Shane K. Hostutler

A hero is not just the person who pulls someone out of a burning building. A hero isn't always the person everybody knows. To me a hero is a friend that you can lean on, the person that says "Everything will be fine." My hero is the person that helps you through life and will do the act of kindness nobody wants to do. Even when no one is looking.

In my opinion it is important to have a hero, but not one you will never meet. Pick a hero who is in your everyday, normal life. Look up to them, ask them for help if you need some. Never be afraid of your hero.

Shane is my youth pastor, my hero, and my friend. He is the person I know I can go to for help whenever I need it. Shane fits my definition of hero almost exactly because he does everything he can for all the teens he talks with. You can count on Shane, when there is a job to be done, Shane will get it done. He does not just preach at us once a week, he preaches to us. Shane makes the message hit home by relating it to something we as teenagers understand, he lets it all flow through us instead of just around us. Shane K. Hostutler is the hero who opens the door for you, listens when you need to be heard, and helps you through life when nobody is looking.

Shane should be inducted into the hero hall of fame because he goes above the duties of a Youth Pastor. He always does his best to lead his teens in the right direction. Shane makes a point to be there for all of us when we need him. There has never been a time that i have had to face a problem alone because Shane is always there. He is an amazing role model for any child, whether they are 5 or 15, he is always looking out for them. Shane is hall of fame worthy because he is the friend that you can always go to and he will never leave your side in a time of need.

When asked who his hero was Shane replied, "My hero is my grandpa, Leroy Keith Hostutler." I asked him why and thought I'd get an answer like most that had something to do with the fact that he let him do things his parents didn't. However, that was not the answer I got. Instead he told me that his grandpa was a man who lived a life of integrity, who lived the same way through the good and bad times. Leroy Keith Hostutler was a very steady man, a rock. Shane became aware that he was being called into ministries when he was 18 at a church camp. The message was on following God where called and everything just became clear to Shane; the path was made clear and some doors were opened while others were closed. Leroy was more than just Shane's grandpa and hero, he was his best friend, the person he could talk to. His job is fulfilling to him when he is able to see teens grow in Christian maturity, socially, and in life over all.

When I asked him if he thought of himself as a hero, he replied with a no and a laugh. Shane sets a lot of goals for himself some are unattainable, but he says they give him something to shoot for. He always has a goal or image of what he thinks the services should look like and sometimes they don't get there. Shane's definition of a hero is someone who lives bigger than life. Life does not slow them down and they always live as an overcomer. There was one teen, who went from thinking there was no God to surrendering fully to him in one day at a retreat. This made Shane feel like he truly makes a difference in our lives.

If Shane could change something about his life he would change a lot of college like applying himself more to his studies. He would also take himself out of the equation more and put God into it, when he has helped someone in the church. He would love to show the world how to reach out passionately and help the group of teens he has now. How they want to be God's hands and feet and help anybody anyway they can. Also, how they will take the biggest leaps into faith even when they don't know what they're jumping into, and in turn that propels him to take that big leap as well.

Shane's hero helped him through life, gave him someone to turn to, and told him to live life bigger than life itself. Now, whether he thinks he's a hero or not I know he will help me through life so that I can grow and realize my calling and to be all that I can be and live my life for something bigger than myself.