Before I was a Family Teacher at CRA, I was a youth director at a small church in Ohio. I love teenagers and love helping them discover who Jesus is and the relationship He wants with them. However, while I was working at the church, God started to stir within me a desire for more life-on-life ministry; something more than an hour and a half for youth group once a week. This is when God opened the door for Compass Rose Academy, and I am so grateful to serve here. 

When I tell people about my job at CRA, I often get similar responses:

“It sounds kind of crazy.”
“That sounds exhausting.”
“What a challenging but rewarding job.” 

These are all accurate. So why do I do what I do? I do it because God called me here, and I want to be obedient to that. I do it because Jesus modeled incarnational ministry. John 1:14 says, “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” Jesus entered our world and made it possible to have a relationship with the Father. Living life with these girls at Compass Rose is just a small way to partner with what God is already doing and share His love and truth with them through daily interactions. I am reminded of Paul, Silas and Timothy’s words in 1 Thessalonians 2:8, which says, “We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.” It is a privilege to share not only the truth of the gospel, but the ups and downs of everyday life as well. 

And on the hard days, I cling to the truth found in Lamentations 3:21-23:

“Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:
The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
His mercies begin afresh each morning.”

God’s mercies are new every morning with me, and so I chose to start each day fresh with the girls at Compass Rose. It does not matter what happened the day before, because I try to come in with a fresh perspective and outlook for today, just like God does with me. It is my prayer that over time the girls at CRA will come to know how much God loves them, and that’s why I do what I do.


-Callie Willoughby, CRA Family Teacher