Student Stories
Caysea's Story
Why our Lutheran Student Centers are so important
I started college at Missouri State University in 2004 with big dreams of conquering the education field one student at a time. I lived in a dorm suite with six girls. I only knew one of the six. I had the “perfect” boyfriend. Soon after the start of school, my boyfriend and I broke up, the roommate I knew stopped talking to me, and Chelsea—a girl in my suite—kept asking me if I wanted to go with her to a place called the Lutheran Student Center (LSC). Well, I was an agnostic and saw the LSC as a place where I would be judged and feel out of place. Chelsea kept inviting me and I always told her no. Eventually, she became my best friend in our suite and I ran out of excuses. I went to “Prayer and Praise Nite” one Tuesday at the LSC. I didn’t feel judged, but I still didn’t feel like I belonged. For the next few weeks I came up with more excuses and didn’t go with Chelsea again. It wasn’t for me, I told myself. I didn’t know the songs, and I couldn’t be Lutheran —I didn’t even know what that meant so I didn’t see a reason to go. But, Chelsea kept asking and told me that this one week we were going to play games. Well, I love to play games, so I went that week and I had a good time. It wasn’t bad— people talked to me; Donna, the director at the LSC, welcomed me back. Everyone seemed genuinely glad to see me. After that, I decided that I would go whenever Chelsea asked me to. Chelsea didn’t ask me to go every week, and I wasn’t about to ask her if I could come, so I didn’t go too often that first semester. Finally, during the second semester, I was going regularly to the LSC. I knew Donna really well, and felt comfortable with the people there—as long as I had Chelsea near, and I started learning the praise songs. I really enjoyed myself when I was at the LSC, but I still didn’t know anything or feel like I was part of God’s family. I started going to church, too, but I felt awkward there. Then, Chelsea and some of our other friends bought me a Bible. It was my first Bible, and it was a children’s Bible. I felt kind of silly, but learned some of the stories and it all started to make more sense to me. Then the year ended and I went back home. For the summer I went home to my broken, non-Christian home. I live with my Mom, who always instilled good morals in me and is extremely loving and caring, but she is not a Christian. She does support me 100 percent, but God and religion has never been part of her life. That summer at home, I didn’t have a church or a church group, and I felt like I was really missing something, but I couldn’t go to church without Chelsea—I would feel so uncomfortable. School started in August and I had Tuesday night class. LSC’s “Prayer and Praise Nite” is on Tuesdays, so I couldn’t go. I had class till 7:20. I got out of class early the first week and was able to meet up with Chelsea and we went to the LSC together like we always had. We talked about our theme for the year: “Walk By Faith, Not By Sight.” I was determined to do that. People walked in late to the LSC all the time and nobody looked at them funny—nobody judged them—and everyone was glad to see them. So, I made one of the hugest leaps for me and I walked in the next week all by myself and late! I was so scared, and I didn’t want to go, but I also didn’t want to miss it. It had become a comfort to me and found I needed it. I went every week but missed my favorite part—the singing. I started doing activities with the LSC (social and service), read some more Bible stories and started to feel like part of the LSC family and feel God’s love. That semester, we went to one of our supportive congregations and spoke about the LSC. I had never talked about God or religion and I was just there to support the LSC and say thanks to the congregation for supporting us. But, then one of the church members asked Donna how the LSC reaches out to people who don’t have faith in their life. Well, Donna looked at me, and perhaps it was a miracle that I actually stood up. I knew she wanted me to say something, but I wasn’t about to tell all these people that I was clueless about God and Christianity and that I didn’t have the perfect family, and I don’t have a church home. But I found myself getting up and walking to the front. This was the same week at “Prayer and Praise Nite” when we talked about getting out of our comfort zone for Christ. I went up to the front, used the microphone and talked about something I had never talked about before— especially with strangers. I talked and cried and told the congregation that Chelsea shared with me that Jesus was a gift in my life. She had this gift and wanted me to have it too. Chelsea showed her faith to me, offered it to me, but never tried to force it on me. She brought me to a place—the LSC—where people never questioned me, never made me feel unworthy, never ignored me, never judged me, never forced me to believe their way and were always kind and loving. They shared their stories and faith with me and welcomed me into the LSC family. After we finished sharing the LSC with the congregation, many people came up to me and hugged and thanked me for sharing and welcomed me into their life and church. They also accepted me for who I was, where I came from and who I had been.
Second semester of that year came along and going to the LSC was part of my life. I went every week. The people there are amazing. I continued to go to church with Chelsea and even started to go to a Bible study when Chelsea wasn’t there. I did that on my own. I was walking by faith—I could do that because I now had faith! I am now in the first semester of my third year at Missouri State University. I feel like I completely belong at the LSC. I go to church regularly and love it! I know the pastor there and he knows me by name, which makes me feel like I truly belong. Redeemer Lutheran Church is my home church now. I have applied to work at a Christian summer camp because I want to bring people to know Jesus just like Chelsea and the LSC did for me. I have also just been elected to serve on the 2007 LSC student board and am looking forward to giving back to a place that has given me so much!