This month's student of the month has the heart and motivation of a missionary and looks for opportunities each day to serve her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In fact, she models her life after this saying: "Only one life, t'will soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last."
Q: Describe yourself as a person.
A: I am a 17-year-old Canadian, and I live in the French province of Quebec. I am bilingual. I am a Christian, and my life is all about Jesus. I sometimes fail and make mistakes, more often than I would like, but God is not quitting on me, and He is shaping me to become more and more like His Son. I am so far from being perfect (This is a big struggle for me because I am a real perfectionist), but that allows me to see how perfect, holy, and glorious God is.
Q: What grade are you in, and what courses are you taking or will you take? Do you have a particular reason for selecting these courses?
A: I am a senior this year, and I am taking English IV, consumer math, physics, as well as economics. I am enjoying both consumer math and economics because they have to do with real-life situations with money.
Q: How long have you been enrolled with ICA? What circumstances led to you being enrolled with ICA?
A: I am one of the very few kids in Quebec that are homeschooled. My parents had at heart to give their children a Christian education, and Alpha Omega offered this to us. This is my tenth year being homeschooled, and my second year that I have been enrolled with the academy. I had been using Switched-On-Schoolhouse, but we decided to enroll me with the academy because of complications with the Quebec schooling method. Here, it works differently. Once you finish high school (which ends in grade 11), you have to go to a sort of pre-college called Cegep. After two or more years there, you can go to University. By having an American high school diploma, I could avoid going to Cegep and could go straight to University. My American education was clearly God's guidance, and I am very glad that I am on this new path!
Q: What aspect of ICA do you enjoy the most?
A: I guess the aspects of ICA that I really enjoy are, first, the fact that all my school is done on the Internet and that the computer auto-corrects my work; second, the Christian background found in each course (it means so much); and third, available teachers through chatting sessions and telephone calls. The teachers have helped me through the most challenging lessons, and I am really grateful.
Q: Describe your hobbies, interests, etc.
A: I am a girl who likes crafts. For the last three years, I have been making fashion jewelry. I am planning to go to a Word of Life Bible school next year, and I have been doing fundraisers selling my jewelry. It is really fun! I also enjoy reading, but I do not really have much time for that. Most of my time is spent being involved in church activities. More on that later!
Q: Do you have a personal testimony that you would be willing to share? If so, please write it below.
A: We just moved last May. This move was a trial in itself. We were living in a very nice and somewhat fancy house, and we felt that God was guiding us to a simpler lifestyle. We knew God had something in store for us, and we wanted to live a life of ministry and of a focus on eternity. We began taking steps of faith into what seemed to be nothing. The story is really too long, but to sum it up, God guided us through miraculous ways to buy a small rooming house. We are living on the second floor and rent rooms on the first floor to Christian students studying at the University. Our lifestyle has really changed. Yet, through it all, I am assured that God has allowed the challenges that we lived through in order to make us grow. GOD IS VICTORIOUS!
Q: What are some of your favorites (e.g. food, movie, Bible story/verse, sport, music, etc.)?
A: Food: I am known at home to be the "ricey girl." I love rice! I eat it all the time.
Music: I really enjoy listening to the neat beats and touching lyrics of Britt Nicole, Tenth Avenue North, Keith and Kristyn Getty, and Lecrae.
Bible: I have too many favorite Bible verses! But I will choose these two, which have really challenged me … They are difficult to accept, but they represent my goals:
Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Acts 20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me -the task of testifying to the Gospel of God's grace.
Q: Are you a member of any organizations or church groups? And/or do you volunteer some place special?
A: As I mentioned earlier, I spend a lot of time getting involved in Christian activities. I teach Sunday School with my mom (the class of the four- and five-year-olds, and oh, they are cute!). I also attend prayer meetings and youth group. During the winter and summer, I volunteer as a counselor at a Christian camp and retreat center nearby. It is an amazing opportunity to share the hope I have with the lost kids of Quebec (here, the population is less than 0.1% Evangelical Christian, which is not very much!). I love the camp, and I wish I could live there all the time. I see God act in the kids' lives but especially in my life.
Q: If you could use three words to describe yourself, what would they be? Why is that?
A: I would say (according to what other people say): an encouraging person, a perfectionist, and someone with a good memory. I remember many little details, such as what a person wore or said at such and such an event.
Q: What are your future plans or dreams for college and/or career?
A: I am still trying to figure out what I would like to study, but for now, I am concentrating on going to Bible School. I would love so much to someday be a mother and to homeschool my kids. I think that is the most incredible "career" ever, besides being a missionary. But I still believe that having a degree for a work-at-home job is a great idea. I may head into child education or in translation after Bible school.
Q: Who was the most significant role model in your life? Why?
A: Each member of my family has been a model for me, but my parents have worked hard to lead me to a Christ-filled life. My dad is the most prayerful man I know, with a heart dedicated to God's Word, to evangelism, and to the power of prayer. My mom has given me the example of having changed her family's history and turned her life away from worldliness to a life of godliness.
Q: After what motto do you model your life?
A: "God is good" is a motto that lifts me up when I am down. How can I complain when I am reminded of how good God is? A quote from C.T. Studd has really had an impact on me. It is from a poem he wrote (I highly suggest checking it out) and it repeats this line: "Only one life, t'will soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last." It says it all. I want to live that way.
Q: What is your most treasured possession?
A: My good old Bible is probably my most precious item. Even though it is about eleven years old, I still use it and carry it around everywhere. It is so unique, because I have underlined the verses that mean the most to me, and, because I remember things, I know where to find the verses. It really is the best tool ever!
Q: Is there anything you have always wanted to do but haven't done yet?
A: A dream of mine is to someday adopt a child. There are so many kids without parents. When I will be able to be a parent, why should I not be the one those kids need?
Q: If you could meet anyone, who would that be and why?
A: I think I would really like to meet Paul Washer (a well-known preacher). I have been so challenged by his sermons, and I know God has used him to work in me. He preaches the Bible, the God of the Bible, and the Savior of the Bible; nothing more, and nothing less.
Q: What would others be surprised to learn about you (unusual hobbies or skills)?
A: I am a story teller. I love stories, which explains why I played with Barbies for… hum, too long. I also am skilled in talking in my sleep. When I am asleep, things I say and do can be pretty hilarious at times!
Q: How do you want to be remembered when people look back on your life?
A: That is such a good question. Deep down, I want people to admire me for something I did, but that does not mean very much. Like the quote that I had mentioned earlier, all I have in this life is Jesus, and all I will have after this life is Jesus. So, if people will remember something of me, may it be, by God's grace, Jesus and only Jesus.
Q: Of what accomplishment in life are you most proud?
A: In grade eight, I believe, I learned by heart the capitals of every country in North America, South America, and practically all of Africa. At the winter camp, there was a challenge to name about 15 countries of Africa, and I ended up naming way more than that! I also learned pi to about 20 numbers after the decimal. I forgot them now… but it was still fun!
Congratulations, Elisabeth, on being ICA's student of the month!