Lindsey Pratt is not hard to spot in a crowd. A senior at Monterey Bay Academy (MBA) from Sonora, Calif., Lindsey is six feet tall with curly blond hair and an infectious smile. She is a member of the girls’ varsity basketball team, plays violin in the string ensemble and is a class officer — senior class pastor.
What really makes her stand out though, is her relationship with God. Whether it’s the Olive Grove prayer ministries, Set in Stone Sabbath School or the new Feed the Need community outreach program, Lindsey fits right in.
“Her excitement for Jesus is incredible,” Principal Bill Keresoma says. “His love just shines through her face.”
Early last fall, Lindsey met with Keresoma. Although it was her first year at the academy, she wanted to make sure he knew she was at the academy to serve. “When we met, the first thing she asked was, ‘What can I do for Jesus on this campus?’ It just blew me away,” Keresoma remembers.
She started a Bible study in the girls dorm called “The Core” where different topics are discussed and Scripture is used for answers. The group even has a spin-off ministry called “Emergency Core.”
“Basically, if a girl has a major emergency we make the announcement over the dorm’s public address system: ‘We’ve got an emergency core in the parlor!’ and we meet there to pray for the girl and her crisis,” Lindsay explains. “It’s amazing what prayer can do.”
“She’s had a great effect on everybody. I’m so glad she’s going to MBA,” classmate and friend Lisa Montgomery says. “She’s a great leader, and she’s never afraid to tell people what she believes.”
According to Lindsey, serving others is what keeps her focused. “I love to share God with other people because it helps me keep my attention on what really matters,” she says. “I know that He has a plan for my life, and I can’t wait to see where He takes me.”
The Beginning of the Story
Sharing her faith hasn’t always been easy for Lindsey Pratt. Four years ago, her family wasn’t in very good shape. Her dad, Alan, had a great job working management for a home health company, but was often on the road and the family suffered because of it.
“Our marriage was struggling,” Lindsey’s mom Sherry says. “I began to pray fervently that we would grow closer to God individually and as a family.”
God answered Sherry’s prayers in 2002 through the Soquel camp meeting. The Pratt family decided to attend, the first time for Alan since he was a boy. Attending as many meetings as possible, he became more and more excited. “During those meetings he became a new person. He became a man of faith,” Sherry says. “From that point on, he has been the spiritual leader of our household, and I’ve seen incredible changes.”
One major change was his employment. Alan did not know that Sherry was praying for him to lose his job. Her prayer was answered. “I didn’t tell him until well after that camp meeting,” Sherry recalls. “But I knew that his job was keeping him too far from home. It hasn’t been easy and we’ve really struggled, but we’ve seen God bring us closer together.”
The changes have been difficult. Money has been tight and attending the academy for her senior year seemed impossible. “When a person is vulnerable about their struggles and pain, I think it allows others to come forward and do Jesus’ work,” Sherry says. Through caring church members, God worked in amazing ways.
One miracle was a sponsor who volunteered to pay for her senior year. “God has put so many amazing people of faith into my life,” Lindsey says, such as Associate Pastor Ellen Park, who got her involved in ministry, the anonymous sponsor and her dad.
“My dad has really inspired me to spend time every day in prayer and in the Bible,” she says. “And now that I’m at MBA, I love being up front and sharing Jesus with everybody.”
