Walking the talk...

This school year our theme is "Walk the Talk". I know we are not the first ones to think this up, but it sure can be a very challenging way to live. Throughout the year we find ways to challenge our students (and ourselves) to live the theme out in our lives. Last week was Spiritual Emphasis week. Our guest speaker this year was a man by the name of Frank Reynosa and he came to us from Orlando, Florida. He also visited us a couple of years ago during this same week. I don't know a ton about his background since I missed some of the day sessions, but I have copied and pasted below some of what the director of our school had to say about him at the conclusion of our week with him (found in the original context here -scroll to the bottom of the page):

Frank grew up in New York City and by the age of 13 had run away from home and was living on the streets. For the next ten years Frank made his living by selling drugs. During that time he became an alcoholic and addict who was shot at, stabbed, and overdosed a number of times. He fled New York because of a bad drug deal that resulted in two guys planning and trying to kill him.

He ended up in Orlando, Florida and while waiting to find out if he had AIDS prayed to God, “If you save me I’ll serve you!” After finding out that he did not have HIV he went back to an addict’s lifestyle but that prayer continued to echo in his mind. A short time later he started attending a church and eventually committed his life fully to Jesus Christ. Since then he has been living out his first prayer in so many different ways.

Today Frank is serving God daily through a number of different ministries. He serves as a chaplain at the House of Hope which is residential program for troubled teens. House of Hope’s mission is to restore children back to their parents and they have around 50 kids who are being saved from a life of drugs, witchcraft, prostitution, and other life-destroying choices. Through the House of Hope he also works with a program called “The Last Wave” which is a club for teenagers in Orlando.

But that is not all that he is doing. He also ‘works’ with FCA – Fellowship of Christian Athletes which has him involved in speaking to teams and young athletes all over the country. On top of that, two years ago he started a church that is very focused on making a difference in the community and has its members involved in street outreach and feeding people as well as a jail ministry. Frank serves in these various capacities and yet does not receive a salary from the different ministries he works for.

This week the students at Dalat have been drawn to Frank for many different reasons. One of them is that he is a man who is “Walking the Talk.” There is no doubt that Frank’s testimony of going from a life on the streets of New York to saving kids in Orlando is a powerful one. It is an example of someone who is living out his faith and what he believes through his actions, behaviors, and choices each day. When I talked with him earlier this week this was brought home by a very powerful statement he made to me, “Your testimony is only as powerful as the way you lived your life today.”

Is that not a HUGE challenge to each of us??

The most exciting news from the week is that many students made committments to Christ during this time. And lots of other renewed their committments as well. Personally I was challenged and encouraged during the week, even though the main focus is the kids.