For our monthly partner update I asked one of our recent grads to share about her experience with our ministry and the impact that it has made on her life. Michelle shared the following testimony with me. Because of space constraints, I am only able to include a a small portion of her testimony in our letter, but it was so encouraging that I needed to share the whole version here. (Note: I have bolded several of the stand-out sentences):
“I joined Every Nation Campus Ministries during the first week of being on the FSU campus. I was raised in the church so I knew I wanted to continue in that path but I wasn’t really living for Christ. I didn’t know I wasn’t living for God at the time but in hindsight God created a very masterful plan.
The people we met from the ministry in particular Maurice Hicks immediately took myself and my best friend Sabrina Roc in as family. This new family challenged me to grow in Christ, affirmed that I had a solid foundation and really fellowshipped with me in a way I had never experienced before. It was genuine love and concern. My faith blossomed in my first year of college but little did I know that there was much more growth to come.
I was a nursing major with a large group of my friends when we entered college. Slowly over time as classes grew more difficult many of them realized that nursing was not for them but I knew it’s what I wanted so I stuck with it. It was 2010 time to apply and begin the nursing program.
I received the letter from the College of Nursing in my P.O. Box at school. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I went to my dorm room and sat at my desk. I turned on the light and opened the letter. It began with unfortunately… I sat there silent for many minutes it seemed. I had trained my life to get into that program. Nursing was the only major I would be great at I told myself.
Thus began a downward spiral of depression that I had battled in high school. Thoughts that I was worthless crept back in. That if I died no one would come to my funeral. My life was upside-down. I fought to love the Lord but it felt empty. College is the time to find your self after all and I couldn’t even make it into the only major I wanted. James 1:2-3 says: “Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”
I still ran to God to sit at His feet at a time when I felt I was at the bottom. I knew in my heart of hearts that He was the only one that could move mountains if I had faith. In my weakness he was made strong. In that year I grew the most in my Christian walk and Every Nation was always there for me. Worship, life group, ENCM were the avenues that kept me running to God.
I don’t know what I would have done in that time without my Christian family. I am happy to report that I have graduated from FSU as a nursing major this May 2013. I have just accepted a position in a hospital to work full time. When I say God is good, I mean God is good!”
Praise God for His goodness and faithfulness! :) It’s a joy to serve in this ministry encouraging and equipping young leaders like Michelle.