When you head off to college, you'll walk into a world filled with new experiences. Some of those experiences will be fun and maybe just plain funny. And a few of them will impact your faith and change the way you look at the world. To give you a glimpse of what we mean, we interviewed five students and recent graduates about their own memory-building college adventures.

Lindsay Kubassek
Emmanuel Bible College

Bio: Lindsay Kubassek is a 2005 grad of Emmanuel Bible College in Ontario, Canada. She is a talented musician and loves to travel. Her dream job would involve teaching, music, and ministering to high school and college students.

Lindsay's Story: We stood on the stage and took our final bow. This was the last presentation of our musical road show, "Portraits of Grace"—a series of skits about homeless people who discover God's grace. As the audience applauded politely, I wondered what was really on their hearts and minds. I was about to find out.

As we left the stage that evening, we were suddenly met by a rush of people. Many hugged us, tearfully thanking us for our honest portrayals of homelessness. Their praise meant more than any other comments we'd received during all our other performances. Why? Because most of the worshipers in this small Toronto church were homeless.

A small group of street kids surrounded me, and I saw the pain that filled their eyes as they told me about the struggles they faced on the streets. Tears rolled down my face as I watched them pool what little money they had to donate to our show.

I didn't know what to do. Should I accept this money—money they so clearly needed? As I struggled with whether or not to take it, I realized that if I didn't take their money, I'd be denying the message our group presented with our skit. Affirming the dignity of the homeless people was really what our performance had been all about. With tears streaming down my face, I took their money into my hands and I thanked them. When I saw their faces light up, I realized I'd done the right thing.

Serving as a performer and musical director for "Portraits of Grace" my sophomore year stretched me in so many ways. The hours of practice and the emotional performances taught me a lot about leadership and teamwork. But I think I learned the greatest lesson during that final performance. I learned—I mean really learned—that homelessness has real faces. I realized that if the circumstances of my life had been even a little different, I could have been one of those faces. My experience, especially that last performance, made me more grateful for what I have. I also believe it made me sensitive and empathetic toward those who often go to bed hungry and who don't have a warm bed to sleep in at night.

Brittany Bradley
Dallas Baptist University

Bio: Brittany Bradley, a senior at Dallas Baptist University, hopes to one day earn her Master's in Education. Although she's not sure where the Lord will call her for the rest of her life, Brittany is already a three-time missionary to Africa. On her most recent trip, she traveled to Africa's Swaziland. During this trip, she and other DBU students conducted AIDS prevention classes.

Brittany's Story: I will never forget the lush, green beauty of Swaziland. Even after an 18-hour flight and long drives on rut-filled dirt roads, I was awakened and energized by the beautiful scenery that surrounded me. But I hadn't come to Africa to simply see the sights and enjoy the beauty. I'd traveled with fellow DBU students to conduct AIDS education classes for young people.

It's no secret that the AIDS pandemic has brought so much pain, heartache and death to the world and especially to Africa. Millions have died there because of AIDS, and the country has been trying to deal with it. In a large city we visited, we saw billboard after billboard that encouraged people to practice safe sex by using condoms.

We'd come with a different message. We'd traveled to Swaziland to talk with young people about the importance of abstinence until marriage. We'd also come to share the love of Christ.

We spent a week at a time at rural high schools for a total of three weeks. At each high school we had daily seminars in assemblies with the entire student body and we also shared the Word of God in smaller groups with students who were interested in talking to us. At the end of each week, we encouraged those students who had embraced the idea of abstinence to take an abstinence pledge in front of their peers.

When we arrived in Swaziland, I was excited by the possibility of helping young people see the importance of avoiding premarital sex and other risky or irresponsible behaviors that lead to the spread of AIDS. But soon I was overwhelmed by what sometimes felt like a hopeless situation. So much death. So much pain. So much hurt in these young people's lives.

As we talked with students, I came to care for them deeply. They were so friendly and kind to us. And the more I got to know them, the more my heart broke for the struggles they and their families faced. AIDS has ravaged the nation, and there is seemingly no end in sight. The drugs are too expensive for almost everyone who lives there and sexual activity often takes place outside of marriage. Alone in my bed every night I would feel like the work we were doing was futile and that we could never reach everyone who needed help. Then I realized that even helping one person made the whole trip worth making.

Throughout the experience, my friends from DBU and I leaned on each other, encouraged each other and cried on each others' shoulders. We also saw small glimmers of hope each time a student took the abstinence pledge. Some young people seemed persuaded by our message. But mostly, we came to realize that the students we talked to really needed the hope we all need—and that's the lasting hope that comes through a relationship with Christ.

My trip to Swaziland was not easy. I had my faith tested and challenged in many ways. I saw much pain and struggled to make sense of it all. But I was changed. And I went home more convinced than ever that Christ really is the final answer to any crisis anywhere in the world.

