Student, Jesus lover and Truth Speaker, with Elisabeth Friess

In this episode, we hear from Kalispell Montana high school student Elisabeth Friess.  Elisabeth shares about the challenges and opportunities being a student today and offers great advice for both students and teachers alike.  She shares about her prayer life and stories of God opportunities to minister to others while at school.  All of us can learn from her example and stories and be challenged to be truth speakers in today's world, where we can easily let the fear of offending others keep us silent.  

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Welcome back, everybody, the Mission to Mobilize Podcast. I'm Jay, and we have a special guest with us today, our youngest guest yet to date on the podcast, Elizabeth Frees. Elizabeth is a junior in high school here in Calispell in the public schools. And Elizabeth is from a family that has taught her from a young age how to walk with God in a very personal way, a very powerful way. We're excited to hear from Elizabeth today. Elizabeth, welcome to the program.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Thank you, Jay. I'm glad to be here.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Yeah. So, Elizabeth, when you first heard that I wanted you to come on this podcast, what went through your mind?

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Oh, I don't know. I was kind of uh honored, I guess. I glad to have a space to talk and share what they'll always been doing.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

Yeah, I mean, we hear from guests that are in different careers and different, you know, decades of their life. But I think that having someone that's in their teens, that's in the high school system, um, you know, I think it's just really good, not just for other teenagers to hear, but also for those of us that have been out of school a number of years, to hear what life's like for you as you seek to live a life for Jesus in the school system.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

Yeah. So tell me a little bit about your current context, just where you're at in school, some activities you're in. Just tell us about that.

SPEAKER_00 1:37

Yeah, so um I've been pretty involved in music and theater. So generally speaking, um, the arts. And um that's taken up a lot of my time. Um also just studying for upcoming like ACT and other things. Um seeking knowledge is important to me as like a virtue, just understanding the the world that God's put us in. And so I really enjoy school in general. Um so yeah. That's mostly it for activities.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Sure. Would you say that through the activities you're in or the classroom context, you're able to have conversations that you know get into spiritual things at times with other students?

SPEAKER_00 2:30

Yeah, I think activities it's actually easier than class time because especially in like theater, there's a ton of downtime, and so oftentimes um Jesus comes up, even just like quote unquote accidentally, like just cuz, and so all butt into conversations and just be like, hey, I I know about this.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

So yeah, so what do you generally hear from other from other students? I mean, is there curiosity, is there disdain, is there uh, you know, questioning, probably all the above, but what's been your experience?

SPEAKER_00 3:10

Um, it's kind of a mixture of things because there's a lot of uh Christians at the high school I go to. Um there's quite quite a few people of of faith, but there's also quite a few people that are they go to church because their parents go to church, or they don't really have like a grounded understanding of the love of Christ, but you can still like connect on them or connect with them on different levels. Um there's there's just different groups that have it not exactly cliques, but you kind of understand why they're coming from where they're coming from, um, in terms of perspectives on Christ.

SPEAKER_01 3:57

Sure, that that makes sense. Um, you know, you grew up in a Christian home from the time, probably as long as you can live, or as long as you can remember, excuse me. Um, what was it like for you growing up in a Christian home and yet learning to make your faith your own and not just some tradition your parents did?

SPEAKER_00 4:19

Um I think could you could you rephrase that question? Because I understand it, but I'm trying to Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

So what was it like for you growing up in a Christian home? Um, you know, when you you talk about a lot of your peers having you know a Christian background, but it's maybe just kind of a um a religious box they check, so to speak. What is it what has it been like for you uh to grow up in a religious home, but yet your faith is your own? It isn't just uh a product of your family.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

Yeah. Um I think it's mostly about the choice that someone makes in order to cultivate their relationship with the Lord. Because I remember for uh the first, I don't know, eight years of my life, I went in and out of like understanding the love of Christ and like pursuing like hearing the voice of God for myself or just finding like myself bored in worship meetings or whatever. And it's just like the choice to pursue a relationship with the Lord um because of the relationship with the Lord and not just out of routine. But yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:35

No, that's that's good. What would you say your something that you remember your parents did uh that was effective at helping you to have your own walk with God as opposed to just doing the good religious things? There's probably many things, but you can name something.

