Hi, my name is Shaowei, and I am an international student from Singapore. Knowing the Lord has been the best thing that has ever happened in my whole life. My encounter with the Lord has been one that is full of excitement and joy, but it has not been an easy one.

It began when I gave my life over to Christ in July 2000. As a young Christian, I was often unsure of my faith, but I always had spiritual brothers and sisters encouraging me and giving me advice in my walk with Him. When I first came to Stanford in September 2002, I was worried because I heard rumors about how college life can be a stumbling block to one’s spiritual life, because of the heavy workload and because of the intellectualism that shakes one’s faith.

So I sought out several Christian fellowship groups, and the one that caught my attention was Chi Alpha. On our first day, the students and staff were extremely friendly to the newcomers. We had a wonderful time of worship, and Glen, the pastor, gave a very hilarious talk (I still remember he had his doctor’s gear on) that was also very deep and practical to college life. I fell in love with Chi Alpha because I saw how all the students truly loved God and truly loved each other.

Since then, all of us at Chi Alpha have been through thick and thin together. We shared our feelings, prayed for one another, lead worship, ate and had fun together, went for exciting retreats, and shared our faith with others. One way in which Chi Alpha really changed my life was when one of the pastors prayed for me at the Spring Retreat and I was delivered from the frequent nightmares which I had since I was five. Since then, I was able to sleep well and peacefully! Most importantly, Chi Alpha has taught me, both directly and indirectly, how much the Lord loves me, and how to love the Lord.

College life may be busy or intellectually intimidating, but we need to continue to put our trust and hope in the Lord so that He can show us how to live it purposefully. For Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). I pray that you will find the fellowship group that the Lord has called you to soon. Take care and God Bless : )