Senior Feature: Elissa Colombo

Elissa Colombo has been with JRHS for all four years of high school. If you’ve ever attended one of our Spring Spays, you’ve most likely enjoyed Elissa’s passionate stage presence and sense of humor. What you may not have seen, is how much she loves to help people behind the scenes.

She credits Bible and Evangelism Project classes in helping to form her spiritually. Elissa added, “The Bible classes over the past four years have better helped me to understand Christianity along with other worldviews. This has helped prepare me for conversations I’ve had with people of other worldviews during the Evangelism project, missions trips, and other opportunities outside of school. These two classes have strengthened my faith and have shown me my passion for evangelism and the burden I have to reach the lost.”

Bible Teacher, Mr Hannan, has had a significant impact on her life. Through his classes, she’s learned to defend her beliefs which has strengthened her faith. Elissa also mentioned, “What has impressed me most about his teaching is that he constantly tells us to find out why we hold to our beliefs and to constantly compare them to Scripture. Outside of school, he is a wonderful friend. He has been an excellent leader and mentor in my life over the past four years, constantly encouraging me to learn and grow, while proving time and again that he truly cares for me and the rest of the students at JRHS.”

Elissa participated in an annual Mission Trip with Coastlands Consultants to work with students at Dayspring Christian Academy in Attleboro, MA for their Spiritual Emphasis Week along with a few other JRHS students. Over the four years of participating in this trip, she considered it a blessing to renew and continue to build on the relationships she made with the kids. “It has shown me my love for local missions and has helped me to realize that I want to continue to be involved in local missions organizations. During these trips, God has taught me about Himself and has used me to encourage others. The weeks spent with the Coastlands Consultants have given me opportunities to see God at work in my life and have allowed me to grow and develop in areas I never would have thought possible,” Elissa added.

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Elissa hopes to attend William Carey University in Hattiesburg, MI in the fall a Major in Biology focusing on Environmental Biology. She also plans on Minoring in Missions. We know the Lord has great plans for Elissa with these two verses that she stands firm on.

1. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.”

2. 2 Timothy 4:5, “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

Her advice to the JRHS underclassmen is “Always be kind to others. You never know what somebody else may be going through. Reach out to other people, especially if that means going outside your comfort zone. If you see someone left out, maybe someone who’s a little bit different than you, be that person to look past those differences and recognize them for who they are: someone who is beautifully and wonderfully made in the image of God.”