SPEAKER_00 5:53

Uh we've done like exercises before where we've just like sat and asked the Lord for a picture for our family, uh, or just in general, like if we had nightmares or whatever, we'd just pray to the Lord, and the Lord was all always our first um line of defense and everything. And that's also just understanding spiritual warfare because there's quite a few families that don't understand spiritual warfare on like any level or on like a very minimal level. And so we've always been very active on in terms of the spiritual realm um in our conversations and just prayers.

SPEAKER_01 6:36

Oh, that's that's really good because I think like when you're invited, you know, to sit there and listen for a picture and you're brought into that process, you know, where where each of you and the family is valued uh from what you're sharing. And I know enough about your family context to know that your parents have that value, um and that's what you're sharing. I think that's really good because oftentimes um the parents are seen as the ones that are the spiritual ones, and the kids just kind of follow along. Um, and uh I'm guessing that would probably be some of the experiences of your peers in school. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So have you been able to share a little bit of your kind of your family culture, extend that out to some of your peers in school, of what that looks like for you?

SPEAKER_00 7:26

Um, just in terms of what I I was talking about before. Yeah. Or yeah. Um I think I've tried to mentor people in that area because hearing the voice of the Lord comes, I've seen kind of naturally to some people, um, and so they understand the concept easier than others. Uh but yeah, I've just tried to cultivate like pursue the relationship with the Lord for yourself and not just following um tradition or your parents' um faith, but is it your faith and what is the Lord um speaking to your heart and understanding how to separate between like your thoughts and the Lord's thoughts too?

SPEAKER_01 8:16

What does that look like for you in your journey with that of hearing God's voice? Um, you know, you can probably remember when you were first trying to do it, um, trying to hear his voice and where you're at now. Was there like maybe some key moments or key things that have really been helpful for you and in learning that discernment process?

SPEAKER_00 8:38

I think when I was young, this wasn't taught to me, but I kind of had an over-spiritual idea of what hearing the Lord's voice looked like. And so I kind of doubted if I was hearing from the Lord or not. So I thought that somehow, like when people get these prophetic words, it's somehow really distinguished from your your general thought flow. Um, and I remember one of the first times I realized that it's more along the lines of like in in your imagination or along your thought lines that got kind of interrupts was when I was I was in a youth group and I it was it was something silly like having to do with someone having like a wild heart or something or seeing like a tiger, and someone else in the room heard that exact same word. And I was like, oh, that's interesting, because that never would have happened coincidentally, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

Yeah, I mean the Holy Spirit is so creative on how he interrupts our life and how he how he brings things to us, and so you know it's it's almost like the best way to learn this stuff is to just experience it. It's hard to just teach someone academically, right?

SPEAKER_00 9:51

Yeah, because I I tried reading books on it and I didn't understand it really. And the only reason that it clicked was when I realized that it can like God can speak through your thoughts and not just through like audible voice or some I mean he can, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:12

Understand. Yeah, what would you say right now in your life is something God's teaching you?

SPEAKER_00 10:20

Um, I think peace and love for people, just having a sensitive heart, because there's a lot of desensitized people. Um especially at at school, you see a lot of judgment and a lot of um just fear in terms of um the future or just not understanding things from a biblical perspective. And it's kind of hard because I see things in black and white a lot of times. So if people are making decisions that are hurting other people or um they're they don't have a clear set standard of what's right and wrong in terms of things that they're doing or saying.

SPEAKER_01 11:08

Yeah, that makes sense. As far as prayer goes for you, Elizabeth, I mean, I I imagine being in a school setting and you know, hearing all kinds of different ideas that are being taught, both from the front of the classroom as well as the conversations you're hearing all day, is really a call for you to pray. Is that true?

