5/10/25 – Augusta GA
In this blog you will read updates on my life as a missionary with main points like becoming a youth pastor, working odd jobs, and cool testimonies of God opening doors! Please read the very bottom of the page to see some of my art!
Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
This verse has been the heart beat, and prayer of my life as of late. There has been highs, lows, adventure, rest, ministry, and fun. But above all, serving the Lord in this season has been a challenge, but I know I will reap a harvest and reward because of it.
When I first Got home I knew I needed rest, that I didn’t need to figure everything out. That I could wait, trust God, and he will guide me (proverbs 3:5-6). So that’s what I did, December came around and I knew I needed to do something. But what? Where do I go? What do I do? I want to serve you Lord but what steps do I take?
A friend from college reached out saying he needed help with his pressure washing business and would pay, so I said yes. We cleaned commercial chicken houses for work and during this time I began attending a small church plant in a local high school near me and found out they needed a student director (youth pastor).
Officially my ministry started January 6th but began building relationships with students before then, while working my pressure washing job. Acts 18:1-4 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
This is how I felt haha… doing my nasty side job cleaning chicken houses, and building a new student ministry. It was humble, but extremely hard. Hard physically, and hard building a new ministry. But thankfully I have amazing leaders guiding me and helping me along the way. We fellowship, play games, and I teach biblical lessons with a gospel centered message every week along with a united night where all of our church campuses come together. Slowly we have incorporated small groups with amazing servant leaders and worship! We also get to do fun hangouts together outside of church! Right now Im shepherding 15-20 students in our church and 7 others at the high school through FCA!
Getting to teach, coordinate, and lead in this capacity has been such an honor and I am so thankful. Eventually I transitioned to a part time job at SecureGive as a data analyst. So I help setup church in the gyms on Sundays, setup on Wednesdays for student nights, and work my other job. It is busy, challenging, but so rewarding. Some students have been baptized and they are all growing in their faith! I won bishop belt at our church which is a staff nominated award for someone each month who goes above and beyond in their ministry to serve others! Thank you Dr Marty and Stevens Creek Church!
Here is an FCA testimony! I felt super led to get involved with this ministry to get more plugged into the highschool and students lives, meeting with the coordinators they wanted me to be a character coach and serve on a sports team through things like gatorade, fruit, weekly team devotional, and a team bible study.. Like a mini chaplain! Growing up I played lacrosse, so I began emailing the coach and calling the athletic director. For 2 weeks, nothing. So I decided with much prayer I was going to go to the first home game and meet the coach. So I go, AND OF COURSE, show up late! Im praying and sitting in the stands “Lord what do I do, please open some kind of door” (because Im not about to walk on the field during the game and im freezing my butt off in the stands) and LO AND BEHOLD…. a man stands up across the stands in a full coaches fit. I recognized him immediately. I yelled “BEEEEENN” and ran up to him and shook hands, connected, and he said the coaches would love to have me. Ben was a senior on my high school lacrosse team when I was a freshman, and now coaches lacrosse! Look at that!
So in this past spring, I would go weekly to the games to serve coaches, preach pre-game messages, connect with the student players, and started a bible study with 7 seniors who meet weekly with me for a lunch bible study. I’ve gotten to closely disciple them and watch them grow in their faith! One of my seniors was a football player and has connected me with the team so I may be able to continue this ministry on the football team if the Lord wills!
I got to be a worship leader for a mens group that read wild at heart by John Eldrige, it was super challenging spiritually, and physically because we went on a 4 day hike after! I received some freedom on this trip, and so did many other men. Super thankful for this ministry in our church.
I am also very involved with the young adult ministry at our church and am so thankful for being a part of it!
In the coming months we have a kids camp, student camp, and a possible mission trip to Guatemala with our church. So please pray for me as I continue to build the student ministry at my church, serve as a local “missionary” with FCA, and prepare for the upcoming camps/trips.
Here is some personal art that I haven’t spent much time on, but really desire to do more. It would help me with creative outlets, and to see people enjoy art that I’ve made is such a special feeling. My first piece is a picture from when I was in lesotho, south africa, doing ministy in unreached villages preaching the gospel. I took the picture after a snow storm hit! I plan to make more from my missionary travels and street art. It would mean the world to me if you guys supported me and helped me grow my art. Here is the instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaycomedia/
Here is my etsy for my photo prints: https://www.etsy.com/shop/jaycostudioart/?etsrc=sdt&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaf90noBeg–_X5zrSXbGVxY0fFjkJ1R3x0QDHxUYlvtL3l0PH_jh6-XY28T7g_aem_qr3Psipf5Jk8XvXFK8kWCA&dd_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fl.instagram.com%2F
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