Testimony

I came to Gettysburg College in the Fall of 2003 living a double-life. On the one hand, I was a good kid with a reputation for excellence – in high school I had been a varsity baseball player, an Eagle Scout, a co-editor of my high school newspaper, an honors student (and the list goes on).

In the quiet though, I was a broken and hurting young man, having spent the last year of high school in a deep depression after a close relationship turned sour. I rarely opened my heart to people, and lived a very sad and isolated existence. I didn’t want people seeing the truth about me, so I kept this latter part of my life hidden. I thought that if nobody saw my weaknesses and fears, then nobody could exploit them. I wasn’t really living though, I was going through the motions, and I was miserable.

Seeing my struggles before my eyes, I tried to rationalize things. If I just got far enough away from what I was familiar with, from Rhode Island, and the all the people I knew, then I could start my life over, make a change for the better. This is how I ended up at Gettysburg College. I tried alone for a while to make things work at college, but found myself stuck again, in fear and isolation.

Thinking life couldn’t get any more boring or empty, I tagged along with some friends down the hall to a Christian Fellowship meeting. It was there that I met Dave Kieffer and Jeremy Amaismeier. I remember that Dave preached that night about “who Jesus really was: liar, lunatic, or king”, and I remember thinking that I’d never heard anything like that before. I spoke with Dave afterwards, asking a bunch of questions, and his interest in me made me feel like somebody was truly interested in being my friend, in getting to know me. Jeremy soon followed suit.

As I grew closer to these men, what became increasingly apparent was how radically different their lives were from my own. I was so self-absorbed and miserable, and they were happy with their lives! I wanted more of what they had, and with the counsel of these men, with their constant pointing to the Scriptures for answers, the Lord opened my eyes to see his Truth. I confessed Christ as my own Savior and King in November of 2003.

Four years later, the Lord has used these men’s love for me to develop my own relationship with Him. I see how desperately lost in my sin I was when I came to college, how different I am now that the Lord has entered my life, and I want to share the hope of the gospel with others who are hurting, and distraught like I was. College students are coming to Pennsylvania schools from all over the world lost and floundering in their sin.

I have been called to preach the gospel to students who are like I was. I am compelled by the wisdom of Christ to do so.