SPEAKER_00 11:30

Um yeah, I I pray throughout the day. Um sometimes I feel checks about certain things and I'm not sure why I do. Or I will I'll just pray when I come up against something that I know is not of the Lord. Um but yeah, sometimes I'll pray in tongues under my breath or uh yeah, during school.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

So do you ever have any stories of somebody that kind of was like almost like caught you praying or anything?

SPEAKER_00 12:02

Actually, not yet. I'm worried about it because sometimes I'll pray in tongues and I'll be looking around like, are you like watching me? Uh I don't think anyone has noticed yet. So I think someone, the only things that have happened is people have been like, oh, I saw you praying because I was like bowed head or something. But yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:23

And for our listeners that are not familiar as much with tongues and praying in tongues, you know, there's a lot of stuff out there. Just tell us what that looks like for you when you're saying praying in tongues. What does that mean?

SPEAKER_00 12:36

Um so my parents prayed in tongues, and when I was young, I didn't I didn't have the gift of tongues until we were actually in Browning at a I forget what it was. It was like a a worship meeting. Um and so I I understood what it sounded like, but um, it's kind of like you're you're speaking with your mouth, but you're praying what the your spirit is saying to the Lord instead of just in English where we're limited to our understanding. So yeah. And it's not like completely involuntary, it can be, but you do have to like um go with with the spirit as you speak.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

That's really beautifully put, Elizabeth. I think you explained that really well. That private prayer language of praying in the spirit that can sound a little like mumbo jumbo to the average person, but is is very powerful for those of us that have experienced that before. Uh this is maybe a bit of a personal question, but if if you think about your your school right now, what's like a prayer burden that you have today?

SPEAKER_00 13:53

Hmm. Um I think there's there's a lot of um student-to-student and student-to-teacher like slander. Um even today, people just like practically bullying other students through like judgments and stuff. And so I'm I'm just praying that the Lord gives um believers grace to handle it, but also um softens the heart of especially the youth because a lot of them are desensitized and tend to um process through humor to disarm situations and it's it hurts other people, or they just slander because it's the easy thing to do. Um, and I've seen that a lot. So I think I think my prayers generally just that people's hearts would be softened.

SPEAKER_01 14:53

So yeah, you know, I know this is kind of going off script, but I'm wondering if you would just say a prayer right now for that very thing. Um, and you can just even you can pray that for your high school, but even just for high schools in general, because others are going to hear this, and I'm sure what you're experiencing at your high school is is in other places as well.

SPEAKER_00 15:12

Yeah. So, Lord, I just pray for um my high school, but also for anyone who's listening that wants to grab onto the blessing, that you would just soften the hearts of the youth that um they would learn how to speak words from your mouth instead of from fear or from slander. Uh so yeah, and I just pray that you would give believers the grace to handle it as well.

SPEAKER_01 15:45

Amen. Thank you. Thank you for praying that. I I could just feel that kind of that need that we could go there and and uh you were already kind of doing it through your explanation, but it's just good to put that in the form of a prayer. Wonderful. I want you to just think about what God is doing right now in your high school, you know, ways you've seen God move that you could share. And I I know sometimes you know we can't we can't share every sick everything that we've seen, but maybe something that you can share uh that comes to mind when I ask that question.

SPEAKER_00 16:19

Yeah, um I think there's a lot of um Christian teachers I've been able to fellowship with quite a few teachers of different denominations, and uh it's really been helpful, I think, because even if you don't agree with them completely theologically, um you can still find like we're we're in the war zone together, and so it's that's what I've found too. Um, because it's it's been an anti-God establishment, like education has been aggressively pushing back against God, and so it's nice to find teachers that are believing in the same God, and yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:01

Yeah, that's really good. What advice would you give teachers in public schools that might be listening to this podcast that are Christians? Um, I know you know they're they're limited to some degree of how they can't just bring up God right out of the blue. But yeah, I'm just curious from your perspective, because I know your your dad, who's one of our board members, is also a teacher in the public school. I'm just curious between conversations maybe you've had with him, as well as just what you've observed in other Christian teachers, uh this is like a student's advice to teachers who are Christians in the public schools. What would it be?

