Every Thursday afternoon in the Portland Adventist Academy library, a group of students meet with their Bibles and their open hearts. Chantel Mote, senior, founder of this small-group Bible study, is practicing for a life of sharing Jesus.
"I spent most of my teen years feeling lost," says Mote. "I was looking for more worldly solutions that always left me disappointed. But finally," she adds, "I decided to stop trying to solve all my problems and give them to God."
Mote attributes her spiritual awakening to quality time with her church community, Bible study with her youth pastor, two PAA mission trips, and her rebaptism.
These precious moments set in motion the desire to share Jesus with her school mates. "Now I'm so excited about God that I want to talk about Him," says Mote. "And people are genuinely interested."
"I started going to the Bible study because Chantel is a good friend of mine," says Brian Schorzman, classmate. "She always has good things to say and the conversations have really given me practical ways to improve my life."
"One of the awesome things about this," says Greg Phillips, chaplain, "is that it's totally student initiated and it's coming out of her own passion for Jesus. It's exactly what we're aiming for with our students."
"I don't know how long I have to live," says Mote. "So I really want to be passionate about God every day and not just going through the motions. I really want people to know about Him."
Left: Chantel Mote and Becca Maher study the Bible together.
Front: Chantel Mote has a new passion for sharing Jesus with her friends.
Center: Chantel Mote studies the Bible with her friends (left) Mackenzie Kessler and (right) Becca Maher every Thursday after school.
