Curtis Kester
Why Mission Year?
My name is Curtis Kester and I am originally from West Lafayette, Indiana. I will be a May 2009 graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Organizational Leadership and Supervision. I love being on a bike, playing a good pickup basketball game, cheering on the Chicago Cubs, semi-frequently reading, and a good pair of gray shoes. A little known fact about me is that I don’t really like to drive a car, I will if I have to, but I’ll gladly take a ride from somebody else!
Now, you may be wondering why I chose to do Mission Year. About two years ago during my sophomore year of college and the following summer, I had a huge shift in my faith. I had for the most part grown up in the church and I know I had a clear understanding of what Jesus did for me on the cross. What I began to discover in my shift though was the person of Jesus Christ. I began reading some books talking about this and developed friendships that helped me work through this amazing discovery! I discovered that Jesus’ life involved caring for the poor, the marginalized, and oppressed and we are called to walk in His footsteps and love all those that are around us.
This totally changed the direction of my life and I had no idea what I wanted to do after school. I knew I wanted to do something that would allow to me fully live out what Jesus did and talked about. A good friend of mine knew someone who had done Mission Year and after looking at the website I felt this was something I would want to do. I guess so did our Father, cause here I am!
My hope is that my experience with Mission Year will further allow me to discover the person of Jesus Christ, fall deeper in relationship with Him, and love God and love people better!
About Mission Year
Mission Year is a year long urban ministry program focused on Christian service and discipleship. We take teams of young people, place them in an area of need, and help them to serve people and create community. We are committed to the command of Jesus to “love God and love people,” by placing the needs of our neighbors first and developing committed disciples of Christ with a heart for the poor. Learn more about our first year program…
