Leading others to Jesus

Amy Schakat grew up knowing Jesus. When she was just a year old, her parents took her to church for the first time on her birthday.

“I attended a Christian school that believed in the Bible, taught the Bible and when I was just five years old, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior,” Schakat said.

She’s always had love for the Lord. She aspired to be a follower of Christ. Schakat had the opportunity to go to a Christian college and learn more about the word of God. She then moved to Campbellsville two years ago from Ohio. She led Bible studies with a small group of adults but felt called to share the gospel with the younger generation.

“God started working in my heart to share the gospel and the word of God with really young people,” she said

Her calling was to start a business in ministry, but she didn’t know who to call or who wanted to become involved.

“So, I started praying,” Schakat said.

Her son-in-law, Travis Mclntosh, is the director of wrestling operations at Campbellsville University. When Schakat was at a coffee shop with him, she saw some of CU’s women wrestlers.

“Every time I would come visit, I’d see the same two people on campus, no matter where I was. I just kept praying about that,” Schakat said.

She was soon offered to become a character coach for the women’s wrestling team.

“I walked in there one morning with my Bible, and from that point on, I was hooked with these ladies on the wrestling team, and I just love that,” Schakat said.

The Bible led Schakat to a specific verse that spoke to her. Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

“Romans 15:13, that was the verse I shared,” she said.  “Little did I know, three weeks later, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes was going to release their verse for the year, Romans 15:13,” Schakat said.

After taking the time to know the girls personally, she decided to create her own Bible study outside of the wrestling facility for the girls to talk more and stay connected to the word of God.

She knows that she can’t do the Bible studies all by herself, so it’s important for her to ask for the Lord’s help.

“When I give it over to God and say, ‘God, this is your study, these are your ladies, this is your world.’ You know, you fill me with the Holy Spirit, you show me what to say, help me,’” Schakat said.

One of her goals is to have one of the ladies in her Bible study follow in her footsteps.

“My ultimate goal would be that when I’m out of this study comes multiple other studies from all these ladies’ becoming leaders, and leading other people to the Lord,” she said.

Gaby Medeiros, who is a part of Schakat’s Bible study, didn’t have a close relationship with God growing up. But soon after attending Campbellsville University, she felt a calling to follow Him.

She truly started to get to know Christ after a fellow classmate, Josiah Kilman, was murdered and his father spoke at Chapel and forgave his son’s killer. This was a huge part of Medeiros’ testimony.

She decided to accept Jesus in her life during women’s nationals.

“It was undeniable. I gave my life to Christ, right then and there,” Medeiros said.

Schakat influenced her in so many ways in becoming a follower of Christ.

“She is a great role model for us.”  Medeiros said. “I’m thankful for her because she is so eager for us to learn the word.”

Medeiros, following in her footsteps, wanted to have a testimony night at her house so people could share their stories of how God brought them closer to Him.

“Ms. Amy talked to us about planting seeds, and I had an image pop in my head of girls at our house sharing their testimony,” Medeiros said.

Addison Rudolph, another one of Schakat’s Bible study members, hadn’t grown up in the church and always had a bunch of questions.

“I didn’t have the people to surround me to answer those questions,” Rudolph said. “I just didn’t have the right resources.”

Many people in Campbellsville were big in the church community and encouraged Rudolph to come to Christ.

“Everyone was kind and welcoming and I remember my first weekend here at the grocery store a woman invited me to church,” Rudolph said.

In the beginning of her freshman year, Rudolph opened up about her struggles with anxiety and depression, but that only made her stronger in her faith.

“It’s really important to share our testimonies and what we’ve been through and what the Lord can do,” Rudolph said.

She decided to give her life to Christ at a church camp called Converge last year.

“I rededicated my life to Christ, and everyone was so supportive,” Rudolph said.

Rudolph found out that she and Schakat were from the same small town in Ohio but had never known each other.

“When I first met Ms. Amy, I felt super connected to her,” Rudolph said. “And it was really important having a small Bible study group because it felt very intimate and I felt comfortable asking questions because I knew I wouldn’t be judged.”

She is now sharing her testimony, so other people who are going through similar things may be able to find motivation to follow Christ.

“It’s important to share your story with everyone,” Rudolph said, “because no one’s story is gonna be the same but having people you can relate to is important.”