Campus ministries: we have all heard of them. Sometimes, they are the people we run from because we secretly think they are trying to make us join some sort of cult. Sometimes, we only go to them to feed us free lunch. Sometimes, some of the people involved in them are the nicest and most caring individuals that we know. However you define them, I just need you to know that because of my campus ministry, my life has been changed.

Let me start with a bit of a back story. I came to Tarleton kicking and screaming. I swore up and down that I would never be caught wearing purple and attending the campus that I so loathed. Why in the world would I want to go there? There was nothing to be offered for me, or so I thought. You see, when I transferred in at the beginning of the Spring 2016 semester, I was acting like anything but a Christian. I was caught in a relationship that was so undoubtedly disappointing to the Lord and all of the people that knew about it. I moved out of my house, which is about an hour away, having burned so many bridges that I felt completely alone. My relationship with my parents was in the pits, my relationship with my brother was down the toilet, and my relationship with my friends… well, at that point, what friends? I was running from God, running from my family, and running from anything that even gave me the slightest idea of church. That is when it happened. My cousin, who was and still is a part of the BSM, invited me to come. Actually, he told me I was going, and looking back at that moment, I am so glad he did. You see, when I walked in, I felt dirty. My sin had begun to encompass and overtake my life, leaving me in complete darkness, unable to see any way out of the pit I was in. But let me tell you what I walked into when I walked in to the doors of the BSM that first Thursday night of the semester. I walked into what would soon become my family. I walked into a room of believers that spoke grace, truth, life, and love into my being. I walked into a room where I would meet a girl who would mentor me and love me for the rest of my time in Stephenville. I walked into a room where I could call any number of people at any time of the day if I needed anything. I walked into a room of people who would grab my hand and begin pulling me out of the deep, dark pit I was in. I walked into a room of people who would help me pick up the pieces of my life that I had so recently shattered due to my poor decisions. I walked into a room of people that would help connect me so that I could serve in Peru, which was a trip in which God really molded my heart. I walked into a room of people who I would soon call some of my very best friends.

No matter where you are in life, I encourage you to reach out. You do not have to go to church, be perfect, or even know about Jesus in order to come. About this time in the semester last year, I had felt as if my life was ruined and I had no idea where to go from there. I was sitting in the bottom of my pit looking up at the claw marks that I had made while trying to climb out. You see, I was trying to figure life out on my own. That is why I needed a hand to reach down and help me out. Your campus ministry can be that hand. I know that without mine, I would probably be off in another state, disconnected from my family, friends, and loved ones. I would be living a life that I felt I could not get out of. I would still be dead, not seeking help in the land of the living. So, to the campus ministry that saved my life, I give my thanks. I know that without them, I would not be here today.