Student Stories from the Summer, Part 1

While we have had our own life-changing summer (hi, baby!!!), our students have also experienced life transformations. Each story is very different and occurred in varied locations. We're posting a couple now, and have more to share later. These are also extended versions of what will appear in our September newsletter.

But before we share the stories, here are some updates on the Simko front.

Praise: We surpassed our goal in raising for the matching grant, which means we got the matching grant, the match, and some extra! What we raised this summer will give us full paychecks through the fall. Praise the LORD! This is the first time this has ever happened! We are so thankful!

Prayer: As was mentioned in the previous post, this is the busiest time of year for us, which is fine because we expect it. What we didn't expect was the other unexpected hardships this week. Our car needs a new transmission and we haven't had it for over a week, and it will take another week and a half to fix. Pray that it gets fixed sooner and for a lesser cost than was quoted to us. We have also had some other things going on that have added stress that don't need to be named, but we ask for prayers of clarity and peace, and a refocusing for the beginning of the semester.

So without further ado...

Student Stories from the Summer

Samantha

This summer has been packed with many welcoming memories. As I finished my freshman year at Eastern University, I moved across campus and settled into my very first full time job, working for Sodexo. At first, it was really tiring but it became nice to have something to do all day. When I was not working, I was preparing for a missions trip to Ometepe, Nicaragua and participating in a small group with Elliot Simko. The small group really has helped me to become more aware of the details of being a disciple of Christ and while in Nicaragua, I used some of the things that I learned to help evangelize with the locals. The small group has been a huge blessing in my life. When I was in Nicaragua, I was working with a church that I helped with last year. It is amazing to go back to the same place each year and see how God is continually helping there. Once I returned to Eastern, I began working again and classes will soon begin. While this summer was a great time of growth for me, I look forward to the blessings that I will be given through my professors and friends in the upcoming school year.

Chris

This summer, I got an internship as an assistant youth pastor at a church called Bethel Lutheran in Colorado Springs. It was an interesting experience, to say the least. On the bright side, the church itself was great. It was a very welcoming community, and I really loved being a part of it. But it seemed like nothing really went right this summer. Some of it was my fault; I’ll own up to it. However, it didn’t end with just my own faults. There were an abundance of miscommunications and circumstances that made things even tougher. This, however, led to the main work that God did in me this summer. I couldn’t survive it without Him. There was absolutely no way. And so as I was breaking down, I realized this. I began to give everything back up to God. Giving Him my faults, and feelings, and circumstances, and worries, and anything else I was carrying inside me. And He showed me the power of His glory. The summer did end on a higher note, but was still tough. It wasn’t all about God fixing things. I found that it was about holding on to Him for dear life. It brought a peace that was certainly not brought on by my surroundings; a joy that transcended my circumstances. Though the summer was tough, it taught me a lesson that is simple, yet paramount in its importance: God is truly in control.

James 1:2-4: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.