SPEAKER_00 17:42

Um from what I've seen, um just showing love and respect to students and putting putting um what what's that saying? Like pre preach the gospel and use words if necessary. So just showing love to people and then somehow incorporating the name of Jesus in there so that they understand that um where it's coming from, that it's not just the universe or whatever, it's actually Jesus. Which I've seen I've seen some teachers do, they'll they'll sneak in little references to Christ, but sometimes they have to be careful because they could get in trouble. But if a student asks, then they can basically say anything that they need to say.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

So well, you realize as a student you have a lot more freedom than what the faculty have to be able to do that, right? Yeah, yeah. Tell us if uh as you were hearing that, like are there some examples you've had where you've been able to uh pray for other students or give words or witness? Do you have some stories like that?

SPEAKER_00 18:59

Yeah, um I have a few off the top of my head, which I had like three actually. Sure.

SPEAKER_01 19:07

That's great.

SPEAKER_00 19:08

So when I when I first entered high school, um I was able to witness to and lead one of my close friends to the Lord. Um and so that was a process, um, just showing love to her because she was confused about uh like who who she was, like identity-wise, and just showing her like the love of Christ. Uh so I was able to baptize her too. Wow, yeah, yeah. So that was freshman year, uh sophomore year. There was a girl that I was um not like enemies with, but we were kind of just she was kind of hostile towards me because I sang Reckless Love for the choir uh karaoke, and she was like, she said something like, This is a public high school, like why are you singing marsh music in a public high school? And I was like, anyway, so yeah, we were able to show show love to her family because she went through like some severe loss, and um so yeah, this year I was able to connect with her, which was nice, um and just show love to her, and she knew I was a Christian. She gave me she actually gave me a bracelet with a cross on it, which I found really sweet because even if she's like not like she claims to be an atheist, the fact that she would give me a bracelet with a cross on it was really sweet, I felt like um also this year, um there was another uh when I was in one of the plays, we had a we had a lot of downtime, and there was one of the people that played one of my co-rolles, and we were talking, I forget how we got on this, I think we're we were talking politics, and then it switched suddenly to Jesus. Um and he's he said something like I'm I'm an agnostic, and I said, Well, why? Because you know that there's a God, but why can't it be Jesus? And he was like, Well, that's a good question, and so I just outlined like scripture and what what scripture says about I I think we were talking about uh like gender identity and like how the Lord's shows love to people, um, but he's still there's still an objective truth to this, and so like I'd I'd heard I think it was Sean Foyer, someone said something like he'd he'd go down to sit with the drag queens and prostitutes, but he's not gonna leave them there, he's not gonna leave them in that place and So that's what I told him is sometimes love is doing the hard thing. It's not just um doing what culture says is fine. And he claimed he clear I asked him what his political leaning was, he said he was communist. So I that was interesting. Um but he said what really um changed him was seeing the Christian response to the Charlie Kirk assassination because he was very, very far left before. And so he was um after seeing that, he said he felt the the presence of God in a way he hadn't since he was very little because he had apparently backslidden. Um so when he saw that response, he said it it kind of shook him. Um so later he he told one of my friends and then later told me that one one night he had like turmoil, like he could not sleep, and his mind was just running, and he just called out the name of Jesus and it just like stopped. And I was like, Yeah, that's the Lord. So I just the next day, that was like the next day I talked to him and I prayed for the Holy Spirit to fill him. And we were it was really funny. We were in the middle of we're it we were in the middle of scenes, like in between scenes, because we're in scenes together, but we had like just enough time to like have this whole conversation. I have no idea how we did, I think it was just the Lord timing things, but we just prayed and he said he felt like the Holy Spirit like film. He really felt it. I felt the chills too, and he said he just felt like his whole body get like supernaturally hot. He was like, What is that? I was like, that's cool, and so that's what happened. He he's starting a starting uh TP USA at our school now, he's not a communist anymore, so yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:05

