El Paso Graduate Doing Big Things!

CORRALES, N.M. – This past spring, the Texico Conference had a mass exercise of graduations. Whether you graduate from kindergarten, eighth grade, high school or college, graduation is always a time to celebrate hard work, effort and success. 

This year, I had the opportunity to attend a special graduation of one of our Texico members from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), Emma Carrillo. 

Carrillo is a member of the El Paso Central Seventh-day Adventist Church and deputy director of their Pathfinder club, the El Paso Central Eagles. She is also the leader of their FWRD Youth program. Carrillo is an outstanding young person who loves Jesus and demonstrates it in all that she does. Post-graduation, Carrillo is transferring to Texas Christian University and has received a full-ride scholarship for her post-graduate studies in criminal justice. 

This summer, Carrillo decided that before she stepped into the world of adulthood and graduate studies, she would serve at the Arizona Conference’s summer camp, Yava Pines, as activities director. There are many other jobs that Carrillo could have accepted with her bachelor's degree fully earned and awarded. However, because she loves Jesus so much, she preferred sacrificing her summer of higher pay and professional status to serve the Lord through summer evangelism in youth ministry.

At her graduation celebration, I was asked to use one word to describe Carrillo, and the one word I used was “wise.” She has often called my wife, Shanna, and me to seek advice and counsel for her next steps in life. We do not consider ourselves the keepers of wisdom, but the times she has called have shown us that Carrillo seeks to follow Jesus more than her own wants and desires. Here in the Texico Youth Department, it is not our goal to boast about one young person. However, it is our purpose to talk about the amazingly talented young people we have in the Texico Conference. We are extremely blessed to have many young people who work hard not just in life, but for the sake of Heaven! If you see Emma or ever have the opportunity to meet her, you will see why she is one of the Texico Conference superstars that will draw many to Heaven and show others Jesus wherever she goes. Let us continue to encourage and pray for all our Texico young people as they do big things for Jesus!

By Eric Chavez

Youth, Young Adults and Club Ministries Director