Miranda Cook

A Changed Life :: By Paige Wiley

I was born into a family where there was confusion about what was truth. My dad was Catholic and my mom was Methodist and I just knew that there was a God. We never attended church as a family and never spoke about who Jesus was. We also didn’t pray before meals, or go to church on Christmas. I always had a lot of questions about who God was. I remember sneaking to the laundry room to read my children’s Bible because I just yearned to know more about my Creator. When I was in fourth grade, my mom and I started to go to a church because my parents wanted me to be raised with good morals. We didn’t stay at that church for long because we “wanted our weekends to relax.”

But two years later, we moved, and I longed to be involved in church because I wanted to be in a choir like I saw on TV. That never happened, but we decided to go to a Lutheran church and I was confirmed when I was in 8th grade. I learned a lot about the Bible and what fellowship looked like but I still didn’t know what it all meant for me or what it was going to look like to live a life with Christ. After I was confirmed, we never went back to church. We just went back to “enjoying our weekends.” Growing up I struggled a lot with my identity and loving who I was. I lived by good morals which led to me judging others, because I thought I was “better”. Because of that, I didn’t have a lot of friends in high school and that created even more of an identity struggle.

When I made the transition to K-State, I decided to live in Smurthwaite Scholarship/Leadership House. I roomed with a girl named Aspen. From the first day I met her she was a little different – more positive, more loving for people, more kind, etc. She would ask a lot of questions about my faith and encourage me to come to campus ministries with her. At that time I was really bitter with God and had a lot of friend issues – I just was not happy. Aspen continued to be a light in my life by showing me what it meant to live a true Christian life. She would journal while reading her Bible, worshiped the Lord, and shared the gospel. Because I was who I was, I would make fun of her and tell her to turn the music off and was just truly awful to her. But because she loved the Lord more than anything, she saw through my bitterness and continued to love me.

The next semester, I got a job at the Academic and Career Information Center. During that time I was fully surrounded by people that loved God with all of their heart and I knew I wanted to be a part of that. I was walking home one day and decided that I wanted to go to church that summer and learn more about Christ, all because I watched a strong Christian woman live her life. That summer I filled my time with the Lord and began journaling to know more about Christ. When I came back to school, I signed up for a Christian retreat that January and was very excited to start to learn more about Jesus.

During the time at the conference, my life changed. We learned about Jesus and I fell in love with him there. I remember singing in worship and feeling a flood of emotions come over me and at that moment, I was committed to my Savior.  I was all in, and I committed my life to Christ.

After committing my life to Christ, there were a lot of things that were different. I felt the urgency to serve and to love. I began volunteering with children and helping them and I served at church. I didn’t enjoy being around children before Christ, but after, I loved them because He loves them.

I still struggle with identity and loving myself.  But I have been able to grow my relationships and understand who I am as a daughter of Christ. I see my sisters and brothers in a more loving manner. Being able to love Christ and love people better has been a life changing experience and I am excited to see where it takes me.

Drew Ewing

Community for the Soul :: By Allie McBrien

Drew Ewing, currently a senior in Industrial Engineering, began his high school years walking with God, but unstable in his friendships. Before he knew it, Drew started getting into certain situations with his friends that conflicted with what he believed. During his junior year Drew put all his trust in God. As he started football season, he and his friends started to drift apart in different lifestyles. In spite of his loneliness, the Lord was near and understood what Drew needed.

Drew and the senior captain of the football team, Nate Stiles, became instant friends. As a solid believer, Nate had gone through similar situations with his friends. The two spent around five hours together every day, in practice and workouts, while discussing their faith and past experiences. Nate became a light to Drew, a person who understood, encouraged and led Drew closer to Christ.

Unexpectedly, as a result of an injury during the last football game of the season, Nate died from internal bleeding of the brain.

The night after Nate’s death, Drew made a choice to block out the world emotionally. He decided to put up a wall and not let anyone else in, fearful they too would die. Leaving relationships at surface-level, Drew continued his walk with God, but he was missing community. At first, things were fine. Many came to know Christ through Nate’s death and Drew was able to help be a light for others in the tumultuous time. However, by not letting others see who he truly was, many of Drew’s peers were not aware of the hurt in his own heart or any of his problems. As time went on, many of his classmates began to view Drew as perfect and verbalized this. A disconnect soon formed where peers stopped coming to Drew for help and began avoiding him because they felt embarrassed about their struggles.

Coming into K-State, Drew had a clean slate. He was excited to meet new people. The image and false perceptions held by his former classmates were instantly gone. He began to connect with others in Goodnow, but was still missing a strong community, one that was rooted in the Lord.

God provided for Drew. Through the encouragement of his roommate, Lars, Drew began going to Christian Challenge his sophomore year. Challenge was an environment where others wanted to know him deeply and intentionally, something Drew had purposely avoided for many years.  Soon enough, Drew realized a stable relationship with God is not as effective unless it is paired with genuine relationships with people; friendships that keep him accountable and honest in his faith.

Shortly after his death, Nate’s parents started a program called ‘The Nathan Project.’ Their ministry provides free Bibles to expand the Kingdom of God by building relationships and personally leading others through discipleship. Avoiding the stereotypical “street corner” Bible giveaway, Drew seeks out friendships with others and provides Bibles to those interested in pursuing a relationship with God.

After living with a difficult loss, Drew continues to thank God for Nate’s impact in his life. The deep and meaningful relationships Drew avoided after Nate’s death are now an essential aspect in his walk with Christ.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25

For more information about Nate’s life and donations for Bibles visit: http://www.nathanproject.com/