No regrets (part 1)

One of the burdens on my heart during my first year at NCSU was determining God’s desire for my pathway through my educational career. What were the steps I should take? What was the significance of my getting accepted into NCSU?

Throughout my first semester, I was anxiously looking for a church to worship with. I attempted mass at the giant cathedral across from campus, jumped from group to group on a weekly basis, and tried keeping in touch with my hometown church. Nothing captured what I was seeking. My heart was longing for something I couldn’t find and I imagined this is what a shipwrecked sailor might feel. However, through the grace of God, I was able to continue my pursuit whilst remaining vigilant against the difficulties of managing both spiritual life and student life. 

After a few months of searching, I began meeting with a few students and NCSU alumni for a weekly Bible study. I was still slightly hesitant because I didn’t know everyone in the group, but I assumed that one more attempt at finding a group couldn’t hurt. Soon, after meeting a few times with Christians on Campus, my enjoyment was filling to the brim. I would leave each meeting with a deeper and clearer understanding of scripture and would anticipate the next meeting. The meetings, thankfully, were not limited to just campus. 

While there were plenty of meetings and events held on campus, I also chose to attend meetings and events held off of campus – all of which were hosted by NCSU alumni or community volunteers who put in their own effort to support student outreach. These meetings and events ranged from playing sports, singing songs and reading scripture while making s’mores, meeting with students at the UNC and Duke sister clubs, biking at parks, going on hikes, and my personal favorite, community-support in which I and a few others would help students or alumni work on personal projects. The highlight in all of these was that the focus was never to solve issues or read the Word by yourself, but, instead, to focus on building a larger image of a community to fellowship with – much like a mosaic picture. The strength really was in the diversity and concern of each member within the club. If I wanted to have a Bible study over lunch, someone was sparring their time to make sure they could join, if someone else desired to read in the morning or evening, I or others would make sure we were able to accommodate. This alone is a testament to how supportive the group was to other students such as me.

- J.L. Communications, NC State University Class of 2021