Wow, that's what a transformation, and that's so amazing you got to be part of that, you know, just by you know, you're hearing the stuff he's sharing and you're just asking him about his beliefs, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, as you're sharing that, I was just thinking, you know, like, and this is probably a little bit different for everybody, but you know, we we don't know when these kind of moments are gonna come in our day. It's not like you, you know, had some foreknowledge that you know exactly this moment, this is gonna happen. We generally don't have that. And so uh unless God somehow specifically warns us, right? But uh or prepares us. But but I think that like if you go back to those moments where with this gal that you're able to baptize, with this this guy who used to be an agnostic that you were just sharing about, um, and you you get into those conversations, tell me about like what what are you feeling? What are you in those moments? Are you nervous? Are you fumbling for your words? You know, do you feel this like just kind of clarity and closeness to the Lord? What's that like in those moments?

SPEAKER_00 25:15

I think it sometimes depends on the person, but generally speaking, when I get into this um mode of like witnessing to someone, I just feel the Holy Spirit bring clarity, especially like in in regards to either logical arguments or in in regards to just the Holy Spirit's wisdom as well, because I think you can have like logical discourse with someone as well as wisdom from the Holy Spirit, absolutely, and yeah, I think my parents have just trained me a lot on the truth as well, which helps. So I'm not just unknowledgeable about these issues and trying to, I don't know, fake it.

SPEAKER_01 26:00

Yeah, so as you I'm gonna ask you to get to give advice again. You've already given it to teachers, but now I want you to give it to students. If you, if there's a student listening to this right now, high school, college, doesn't matter, um, what advice would you give them as far as how they can be um just prepared for these moments to have spiritual conversations or to engage in ministry with people uh in the context of school?

SPEAKER_00 26:31

I think it depends on the situation because in some situations I've just been there as like a friend to someone and showing love to someone. And other times someone's personality lends itself towards it's okay here to have um debate and understand like there there is an objective truth to things, and I'm going to speak the truth because it's the truth, not because it's the easy thing to say. Like I'm not gonna avoid confrontation because someone might get offended at the truth. Um for certain people though, it's it's a very emotional issue, and so it's hard to reach them if they're already putting up uh walls. So you can kind of tell based on the interaction whether someone is going to uh receive what you're trying to say, or if they're um already like unconvinced in their own mind of anything.

SPEAKER_01 27:27

So you would say with those students that are maybe a bit harder in the heart toward these type of issues, it just it takes more long-term relationship and just sensitivity to them.

SPEAKER_00 27:40

Yeah, I think it's Holy Spirit could um because even if even if they're harder, it could be the Holy Spirit is uh highlighting uh something that you can bring to their mind that would change their mind. It's just it depends on the person in the situation because you can't apply what I did with him to every person because not everyone's gonna think of it logically or be receptive to the Holy Spirit in that way.

SPEAKER_01 28:08

No, absolutely. No, that's really good, Elizabeth. Have you had an opportunity even uh to encourage fellow Christians in the high school, like other students, uh even through your stories or or just uh, you know, I don't know, like kind of to minister to them to be to be bold and unapologetic for their faith?

SPEAKER_00 28:28

Yeah, I uh I run a Christian club that meets on Mondays and Fridays. So I've tried to kind of kind of be in like a friend relationship, but also slightly a mentor relationship with people and just understanding like it's okay to have these conversations with people because I feel like my generation especially avoids confrontation for some reason in a lot of areas, um, which is not something that I hold as a value, but it's something that I've kind of had to push back against. It's just a fear of man and fear of confrontation. Um, so I kind of just question that mentality if it comes up among peers. Because they've been taught for so long that it's a normal thing to kind of just go with whatever's presented. And if you have your own uh values, you should probably keep that quiet to avoid confrontation.

