Jenny Olson’s Story

One day during her Freshman year, Jenny was asked, “Why don’t you drink, do drugs or have sex?”  Jenny was tongue tied.  She felt strongly that she didn’t want to engage in those activities, but she didn’t have the courage or the language to explain why.  She just said, “I don’t want to.” 

That winter her youth director invited her to Leadership Quest.  He saw something in her that she didn’t see.  At the time, Jenny attended the youth group at her church, but refused to talk in front of the youth group about anything.  She read the Bible passages that her youth director suggested she read, but without his help she didn’t know what to study.  This was spring 2012. 

After Leadership Quest that summer, Jenny’s daily JAM (Jesus and Me) times grew more consistent.  She wrote the reasons why she wasn’t choosing to drink, do drugs or have sex.  She could articulate how she had seen them impact her family and how she wanted to build a different family.  She could cite verses such as 1 Corinthians 6:18 (Flee from sexual immorality) and Ephesians 5:18 (Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit) to support her convictions. Jenny’s faith was growing in new ways!

The following fall, Jenny was a junior.  During that year her youth director asked her to preach at church.  Jenny, the person who refused to talk in front of the youth group about anything, was asked to preach!  She said, "Yes," and wrote and delivered a sermon on John 15, "God is the vine and we are the branches."  Not only did Jenny preach that year, but she also discovered a passion and gift for leading worship.  Jenny’s life was bearing fruit as she grew in her knowledge and skill to stay in the vine, and she was growing in confidence as she discovered new ways to live out and express her faith.   

In 2014, the summer after her senior year, Jenny came to Leadership Quest 2.  She knew of students who had attended LQ2 and she had seen how it helped them to grow in their faith.  She had seen how it launched their faith life in college.  She wanted that! 

Before LQ2 her JAM time consisted mostly of reading a passage in the Bible and then the footnotes.  Since LQ2, she digs deeper by using cross references to learn how the verses in the Bible relate and connect to each other.  She feels like God is teaching her more.  She feels more prepared with tools to actually study the Bible.  She knows there will be struggles.  And, she knows she has the resources to deal with them.  (And, yes, she led the worship for LQ2 and is now on the worship team at her church—more branches filled with fruit!)