“God has been doing amazing things at Southampton this year and has used me more than I could ever have imagined. At uni, people are far more open to talking and questioning you about your faith, so Living & Telling was such good preparation! It helped me be more confident and encouraged me hugely, which was invaluable as God threw me right out of my comfort zone almost straight away during Freshers' Week, explaining my faith to new friends. I have even ended up helping out with something called ‘text a toastie’ - students text in a question about God, Christianity, etc. and we deliver a free toastie and answer their question. On average we end up doing about 60-70 a night in our halls alone (which has about 250 people) and through it we have been able to talk about God, share the gospel and pray for people. Some have even come to church out of it. Also, one of my good friends gave her life to Jesus which is so, so exciting! God is amazing!”

I wrote that during my first year of university. Wow, time has flown since then! I went on to help lead the student Alpha course that our Christian Union ran. Living & Telling not only equipped me, but inspired me to reach out to people with the Good News of the gospel - it turned a shy, introverted teenager into someone bold enough to stand up and speak in front of a room of people about my own faith. I distinctly remember on the course that we had to write out and tell each other our testimonies - of how we came to know and have a relationship with Jesus. It sounds odd maybe, but prior to that I hadn’t really formed a coherent story of my journey. It was so helpful to have that opportunity - it was invaluable, not only in the context of Alpha but in my life going forwards. Getting stuck into life and work after university, the lessons I learnt from Living & Telling have still stayed with me, giving me a confidence in my faith, in talking openly about it and telling people my experience. It instilled in me the seriousness and importance of Jesus’ words to us that we read in Matthew; ‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…’.

 

The Living & Telling course is FREE to download at www.livingandtelling.org.uk and is ideal for small groups as well as for larger training events.

 

   by Bethan Blee