My Testimony

The first week of one's first year of college is always an experience. Whether you make it out to be a good one or not, the first week of the year always sets the stage for what is to come in your first year and the rest of the time in college in some way or another. For some people, the first week is just another week that doesn't impact their time in college. For others, however, the events that play out in that first week are crucial to show what kind of year the first year will be.

For me, the latter happened.

Coming into the University of Tennessee, certain odds were not in my favor. I was the only person from my school, knew nobody else attending UT, and, until I met a few people, knew nobody from my entire region. I was a true yankee coming down to the South and the heart of the Bible Belt. A completely different world.

The first Monday of the year came by like many August days do: mid-90's weather and hundreds upon thousands of students sprawled over acres and acres of campus, trying to find their way around everything. My roommate, who I had only known for about a day prior, decided to go get some lunch when a voice called us from a tent from VFC, saying "Hey! You guys want a free water?" On said day in August, we couldn't resist. So we went over. And so it all begins...

The catch of this tent was that in order to get the free water, each person had to fill out a survey. Simple enough. I noticed that the survey asked a lot of questions regarding Christianity. It was then that I realized that VFC stood for "Volunteers for Christ." It didn't mean much at the time, so I just filled the survey out, got my water and went to lunch. I would have forgotten about it, but one of the guys there mentioned a game of Ultimate happening later in the day. I couldn't resist Ultimate, just like I couldn't resist a free water. So I went to Ultimate.

See, at that point, the only things I had known about religious groups on campus was what I thought were the same of fraternities and sororities. They want members, so they'll do anything and everything to get you aborad, but later on if one doesn't follow the rules (or doesn't agree with the beliefs), then that person will be kicked out and never spoken to again by that group. For me, I didn't want to be backstabbed weeks into the year and then made to start over in settling into life at college. For weeks into the year, I was terrified of both VFC and Chi Alpha (another group I had become friends with) because of these reasons, no matter how foolishly stupid they might have been.

My change was a process, and definitely not an easy one. I started to believe the day between Good Friday and Easter this past April (I guess that would be 4/23/10). I can't pinpoint an exact moment, but it was definitely between the time I hiked down from my weekend in the Smokies and Church the next morning. I can't explain the feeling of realizing that I needed Christ in my life. It was not the emotional turnaround that I thought it would be (but trust me, there were a lot of those! Ask anyone in VFC/Chi Alpha). Granted some people do feel those emotional changes, but it was simply an epiphany--a realization of what I had needed.

There was a time span of about eight months from the time I first learned about Christianity to my salvation. Those eight months were filled with sermons, teachings, conversations, and plenty of other moments that shaped me into what I am now and showed me of another world different than what I had known prior. I haven't felt happier now that I have become a Christian. I know that I cannot do this on my own. I am a sinful, prideful person that needs help. It's just that with me, and every other Christian, the help can only come from the One and Only God. I believe that He sent His Son to die for us, to take all the sins and wrath that we deserved. I believe that when He died on the cross, our sins were forgiven. We are given a "Get-out-of-jail-free card." This doesn't mean that we think we can do whatever we want. That would be taking that card for granted. I am very aware of how special of a gift this is for us. For me. I am a sinner and will be a sinner for a long, long time. However, that's okay with me because I am thankful that God has forgiven me on a daily basis. I can't explain the feeling fully of knowing this, but the word 'joy' doesn't seem the same after realizing all of this.

I am very, very aware that all people on this earth are raised with different values, different morales and different beliefs. Of course, if people can understand this and understand Him, great! But in reality, many people do not believe this. One of the biggest things I want everyone that reads this is to understand what I believe now. I completely understand if you do not agree with me, but, if at all possible, any form of understanding would be greatly appreciated. So far, everyone I have talked to and told about this has been VERY supportive and I couldn't be more blessed than to know that my non-Christian friends are okay with it and alright with my decision.

I am very happy and blessed to be in my situation. It was a process to get here and it will be an even bigger and more arduous process to sustain it, but I know it will all serve a greater good and be worth it in the end. Heaven awaits....what better finale than that!