Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, having stood the test.
That person shall receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
James 1:18
First and foremost, we are grateful for this blessed time. We are so thankful for the last 18 years and for the experiences that have molded us into who we are today. We are grateful Luke has continued to persevere and take the moral high road, held true to his character, found that commitment and brotherhood is more important to him than his own personal gain, goals and aspirations. We are grateful for every person who has played a role in his life. We had trying times over the years and we have not forgotten those who helped us through - family, close friends, neighbors, teachers, coaches, coworkers, baby sitters, daycare workers, if you are reading this, you are one of them and we have not forgotten. It takes a village and for you we are forever grateful.
High School Academics
Luke is finishing out high school with a 4.0 this semester and an overall 3.2 grade pointaverage. As a freshman, he chose to study a college pathway of business and marketing.
Sports
Always an athlete, Luke played baseball and soccer but then discovered football at about age 8. He played through middle school and all 4 years of high school, as well as off season 7v7 and ran one year of track. He now likes to hit the golf ball as much as he can.
Future Plans
Luke has been passionate
about his plans to attend Southeastern Lineman Training School in Trenton, Georgia. He is enrolled to begin in August and finish the program in December when he will go on to an apprenticeship to train to be an electrical journeyman.
Work Hard, Play Hard
Luke's kindergarten teacher once said, "Well, he doesn't love his schoolwork but he really loves his friends and likes his recess so much that he will do whatever it takes to get to both of them."
Then his swim teacher once said, "This one right here, you'll have to watch him because he can just smile and that charm can get him anything he wants. He is capable of everything so long as he stays motivated."
Both of these statements I believe have held true over the years.
His friend group has continued to grow and his loyalty runs deep. He's trustworthy and he expects the same. Relationships are important and having key people in his life who believe in him is motivation. He still loves a good recess and while he's not quite as smiley as he used to be, his kind, calm demeanor has still helped him along the way.
Finding value and purpose wrapped in hard work and saving toward a goal is very important to us. Luke started working at the carwash year-round at age 15 while going to school, playing regular season football, ran track one season and played 7v7 in the off season. He took a couple of months off work to finish out senior year football season while helping with the venue during the busy wedding season. After football ended, he then picked up a fun job at a western wear store where he has put together quite a nice boot collection. :-) He is taking a couple of weeks off before graduation but then starts a full time summer job with Nissan and will help with mowing jobs and pressure washing to save up until he starts school in Georgia.
Obviously with his choice of profession, he loves the outdoors. He plans to squeeze in some fishing, hunting, golfing and lake time when he can! Luke has been active in his church youth group all throughout and currently attends New Vision Baptist Church and Cherry Grove Missionary Baptist Church.