Justin Howland
Abilene Christian University

Bio: Justin Howland earned his degree in Financial Management in 2005 from Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. Justin is now district coordinator for Texas State Representative Bob Hunter.

Justin's Story: After we were introduced to the crowd at the Freshman Orientation Talent Show, my friend Kristal and I began to sing the song we'd prepared. Dressed in formal wear, we definitely looked like we were out to make a great impression on everybody there. But we were barely into the first verse when a guy in the crowd answered his ringing cell phone—and began speaking very loudly. The audience looked around in annoyance. We continued to sing, valiantly ignoring the disruption.

When the guy hung up, someone wandered on stage in a chicken suit. Then a moment later another freshman, carrying a stack of books, wandered on stage aimlessly and then fell dramatically off the side. His books flew everywhere.

Undaunted, Kristal and I continued to sing. Then some other people started rearranging props that were set up near the back of the stage.

We kept singing.

At first, the audience wasn't sure what to do. Most of the people looked like they felt sorry for us because of all the interruptions. But before long, their confused and uncomfortable looks turned into uproarious laughter.

As for Kristal and me, we were singing seriously on the outside and laughing like crazy on the inside. And why not? We'd painstakingly planned all these random acts of craziness. The joke was on the audience, and it was so much fun. And the coolest thing was that pulling a few other freshmen into our "talent show plot" allowed us to make some new friends. After all, doing crazy stuff tends to bring people together.

The funniest thing about it all was that some people never seemed to get the joke. Throughout the school year, I heard sincere comments like: "Man, you and that girl gave a great performance—and to think you did it with all those rude interruptions!"

Christian Lapastora
Patten University

Bio: Christian is a junior at Patten University in Oakland, California, and is the editor of the university's newsletter. He also stays busy updating his blog and serving as youth pastor of the church he currently attends.

Christian's story: Shortly after I arrived on campus, I sat down to work on my first assignment for the school's newsletter. I was supposed to say something about myself—like my testimony and my goals. Easy enough, I thought, tapping out a few paragraphs.

But it wasn't easy. I stretched my arms, stared at the screen, and then deleted a good bit of what I'd written. I stared again, paused and wondered if I really had anything to say at all.

As a freshman at Patten, I'd been given the amazing opportunity to edit the school newsletter. Since I am a "sure, no problem" type of guy, I jumped at the opportunity. But as I sat there staring at the computer, I felt like I was failing at my very first assignment.

What should I do? I wondered, as I leaned on my cupped hands and gazed blankly at the computer screen.

Then I realized what I was doing wrong: I wasn't being me. Sure, my drafts had given glimpses of myself—things I was involved in, like church volunteer work. But nothing that really touched on my real flesh-and-blood life. Nothing that painted pictures of who I really was, including my true joys, successes and failures.

I placed my fingers back on the keyboard and began to type, but this time I got personal and more open about my dreams, my hopes and my struggles. The words suddenly were flowing freely. That first article set the stage for how I would approach each article that would come after it.

This memory of my first writing assignment may not seem like much to some people, but it was a major turning point for me. It helped me develop as a writer. It also helped me learn to express my feelings about, life, faith and God. While I believe my writing has improved a lot since that first assignment, I will always remember my first newsletter article—maybe more than any other. It turned me into a more genuine, honest writer—and, I hope, it has also turned me into a more genuine and honest person.

Helena Poston
Nyack College

Bio: Helena Poston graduated from Nyack College in December of 2005. Born in Karlstaad, Sweden, Helena has called Nyack, New York, home most of her life. She is managing editor of the Rockland County Times in Rockland County, NewYork.

Helena's Story: Classes are almost never canceled at Nyack, but a major snowstorm during my sophomore year closed down the campus for three days. At first, this unexpected treat was a nice break from classes and a great opportunity to get caught up with some assignments. After the first day, though, everyone in the dorm was going stir crazy and we all had lots of pent-up energy.

To get out of the dorm, my roommate and I bundled up in our heaviest winter gear so we could take a walk across a snowy winter wonderland. We didn't get very far before something hit my back. I turned around just in time to avoid the next snowball hurling at me, though my roommate wasn't so lucky. We had unknowingly wandered into a snowball fight between some students we didn't know. Without hesitation I knelt, scooped up a baseball-sized ball, and then winged it at one of our assailants.

We ran and laughed all over campus, sometimes getting hit by snowballs, sometimes nailing our attackers. We joined one group in its battle with another. Before long there were more and more groups battling it out across campus. It seemed like the entire school was involved, including several of my professors.

It wasn't just a great snowball fight, though. It was an outlet for a lot of pent-up energy. It was also an opportunity to slow down from all the busyness and make friends with some people I probably would have never gotten to know. And it was also a chance to get back at a few profs for their tough assignments!

Copyright © 2006 by the author or Christianity Today International/Campus Life's Ignite Your Faith magazine.
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