Lauryn Mendrop
Madison-Ridgeland Academy | Madison Heights Presbyterian Church
Activities and Service to Others
At school, I am a member of our softball team, National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Rotary Club and Hunting and Fishing Club. I have also participated in Horses for Handicapped for the past two years, and I look forward to visiting it again this spring. I have volunteered at Sunnybrook Children’s Home, Blair E. Batson, and for the Salvation Army “Children’s Angel” project. Another activity I enjoy is going to the Ronald McDonald house to cook breakfast for families on Sundays. Activities like this have opened my eyes to realize how blessed I am. I recently packed shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, which is something I look forward to doing every year. This past summer I volunteered at my church’s Arts and Sports Camp where I got the opportunity to share the Word, while also teaching campers how to play different sports. My favorite thing that I am involved in is FCA; I am currently on our FCA leadership team, and I enjoy leading our early FCA morning gatherings.
Favorite Scripture
My favorite Bible passage is Ephesians 6:14-17, where it talks about the full armor of God. I have loved this passage ever since I was little from watching the show Bibleman. Every episode he would repeat that verse over and over again, so one day I looked it up and was forever fascinated. In this passage, Paul is speaking to the people of Ephesus about the armor of God and the importance of “wearing” that armor every day. Paul goes through the list of the different pieces of armor such as belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. In this passage, he states that this armor will help you to defeat Satan and the evil temptations in your everyday life. This passage is my favorite because it is so relevant to today’s world. In order to stand up for your faith and your beliefs, you must take God with you. Without these traits that Paul mentions, it is impossible to face this world that ridicules Christians.
A Situation Where I Lived Out My Faith
I spoke at Elementary Chapel on a Tuesday, and on the following Thursday I was on my Facebook and saw a video. I found myself watching one of the kids I spoke to doing the same exact demonstration I had done. This boy showed his mom the representations I used to explain salvation and made her record it for all to see. Things like this show me I am making an impact regardless of whether I think so or not, and speaking to people about Jesus is just one small way I can make a difference.
