“I have nothing to give you other than myself…”
Deza’rae Fernandez (Alumni), Kids
with Gabriella De Jesus
OSL Kids Internship alumna, Deza’rae Fernandez, was able to sit down with me and talk about how her life before, and during, OSL helped grow her into the leader she desired to be.
Tell me about your family life growing up?
I grew up in the middle of the ocean. I grew up on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. I lived in a small town on a sugar plantation camp with my mom, grandparents, and three brothers. Growing up with a single mom, she was always working. We had to move a lot growing up. Even though it was on a small island, it was still pretty challenging. There wasn’t really a huge foundation for anything.
Were there any major impactful moments that affected your life at that time?
When I was in high school, I got invited to go to church. It was through that that I started knowing who Jesus is and what the church was. Even before that, I could see the Lord tugging me towards Him. I heard about Him through church outreaches in our low-income housing areas. Even at those outreaches, I never really understood what they were telling us about Jesus. It wasn’t until my friend invited me to church that I understood. That was basically how I found out about the church. I feel like a product of the local church. As soon as I graduated from high school, I stayed on the island for an additional two-three years.
During this time in your life, did you have a mentor? How did they help you?
There was one woman in the church, Aunty Angela, who always encouraged me. She was the one that kept bringing me back to church and began discipling me. Through her, I got really involved in the children’s ministry.
How did you come to Christ?
I had been coming to church consecutively for a few weeks. I had never been brave enough to stand up and raise my hand for the salvation prayer. I heard the salvation prayer over and over during those services. During an offering time, there was a huge giving campaign that was like All In here at Oaks Church. Coming from a really poor family, I knew I had no income or anything to give. I told the Lord, “I have nothing to give you other than myself.” It was then that I said the prayer and gave my life to Christ. From then on, I continued to tell the Lord that I wanted to be used and completely transformed by Him.
Was there a specific moment that you can remember where you realized the call God has on your life?
I was cleaning out the children’s church and organizing the closet. I found this book about revival and the need for the local church to stand up. I think when I was reading that chapter, I got lost in it and I heard the Holy Spirit ask me if I would serve Him in ministry. I told Him that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.
Can you tell me about any struggles you had with your calling during that period?
I think my struggles came from trying to figure out what my calling would look like on a day to day basis. I was trying to figure out how I could be used in the church. What would it look like if I was to be serving the Lord with my whole life? The struggle was with clarity. There was no clear definition or job description that came with my calling.
How did your story bring you to OSL?
I was living three thousand miles away and I hadn’t even heard anything about Oaks Church or OSL. All I knew about Texas was that there was a Bible school here. I came across SAGU from one of the missionaries that had come to our church. I came to Texas for a visit a few months before school started and during the tour, they pointed to Collins Hall. They explained that the OSL students lived in that building. They spoke about the program shortly. All they said was that you could get internships through the program, as well as getting credits for it and being involved and Oaks Church. That was the only time I heard about the Oaks, but I knew I wanted to work hands-on at a church. I remember that day transferring over to the OSL program. The first time I stepped onto the Oaks campus was the first day of Spring Orientation. We drove up to this huge building and I was so in awe. It was taller than any building on our island, especially because the buildings on our island couldn’t exceed the height of the tallest coconut tree. The Oaks building is definitely taller than a coconut tree.
What internship had you been a part of? How did you choose that internship?
I knew I really wanted to be a part of the children’s ministry right of the bat. I still prayed over the decision of kids being the department I would go into. I was given the confirmation to go ahead into the Kids Internship. I was in the Kids Internship up until my senior year when I was hired at the Oaks to be on the Operations team, in the Business department, as the Data and Information Specialist.
Were there any difficulties you went through while in OSL?
The hardest times were being away from home and missing it, as well as the financial struggles surrounding my education. I had no idea how I could afford school, in order to finish up my time here.
How did you get through those difficulties?
The people here took me in and adopted me into their family. It is so true that no one here walks alone. There was even a summer or two were pastors took me into there home so I could live and intern here during summers when I couldn’t go back home.
Down the line, during your time in OSL, where did you see yourself after graduation?
I had envisioned myself being back at home in Hawaii. I thought I would go back to help with the growth of churches where I grew up. Ultimately, I thought I would be helping in planting churches and helping in their growth as well.
Going off the last question, what have you been up to since graduating from OSL?
I have been serving as the Data and Information Specialist at Oaks Church. I manage the database and help with all of the numbers that help drive our church, as well as help in training others to work with that. Other than that, I moved into a house here and it’s so cool. When I was living in Hawaii, I always wondered where I would live and now here I am living in a house!
Was the experience what you had imagined it to be? Did it meet your expectations?
I had no expectations coming into the program but any expectation that had been there was definitely exceeded. I knew that the Lord wanted me to be hands-on at a church, as well as find growth in my faith and as a person in leadership. Those were things I knew I needed, but I didn’t know if I was going to find that at OSL. OSL has really taken hold of growing their leaders and really investing in them.
Lastly, do you have any advice for students currently going through OSL and those looking into it?
It’s all about obedience. Obedience precedes promise. Whatever the Lord has promised you will not come into fruition without your initial obedience. Obedience also requires trust. You have to trust the Lord to take care of and provide for you. Obedience can go on to make a way for others. Your obedience will make a way for others to come and know the Lord.
To those who are about to enter into your season at OSL: Soak it all in, because this season will not last long. This season will be a time for your roots to grow down deeper.
The Oaks School of Leadership (OSL) at Oaks Church was founded in 2009 and since then more than 600 students have gone through OSL. Many serve in high-caliber leadership positions throughout our nation and around the world. OSL exists to position students for effective leadership in a variety of capacities, including ministry, non-profit and business leadership, by providing students with hands-on leadership training combined with a degree from an accredited university.
