By Mackenzie Langham | Mandy Callaway’s Howard Payne story is full of unexpected twists and turns, romantic beginnings, trials and perseverance. Thankfully, her HPU story exceeds her experience as a student, and continues to this day.
Callaway graduated from Howard Payne University in 2001, Callaway earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Spanish.
Do not be fooled. Callaway’s journey through Howard Payne was not a simple one or typical for sure.
Callaway said, “I was actively involved in my church, First Baptist Church of Boerne. Several church members who were HPU alumni encouraged the upperclassmen in our youth group to consider Howard Payne. Jane Collette, who is now the president of the alumni association, was one who shared stories about her days at HPU and encouraged my best friend and me to explore what the university had to offer. My best friend, Emily Weber, was a year younger than me so while I prayed to hear from the Lord about whether or not to pursue attending HPU, I decided to live at home, save money and begin classes at UTSA.
In the meantime, other friends from our youth group came to HPU and returned home on the weekends gushing about how amazing it was and how we should really follow suit. After hearing from the Lord and with eager anticipation, Emily, and I planned a visit to the campus. I knew before we had even reached Brownwood that Howard Payne would be my next step. I had total peace. After one miraculous day, we returned home and immediately applied.
Later that summer, I worked as a youth intern under our former youth minister from Boerne. The Lord taught me a lot about trusting Him that summer. It was my first time being away from home. While there, I prayed fervently about how to finance what I knew the Lord was leading me to—school in the Fall at HPU. In that still, small voice, he whispered, “Trust me. I’m your provider.” It was my first giant step of faith. Before the summer was over, He miraculously provided the means for me to attend.
“One of the exciting things I experienced that summer was taking our youth group to Glorieta, New Mexico for Centrifuge camp. While there, I met a youth minister from a church in Brownwood who was also a student at HPU. I was elated to meet him and I felt like our meeting was a divine appointment. We exchanged numbers and he said he would show me around in the Fall and invited me visit his church. Little did I know that he would be the person to introduce me to my future husband!”
“After move in time came, I reached out to my youth minister friend and went to church with him the next Sunday. He walked me up to the college and career Sunday School class. He opened the door and the first person I saw was a young career aged man named Brian who smiled kindly at me. I continued to attend church there and became very involved in the college and career ministry. Over a short time, Brian and I became friends, in large part, because of the Monday night college and career fellowship meetings we attended. He volunteered to pick me up every Sunday on his way to church and I stayed plugged in. My Sophomore year (my first year) at HPU was more than I could have imagined. I loved my classes, enjoyed my professors and adored my suite mates who became some of my closest friends. I found a wonderful church home and began dating an amazing, Godly man.”
“I was never a typical/traditional HPU student. I came in as a transfer and got married as a student. I sat out for a year and a half after we got married and worked as a teacher’s aide. I returned to HPU in the Fall of 1997 to finish work on my degree. I was enjoying my upper level classes and over Spring Break in 1998, we found out that we were expecting. True to form, in a very non-traditional manner, not only was I a married student, but now an expecting mom. With a lot of support from my husband, family and professors and encouragement from my friends, I continued classes and graduated in 2001. I never guessed that the child I carried would also be taking some of the same classes with some of the same professors 18 years later!”
Where does someone end up today, many years after walking on the God-anointed path as a student who became a wife and a mother while working on their degree?
Callaway said, “As a 19-year student stepping foot onto the campus of HPU, I couldn’t have known all those years ago what my life would look like now, but I couldn’t be happier. My education and my experiences at HPU prepared me for the life I have today. Even though I never thought I’d remain in Brownwood after graduation, it has been a joy to integrate into this community, raise my family and be able to give back by investing in the lives of other HPU students. Having an English major and Spanish minor has equipped me to do a job that I love. Teaching English as a Second Language for adults is such an honor. It is so rewarding to work with adults who have desire to learn another language and to see them accomplish their goals.”
“My family is a total gift from God! I was blessed to have a mom who stayed home to care for her family and a dad who made a way for that to happen. As a result, we followed suit and I’ve always said that raising my children is my highest calling and my number one job. It has been said that your greatest contribution to the kingdom of God may not be something you do, but someone you raise. I fully believe this to be true. Psalm 127:3-5 says “Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.” Our goal is to launch arrows our into the world who will make a difference in the kingdom—world changers and I believe we are doing just that.”
Most people can relate to Callaway’s story of holding onto a personal plan and then seeing it completely transform before their eyes. The plans people have for their lives rarely, if ever, turn out the way they had imagined it would. God sure does have a sense of humor! Amazing thing is, God’s plans are far greater than anything people can picture up.
Today, Callaway is a mom and a wife. She has a job teaching English as a Second Language for adults and is a co-leader with her husband for their College and Career Bible study group called Ekklesia (“a ministry of Heartland Church”).
Callaway said, “It is our desire to invite students into a warm and loving environment where they can feel like they are at home, even if only for a few hours. We provide dinner, worship and study the word. We love opening our home to students and we feel especially drawn to college ministry because we know first hand the influence it had in our lives.”
Callaway gives a piece of advice to current college students: “Trust the Lord and fervently pray and believe that He will direct their every step. Proverbs 3:5-6 is what I clung to and still do to this day. He’s a good father and we can trust him in the exciting, difficult, joyful, painful times and even the mundane.”