Johanna Mindo

Campbell High School

Hello, my name is Johanna Mindo and I used to be a closet Christian.  One lunch a friend introduced me to HYPE, the YFC club on my campus.  Club was fun, entertaining and inspiring.  Best part of all, I COULD BRING MY FRIENDS.  I now had no excuse to be a closet Christian.

Fast forward all the drama, boyfriends and parties.  Graduation came around and I knew I wouldn’t be happy unless my future involved God.  I had a hint that I wanted to be a missionary but I wasn’t too sure.  Since I had no plans I decided to join the military, but that plan didn’t go through.  I was then going to join YWAM (youth with a mission) but I guess my parents didn’t want me to.  By then I was too late to register for college and I really did feel like a bum.  No friends, no car, no job.  I felt useless.

Then one day Dan Ko calls me up, asks if I wanted to intern for YFC.  SURE!  Bam, God landed me a job.  2 weeks later a previous pastor of mine calls and asks if I needed a job.  I then get a job in a Korean church in town as a youth leader.  It’s almost been a year since I got these jobs and for almost a year now I have been completely, absolutely, 100% dependent on God financially.  He has given me jobs that only involve him, which is exactly what I knew I wanted.  And I AM a missionary.  My mission is with these kids.

I am the way I am because of these 3 tools that God has molded me through: Youth nights, Centrifuge and HYPE.  Youth nights were great and deep and I learned to express my faith fearlessly, but behind closed doors of the church.  Centrifuge is life changing and inspirational beyond belief but it only lasts 5 days during the summer.  HYPE is consistent, a constant 2 days a week dedication to God in a place FULL of darkness.  HYPE was where the closet Christian couldn’t hide.  I could have been going to youth nights and centrifuge all my life but never known the courage that HYPE has taught me.  I could have been a Christian in the church but never one outside of church and HYPE brings me without excuse to witness.  I try to imagine my life without HYPE and I don’t see anything more positive than my life today.   HYPE is not only for the non believers but for the believer to step out in faith like the bible calls us to.  Without it, I would have been a useless Christian, a pew warmer, a closet Christian.  I think campus ministry needs to be on every campus, so that Christians can step up and out of the shadows and bring their friends along with them.