God has blessed me with exceptional ministry mentors over the years. One of the greatest privileges of my life was to be involved with the ministry of Mary Jo Randall (a.k.a. “Momma Jo”). Momma Jo was my campus minister during my first two years of College.
Jo served for twenty years as a missionary in Japan. She eventually moved back to the States and served as a campus minister. I was in the Baptist Campus Ministries during her final two years of ministry (before retirement) at Jefferson State Community College. I consider it an extreme privilege to be one of the last of the “Jo Randall disciples.”
Jo saw leadership potential in me—she saw beyond my shy, reserved nature. She is one of the reasons that I am so passionate about college ministry. I jokingly told her that it is her “fault” that I’m still in student ministry, since she kept doing it until age 65.
Jo was in town this past weekend to visit me and other former students. I can’t describe how happy I was to see her and spend time with her. She will soon celebrate her 80th birthday, yet she is still vibrant with enthusiasm for Jesus.
I have a sermon that I preach entitled “Abraham’s Call.” There’s a line in my sermon that goes something like this: “All of us are here (in church) because someone answered God’s call. You know Jesus because someone answered God’s call and introduced you to him.”
Thanks, Momma Jo, for answering God’s call.
(For your amusement, I’ve added a picture from Jo’s birthday party during my college days. Some of you don’t believe that I used to have a lot of hair).
Update (June 5th, 2016)
I just received some sad news today: Jo Randall passed away earlier this afternoon.
Mare Cris and I tried to visit her as regularly as we could since 2013 (when we moved here from the Philippines). I’m very thankful that she was able to met my wife in person and get to know her. We always ended our visits with prayer.
We’ll miss you, Momma Jo. See you on the other side.
PS: You can read more about Jo Randall’s life and legacy on the Judson College website.
hahaha!! i like the picture of 15 years ago. its adorable and innocent and u stil had hair hekhek. ur baptist pala? sorry i thought u were catholic but okay its nice to have non-catholic friends ^_^ they might prove to be better hehe than some catholics. waaaaaaaaaaah!! greet momma jo a good day for me! wish she’d been my teach too
thanks for reading, Harold. blessings!
wow!!! that’s awesome! i hope i’ll be a campus misiter like her & have students that will also continue the work…. Thanks for sharing…
wow, she remains strong and faithful.
Ang galing!
Reminds me of my highschool Interschool Christian Fellowship, ISCF ate. She is already a grandma. I was already a christian then but her dedication and commitment still linger. When I get tired in life, memories of people like her keep me up and going. Its the Jesus in her. Godbless your momma Jo 🙂
Wow, u look so young in this picture kev…like you without hair though.
She served til 65, that’s just inspiring! Shows just how important teachers are. God sure uses them.