Running the Race to Deliver God’s Word

Big steps can start in the smallest places, and there are few places smaller than Gail, Texas.

Population 173, Gail is the seat of Borden County and its only town. Its lone school, Borden County ISD, serves 245 students from throughout the county as well as another nearby. It’s almost impossible for people to not know who you are as well as what you stand for.

When she was a freshman, Haven Hill and two friends began a weekly lunchtime Bible study led by her mother, Keitha. It blossomed to where half of the girls in the school attended. As those numbers grew, so did the desire to do something for their community.

The group didn’t have a specific leader, though several like Hill have emerged for that role at times. Other leaders such as Callie Edwards and Kenzie White also stepped up. Edwards graduated last year and is now up the highway at Texas Tech in Lubbock. White is a senior this year, alongside Hill.

“This group has been special for us, and we wanted it to benefit others,” Hill said.

That benefit came through making a copy of the Word of God available for anyone who wanted it. The group raised over $900 to purchase 920 Bibles, with 250 of them distributed in October 2023 during FCA’s Fields of Faith in Snyder, Texas.

“We’ve also given some away at See You at the Pole and around school,” said Hill. Bibles have also been given to homeless people the group has encountered.

They raised funds through social media as well as posters around school. Word of mouth, of course, was also instrumental.

“A lot of people helped out and gave to make this happen,” said Hill. “We’re still working on ideas to distribute the rest. Several of us have put a bunch in our cars so we can have one ready to hand out.

Hill added, “Growing up in a Christian home, I know I’ve had a lot of opportunities others haven’t. Many people don’t know about Jesus.”

Hill spent a month last summer living and learning with missionaries in Hawaii. Experiences like that and the willingness to challenge herself have led her to grow closer to Christ through Bible reading, meditation, and prayer, noted her youth pastor, Josh Green, of Colonial Hill Baptist Church in Snyder.

“She desires for other students to experience that same thing,” Green said. “She carried those experiences into the school year and, in December, taught a lesson to our youth ministry about it and her growth through Bible reading.”

Hill competes in track, cross country, tennis and cheer. For a school of Borden County ISD’s size, many of the same students participate across sports. It leads to situations where if the community needs something, the person to step forward and help is often the person in the mirror.

“The other girls and I understood that there are people who haven’t had others tell them about Jesus,” said Hill. “We want others to be led to Christ, and we’re called to disciple the nations. We want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to lead others to Jesus.”