God Moved Among Latino Students

Two students and an alumna headed to Dallas for the LaFe Conference Dec. 27-31 to join with Latino students from around the nation to worship God and explore how their culture and faith intertwine. Cris decided to start following Jesus at this conference. She shared her testimony at our first Large Group:

The first night I came in, everyone was worshipping. They were all singing and jumping around and I just wanted to get out of the way, like this (hands straight at side, trying to be as small as possible). The next day we had seminars and started meeting with our Small Group to get to know one another better. A student from my Small Group challenged me to research and read books. So I bought a book and I was looking into things a bit more and it started making a little more sense.

The next day, during our evening worship, they asked us to stand if we wanted to know Jesus more or had any questions about Jesus. I kept feeling like I should get out of my seat. I would sit at the edge, leaning forward, but then I’d say no, and scoot back. There was a guy staff that was open, but I didn’t feel like talking to a guy. I told God that if a woman staff opened up, then I would get up. Of course, a woman staff opened up, so I went over, and I just started crying. I don’t know why – I wasn’t sad! She asked me what was going on, what questions I had. I told her I thought I wanted to accept Jesus. She sat down with me and explained the gospel and told me to just talk to God about it. I told God I wanted the comfort and purpose my friends had, and that I finally understood that He had died for me. Then she told me that I’d never forget Dec. 29, 2010 and that I needed to tell my friends. So I went and sat down, but I didn’t tell anyone. I was worried I’d be bothering them since they seemed so happy. When worship was done and we were leaving, though, I grabbed Ibe and told her, “Guess what? I’m a Christian.” And then I grabbed Pris and told her, and they were jumping up and down and were so happy for me!

The next day, my Small Group Leader answered a question I had written down and turned in earlier in the conference, before I made a decision to follow Jesus: “When you’re a new Christian, how do you move forward in your journey?” Good timing, right?

Pris, the other student, felt God’s call to lead, something she’d never considered seriously before. She came back with a passion to start a LaFe chapter here at Texas A&M, reaching out to Latino students, helping them to feel welcomed and at home, and challenging them to be a redeeming influence on campus. I might be starting a Latino-specific Small Group Bible study with her this semester, and I’m so excited!