Finding Faith Again
Charlotte was feeling hopeless. God worked through you to bring her back into relationship with Jesus.
Charlotte’s* father was agnostic, and her mother was Roman Catholic. She grew up attending mass and was baptized at the age of six or seven—she was all in. But by the time she was 13 years old, she realized she didn’t believe in God.
For years, she wanted to focus only on what was logical. Things she could see and touch. Things that made sense to her.
But then she started attending LCC International University, a Resonate partner where several of your Resonate missionaries serve.
“Everything changed,” said Charlotte.
Feeling Lost and Lonely
While LCC is a Christian university, not every student who attends is a Christian. Some students are nominally Christian. Some practice other religions. Some, like Charlotte, aren’t really interested in religion at all. But LCC is a great place to ask questions and learn more about the gospel. Because of your support of Resonate missionaries on this campus, Charlotte had the support she needed
Charlotte was excited to start her freshman year at LCC, but it was a tough adjustment.
“I had a really difficult first semester. Really difficult,” she said. “I felt so lonely and so lost and so confused and so anxious . . . I felt dead.”
A Peaceful Presence
But then one day she went off-campus with her friends. She wasn’t feeling very talkative, so she withdrew and sat by herself on a bench for a while. Staring at a statue, she prayed to God for the first time in years.
“God I don’t need you to fix anything. I don’t need you to say anything. I just need you to come and sit next to me because I’m feeling really lonely right now.”
That was the first time anybody ever really wanted to engage with me in a conversation about who God is, what the Bible is, what happened, That was really helpful. I really needed that.
That night, Charlotte dreamt she was sitting on that bench again. A brilliant white figure—shaped kind of like a human but not quite a human—came and sat beside her. Didn’t say anything. Just sat with her.
“The next morning I felt more peace than I’d felt since I’d started at LCC, and I think that was the moment when I thought maybe this God thing isn’t all that bad. Maybe there’s some merit in it,” said Charlotte.
Finding Faith Again
Charlotte had a ton of questions, and your Resonate missionaries were there for her. She took a Bible course with your missionary Steve Van Zanen during both semesters of her sophomore year. She said she raised her hand with questions at least three times every class.
“That was the first time anybody ever really wanted to engage with me in a conversation about who God is, what the Bible is, what happened,” said Charlotte. “That was really helpful. I really needed that.”
She continued to ask questions in class, attend chapel, and talk with other students. By the start of her junior year, she realized she did believe in God. Near the end of her senior year, she was baptized in the Baltic Sea on Easter.
“I wanted to show God I was committed,” she said.
Thank you for sending and supporting missionaries through Resonate! God is at work through your support to make a difference in the lives of students like Charlotte. Please pray for Charlotte as she continues to grow as a disciple of Christ.
*Name changed to protect identit