a meaningful impact both within their community and globally. Following the presentation, the students participated in an engaging activity where they envisioned and created representations of their future selves. This reflective exercise encouraged the girls to think about how their unique God-given talents could be used to continue making a positive difference in the world.

Eager to take action, the club organized two fundraisers—a bake sale and a carwash—for MHA’s October 24 all-school Love Matters Most Service Day. The fundraisers raised over $400, with all proceeds supporting the global health initiative, allowing the students to directly contribute to helping mothers and infants in underprivileged areas.

“We are incredibly grateful to Courtney Haas and Jeanne McCollum for sharing their insights and inspiring our students,” said Cindy Roldan, MHA Girls Club sponsor and director of Student Services. “The club is excited to continue their journey of making an impact, locally and globally.”

In addition to the recent bake sale and car wash, the MHA Middle School Girls Club will continue to explore additional ways for the school and community to get involved and support this important cause, making a lasting difference for mothers and babies in need.

—Cindy Roldan is the MHA director of Student Services and Karrie Meyers is the marketing and development coordinator at Mile High Academy. Photos supplied.