\u201cThis is so dry,\u201d Ellen thought to herself as she looked at her Bible, feeling shame for thinking such a thought about the Bible and the simultaneous urge to let her eyes glaze over the words. Though raised in a loving Christian home, Ellen struggled to have a deep relationship with God. She felt obligated to read the Bible, but the stories felt flat and she felt helpless to learn from them herself. After reading a passage, what was she supposed to do next?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She wasn\u2019t like her theologically astute brother Darcy, who had just returned from a discipleship program called ARISE and was all on fire for Jesus. He\u2019d always had faith; it just came naturally to him. She admired his passion for God as he shared his experience, but it seemed out of reach for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\nKnocking on doors and talking to strangers about God was not her thing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Ellen had just graduated from high school and was faced with the question of what to do next. The future was a frightening chasm of uncertainty. Should she work? Travel? Study? She\u2019d never left home for more than two weeks at a time before. She was an introvert and anxious. The future also felt rather unexciting\u2014was her only option to work a 9-5 job her entire life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou could apply to go to ARISE,\u201d her brother suggested one day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deep down, Ellen really longed to have a deep connection with God. Maybe she wouldn\u2019t be able to keep up with all the amazing biblical scholars the program must attract, but if she could establish a stronger connection with God, wouldn\u2019t it be worth it? So, through her brother\u2019s encouragement, she decided to apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ellen arrived on campus nervous and excited. Coming from a church with few young people her age, she wanted to make friends. However, three months was a long time to spend with a bunch of super religious strangers in the hot Australian sun. Would she even enjoy it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first few days of class were rough. And then things got worse. On her second day of outreach, when they were just about to go out on the streets of Kingscliff, New South Wales, Australia, she hit a wall and the tears came. Who was she kidding? She wasn\u2019t a super Christian. Knocking on doors and talking to strangers about God was not<\/em> her thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Robbie, the outreach coordinator, took her to the church office to have a chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are different circles in our lives, Ellen,\u201d he gently explained as he sat across from her. \u201cThere is our comfort zone and then there is the growth zone. But there\u2019s also a not-coping zone, which is where you are, and we need to get you out of that.\u201d He smiled and offered to go with her on outreach. Ellen saw she wasn\u2019t being shamed or told she didn\u2019t measure up; she was being supported and encouraged, so she decided to keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the rough start, things started to change for Ellen from day one. She wanted to grow, so she began reading her Bible every morning. One day Ty taught a class on how to study the Bible. He took the class through an exercise where they studied a passage and then wrote their own paraphrases. Ellen was inspired and began writing more paraphrases. Over time, she started finding connections she hadn\u2019t seen before in the text and the Bible came alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She loved what she was learning in each class, discovering the gospel over and over again as she studied Calvary, prophecy, doctrine, and so much more. The material was stimulating yet accessible to everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u2026she started finding connections she hadn\u2019t seen before in the text and the Bible came alive.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Outreach still wasn\u2019t easy, but Ellen saw how God was using her. One day, she and her outreach partner knocked on the door of a man named Paul. They asked if he would fill out a survey they were giving. Paul said yes. They asked their questions and gave their church\u2019s information, and then left, not thinking much of it aside from the fact that it was a nice interaction. Later, they learned Paul had been searching for a Bible. Because he was so moved by Ellen and her partner\u2019s kindness, he called their church and asked for one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most surprising realizations Ellen had during ARISE was that people were important to her. As an introvert, she had wondered if she could enjoy hanging out with a group of people for so long. But they quickly became a family that helped her grow personally and spiritually, a family she needed. And they weren\u2019t just a bunch of theology nerds. Though coming from different backgrounds, they were just like her: people with hobbies, fears, strengths, and insecurities who wanted to follow Jesus. And they weren\u2019t nearly as scary as she\u2019d imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The day before graduation, Ellen went with her classmates who decided to go for a swim in the river. There was a point where you could jump off a ledge about 15 feet into the water, just before it connects to the ocean. When they had free time, her classmates often came here to jump off and swim. Ellen hadn\u2019t tried it yet, but now she was ready. As she plunged through the air and into the water, she felt free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She was going to take a gap year next in Germany, but the future was still very unknown. Prior to ARISE, this made her feel scared and unsure. Now she was still unsure, but that was OK. She was ready to jump into whatever plans God had for her, knowing He\u2019d catch her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking back, Ellen says her proudest accomplishment is her personal growth. By learning about herself, she has been able to understand others better. She can connect with people. She knows how to interact with the Bible herself. If someone talks to her about Jesus, she has something to say, and she truly believes God is her friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ellen is part of a generation that is known for leaving the church. Your donations to Light Bearers made it possible for her to attend ARISE and embrace her faith. If you\u2019re not a partner yet, we\u2019d like to invite you to join us as we train more young people to be disciple-makers and share the gospel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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