SPEAKER_01 29:28

So yeah, so you may have already said this, but you know what would you say then to this student who who kind of says, Well, I go to church, I have my beliefs, everybody has their beliefs, but I don't say anything. If that's what they would say to you, say this as a uh a conversation you're having during theater practice when you've got some time. What how would you respond to that?

SPEAKER_00 29:52

Um, I would I would say we're the keepers of truth, and why would you hide your um light under a bushel? Like if you're out here in the war zone and you're not speaking it out, then someone else is gonna fill that void with something else. If you're not the one speaking the truth, then some other false like quote-unquote truth is gonna fill whatever conversation that is. So if you feel led to speak out and you don't, it could cause um maybe God will just move through someone else in that moment. But yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:34

That's good. I think there are I think there are a lot of moments that are missed because of that fear that you mentioned. And uh um in a minute or so, I'm gonna have you you pray again for the students out there, and then we'll go into a time of just listening to the Lord. But before we do that, I just want to open it up. Is there anything else you just want to say? Another story you want to share, something that just something else that's on your heart to share our listeners of this podcast.

SPEAKER_00 31:02

Um I think I just uh have a heart for people to understand what's right and wrong in society, especially because I've seen some people kind of get like in taking a middle ground to issues as well. It's a it's the same fear of just like, oh, well, that's just political or something in regards to issues like abortion or like um whether whether certain things are right or wrong. And I think people need to understand that there is truth and what that means and when to speak it.

SPEAKER_01 31:44

Yeah. I what I want you to do now, Elizabeth, is I'd love for you to just pray for our podcast listeners out there and specifically the young students, but it could be for anyone. Um, and uh yeah, to just just pray for that boldness to to not be lukewarm but just black and white and anything else God puts in your heart to pray.

SPEAKER_00 32:06

Yeah, so Lord, I just pray that you would um highlight your will to uh the listeners and that you would help them to understand what your will is in every situation, so that they're not moved by a fear of man or a fear of confrontation, but that they would understand within you, um, they'd be resolved to understand the truth in every situation, um, whether that's going against the current or not. And yeah. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 32:42

Yeah, Lord, I just want to pray a blessing over Elizabeth now, even as she has uh just been a faithful witness, uh a passionate pursuer of truth, uh, just dedicated to both her academic work as well as extracurriculars committed to her family, her community. I just pray that you bless her now, Lord. Pray that you'd fill her afresh with your Holy Spirit. I pray that you continue to open up doors for her and others in her high school to bear witness to the name of Jesus, both in deeds and in words. And through the power, the demonstration of the Spirit's power, even as this young agnostic guy experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit, experienced your tangible presence, Lord. I pray for more of that. Um and uh Lord, even for our listeners now, as they're hearing all this and they're thinking about uh their own student experience, as they're thinking about uh possibly their children or their grandchildren that are students, Lord. What are you saying to us right now as we think about uh the mission field of the schools? Would you speak to our hearts, oh God, Father? We just thank you that you have such a heart for Gen Z and Jen Alpha, Lord, these younger generations to rise up, to know you, and to be bold for their faith. Lord, help each of us that are listening to this podcast to know our part in supporting these generations and encouraging them and learning from them, Lord. They have much to teach us, even as we have much to teach them. So, Lord, help us to work together to see your kingdom advanced, to see more and more people raised up to live their lives for you and advance your kingdom. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 35:56

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 35:57

Well, thank you, Elizabeth, for being on the podcast today. It went by quickly as it always does.

SPEAKER_00 36:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:05

And uh we'll talk to you next time.

SPEAKER_00 36:08

Thank you, Jay.

SPEAKER_01 36:09

You met.comslash partner.