Teacher Feature: Meet Mr. Robert Akin
Serving alongside Mr. Robert Akin is truly a delight! Mr. Akin is passionate and dedicated to serving TRS students and families. Whether he is leading Morning Assembly, passing out snacks or teaching P.E., Mr. Akin is intentional about honoring the Lord through his work. He is adamant about spreading the love of Jesus with our students and has a heart for the Lord. Thank you for everything you do for TRS Mr. Akin! The school just does not seem the same when you are not there. Please continue reading below to learn about Mr. Akin in his own words!
1) What's Your Name and Job Title? My name is Robert Akin and I serve TRS as the Student Activities and Logistics Coordinator/P.E. Instructor.
2.) What's Your Story? My wife, Jessica, and I have been married for 11 years now and have been blessed with two boys, Wilkes (7) and Anderson (3). After serving as an intern with Reformed University Fellowship at New Mexico State University, Jessica (who served as the RUF intern at MS State) and I moved to Charlotte, NC, to attend Reformed Theological Seminary. I had every hope that I would graduate with a Masters of Divinity and from there pursue ordination in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). From there my plan was to become an RUF campus minister. As I look back, I imagine that God looked at His child with fatherly compassion and amusement, at the plans I had made for my life. God used that time in our lives like a blacksmith uses a furnace. Our time in seminary was a challenge that broke us down many times and forced us to lean on each other as we trusted the Lord to provide. Although we emerged from that strenuous season with our marriage and faith intact, the forecast for our lives looked much different from what it did when we entered.
In God’s providence, and against every fiber in my being, He brought us back to Mississippi to the small town of Hazlehurst where I grew up. It was in Hazlehurst where I started working in Community Mental Health as a caseworker. During this time we would load up our then one year-old Wilkes, and make the Sunday morning round trip from Hazlehurst to Redeemer Church and back. We knew we wanted to be a part of the mission and effort Redeemer had in the Broadmoor neighborhood, so we set our sights on finding a house we could call home. Almost a little over six years ago we purchased a house in the neighborhood and have been here ever since. Little did we know at that time that God had plans for my wife and I to love and serve this community through our varied responsibilities at TRS. Now, the large majority of our life is focused on serving this community in one way or another. Whether it be through the school, our commitment to help develop and tend to the Broadmoor Community Garden, or our partnership with various church ministries, we have made it our mission to live, move and have our being in this place. Until the Lord redirects our efforts, I aim to continue to serve Him to the best of my abilities.
3.) Why Are You At The Redeemer's School? Shortly after my conversion to the faith in my late teens, I have worked to be the person I wish I had in my life during my childhood. My desire is to be someone that leads with integrity, honesty, and compassion all while remaining a child at heart myself. I seek to challenge students to be better people than they were when they started attending this school. Being at The Redeemer’s School has allowed me the tremendous privilege of coming alongside young people as they struggle to make sense of the places and spaces that God saw fit to bring them into. At TRS, we take great pride in meeting students and their families wherever they are on their journey in this world. We seek to apply the Word of God to each and every circumstance represented in this family. When I take a step back and take an assessment of the gifts and abilities that God has given me, I am humbled by the realization that God has created me for a space like this. TRS has been a blessing to me and my family for many years, and I count it as joy to be able to serve this community, alongside the men and women on staff, in this place.
4.) What's Your Hope For Your Students? My greatest hope for the students at TRS is that they grow to see themselves clearly, with the same beauty, dignity, and worth that their Creator intended them to possess. It is my hope that students will grow up to be men and women who can take an honest look in the mirror and like the person that looks back at them. I hope that students will learn now that they don’t need to waste valuable time and energy trying to be someone they were never created to be. God has created each student with unique gifts, talents, desires and stories for the purpose of bringing Him glory. He has not made a mistake with a single child represented in this school, and it is my prayer that students would know that truth about themselves as they grow and mature in Him.
