For most girls who have had Mrs. Laura Kennedy as a Bible teacher, prayer partners have been an integral part of her classes. These students have exchanged sticky notes with their names, contact information, praises and prayers since the inception of Bible classes in 2017.
“It’s important for students to know that their prayer requests are being heard and lifted in prayer,” said Mrs. Kennedy. “Bible class is certainly a wonderful place to share prayer requests. It seemed that a good solution was using the first few minutes of class to let students pair up with a prayer partner.”
Mrs. Kennedy randomly assigns prayer partners and swaps them after two weeks. During this time, students pray for their partners’ individual needs and praise God for His blessings throughout the week. Partners reconnect on school days for updates and listen to what their classmates are going through. Responses to this activity were mixed at first, but now students can clearly see how God has used it in their lives.
“I was a little cautious at first because my personal problems might have been told to a person that I barely knew,” said sophomore Scarlet Thomas. “In the end, everyone I had was so nice and open to what I wrote down. They always encouraged me.”
Encouragement comes in many forms. From letters to playlists, students jump at the opportunity to bless their classmates. In addition to incorporating prayer into lifestyles, prayer partners have served to unify classes by forming and strengthening relationships.
“One time in eighth grade, [...] Scarlet Thomas and I were put together as prayer partners,” said sophomore Joy Bardin. “That week was the first week we bonded, and we have been best friends ever since.”
Prayer partners also serve as a springboard for other ideas. Junior Jayli Waznik carefully stored her prayer partners’ sticky notes inside her journal or attached them to her mirror. She enjoyed this activity so much that she aspired to pray for others outside of class.
“At one point […] I wanted to post on Instagram and ask people if they had any prayer requests,” said Waznik. “All the prayer requests people typed on my Instagram story, I wrote down on sticky notes and stuck them on furniture in my room.”
Apart from prayer partners, Mrs. Kennedy allows students to share fun facts and “Best Parts of Your Day” in her classes. These different activities serve to unite the class and help classmates learn more about each other. With such ideas, Mrs. Kennedy has become an influential figure in many girls’ lives.
“I have been encouraged by her class because she is relational and helps put what we are talking about in class into things that we are struggling with,” said freshman Sofia Farmer.
“She was the one that really helped me to know God and come to eventually accept Jesus that same year,” said junior Natalie Gunnels. “I really appreciate her and think that God used her so that I would accept Jesus and become a part of His fold.”