Dear Hill Country Families,

Shortly after I arrived at Hill Country in the summer of 2022, one of my first Executive Team meetings included a proposal from Rob and Kristi Billingsley. Drawing on student and parent feedback, along with their own passion for missions, the Billingsleys shared a vision for a dedicated week in our school calendar when students would engage in service–locally, across the country, and internationally–seeking to embody the hands and feet of Jesus wherever they were sent.

We knew that setting aside a full week of instruction would be a meaningful sacrifice. At the same time, given our mission and our commitment to the formation of the whole person, we believed it was a sacrifice worth making. Our first Go Week pilot took place in spring 2023, when 33 high school students gave up their spring break to serve in the Dominican Republic. It has been a genuine joy to watch that first seed grow into what Go Week has become for our students in grades 6-12 over the past three years.

In Simply Christian, N.T. Wright reminds us that the church does not exist to serve private spiritual interests or to help us withdraw from the world while waiting for heaven. Rather, he suggests that the “church exists… for what we sometimes call ‘mission’: to announce to the world that Jesus is its Lord. This is the ‘good news,’ and when it’s announced it transforms people and societies.”

As a ministry of Hill Country Bible Church and a Christian school, we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with organizations that are doing meaningful work in transforming their communities. Through Go Week, our students respond to God’s call to serve others, whether here in Austin or in places like Greece, Missouri, New Mexico, or the Dominican Republic. One of our partners, Mission of Hope, seeks to bring whole-life transformation to every man, woman, and child on the island of Hispaniola by sharing the gospel and addressing physical and educational needs. I have had the privilege of serving as a chaperone and trip leader in the Dominican Republic for the past three years, and I am thankful for the ways God has used these experiences to shape and bless our students and the communities they serve.

Reflecting on Go Week, a couple of truths stand out.

1. Serving is weighty but worth it. Speaking on behalf of my time in the DR, there are moments while serving that feel like pure, unbridled joy. Singing VBS-style songs, performing Bible stories in skit form, and playing games with hundreds of schoolchildren can be such an occasion! There are also moments that carry real heaviness: listening to stories of hardship, praying with individuals in difficult circumstances, and leaving without knowing what comes next. Both are part of the experience. Regardless of how we feel in those moments, we are responding to Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:40: “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.” We may not always see the fruit of our efforts, but we trust and know that God is at work and that He will see it through.
   
2. Go Week is really about this week. (And the next week, and the next…) During our latest chapel on Monday, Hill Country alumni parent T.J. Gilliam reminded us of this truth in a compelling and convicting way, furthering our semester-long study on the book of James in the process. James passionately encourages his audience to embrace a faith lived out loud. Citing James 2:18, T.J. reminded us of James’ challenge: “But someone may well say, ‘You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’” While we are saved by grace through faith, this passage calls us to a faith that is evident in the way we live. Go Week is not an isolated event or a task to complete; it is one expression of a life shaped by following Jesus and serving others.

Thank you for supporting your students in this work and for cultivating homes where service is valued as a way of life.

With humility and gratitude,

Jacob Lindsey, High School Principal