Friday, October 15, 2010

SOI 21 Testimony

Posted by: Joshua Alcorn

We hope you will be encouraged by the testimony of Amanda, one GW student who has been significantly impacted by SOI 21:

“Bill and Joshua have been central figures in the Lord’s transformation of my life over the past year. I met them while I was going through a very trying season in my life, in which I had just turned back to the Lord but was still wary of becoming involved with any sort of church or Christian community. While I was going through this “storm,” my roommate (who had met Bill and Joshua through SOI 21 at GW) asked Bill and Joshua to pray for me. Even though they had never met me before, they both emailed me and expressed such genuine care and concern for my difficult situation that I was completely taken by surprise. At the time I thought that there must be something different about these two. The past nine months have only served to reinforce that first impression of Bill and Joshua, in the best way possible.

Given my hesitation to join a Christian community, meeting with Bill and Joshua was a leap of faith for me. Had it been any other two people, I honestly don’t know if I would have even considered it, but that first impression of them praying for me intrigued me and made me want to know what they were about. Thankfully, it was Bill and Joshua whom the Lord brought into my life, and God used our time together to deepen my relationship with Him in ways I never realized possible. You cannot help but be drawn more deeply toward the Lord when you are around two people who are as genuine, wise, compassionate, and more than anything, loving, as Bill and Joshua.

I saw so much change in my life through our time together that it astounded me – it was truly the Lord changing me from the inside out. Not only was I personally being transformed, but God was also using Bill and Joshua to show me His heart for those around me. I see it as a “domino effect”: by investing in my life and my spiritual journey with the Lord, Bill and Joshua have led me to want to invest in the spiritual lives of others. I used to think that my time at GW was just for me. After spending nine months with Bill and Joshua, I’ve come to realize that my time at GW is not about getting a higher degree– it’s about touching the lives of students around me for the Lord. The love that Bill and Joshua have for college students is contagious, and by being around them, you cannot help but start to feel that as well.

I have had the privilege of sitting with Bill and Joshua at the prayer table at GW several times. It amazes me the kind of people who come to the prayer table – usually they are not Christians, but just students who are surprised by the fact that two guys consistently sit there for hours each week to pray for people. Once students approach the table, Bill and Joshua have a remarkable gift of being able to demonstrate God’s love in a matter of seconds. You can literally see students walk away, surprised, touched, and intrigued by Bill and Joshua.

SOI 21 is boldly loving the students at GW in ways that they have probably never seen or experienced before. This is my third year of being a full-time student at GW, and I have never seen a campus ministry do anything like the prayer table to reach non-believing students. The prayer table is becoming a staple in the quad at GW, so much so that other campus ministries are eager to be involved. They see how much Bill and Joshua are touching the lives of students that would never go to a Bible study or church. SOI 21 is bringing God’s love to students exactly where they need it, in a way that is approachable. SOI 21 is changing the spiritual landscape of GW.”