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Enduring hardship [Jairus's story]

Enduring hardship [Jairus's story]

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In Part 2 of his story, Joel and Braden explore with Jairus what it means to be consistently Christian in a world that doesn't always understand.

Jairus doesn't shy away from the hard stuff. He talks about his family's story—his parents' long struggle to have children, the miracle of his birth, and how people he now meets in Adelaide still tell him they prayed for him before he was born. He shares how traveling to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and India as a young kid exposed him to real suffering and gave him perspective that keeps him grounded when peers at school "carry on like clowns" without realising how blessed they are.

The conversation explores what it's like when your mates already know not to invite you out on Saturday nights because you'll be at church and late night youth. Jairus explains why he never changes how he acts around non-Christian friends, why living consistently matters more than immediate conversions, and how standing out as different—"What are you doing Saturday? I'm going to church"—plants seeds that might grow 20 years later.

We also hear about youth leading, building relationships with Year 10 boys who don't come to church but show up every Friday, and the reward of seeing two of them start coming to church. Jairus shares about running at national championships in Adelaide with his grandfather watching, who FaceTimed him every day and he struggled through lockdown and then witnessed God's work culminating in baptism and representing NSW. And he reflects on the Easter Sunday when he baptized his brother Zach in the river, a moment that became a core memory.

Jairus's simple affirmation through chaos? "Life sucks, but God's got me."

This is Part 2 of Jairus' story. Listen to Part 1 for Jairus's journey through lockdown, discovering running as meditation, and how discipline carried him through the HSC.

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