Testimonies

Mike

God has a way of breaking us.  He broke me a number of times by showing me the meaninglessness of pleasure.

I grew up in a Christian household.  As I entered high school I started to dislike going to church more and more.  Spending time with other Christians was boring and uncomfortable.  I started to skip church and did not spend any of my personal time practicing my faith.  Most of my time was spent wrestling, getting into mischief, and pursuing my own pleasure through books and movies.

As graduation from high school drew near, problems began to arise.  I failed my final semester of an algebra class which I needed to graduate.  I ended up not graduating with my class.  Instead, I took summer classes to get my degree.  Discouragement and depression dominated my thoughts.  I suppressed these feelings by escaping into different types of pleasure.

Community college continued my spiral downward. My first semester I failed all of my classes.  At one point I even stopped going to some of my classes.  I had no passion for any subject.

A year and a half into my Community College experience, things began to change.  At my part time job working at a grocery store I had a friend named Guy.  We talked frequently, always agreeing and sharing similar interests.  One day we were talking and the Bible came up.  I said that I believed it was true.  He said, “No it’s not, it is just a book of myths made up by men.”  We debated it for many weeks to come.  I began to realize I did not know the Bible as well as I thought I did.  I was forced to read it in order to defend it.  I believe this was the key to helping me see who Jesus was.

Simultaneously I was in an intermittent relationship with a girl I knew from high school.  I always believed that I was a good guy and would never use women.  This narcissistic illusion was shattered when I sinned against her egregiously and was caught in it.  I could no longer delude myself with my perceived sainthood.  I was really messed up.

One night I was reflecting on my life, something I rarely did.  I began to see a pattern of wickedness that was only getting worse.  I also realized that no pleasure, no matter how strong, was satisfying me anymore.  In tears I said to God, “I don’t want to live like this anymore.”  I remember thinking, "I've said this before, but this time I really mean it."

After this I began to read the Bible more, and to my surprise, it all started making sense. I realized now that I was a sinner and that Jesus had come to die for me personally.  I felt very energized and started to desire to go to church, read the Bible, and spend time with other Christians.  My grades turned around.  At one time nothing had any meaning, now everything did.  I even sought out the Christian Fellowship at college. I remember thinking as I stood outside the door to the first meeting, “I can’t believe I'm actually doing this.”

Upon graduation from Community College, I transferred to Bloomsburg University.  There I became involved in the DiscipleMakers ministry.  I grew in leaps and bounds and was impacted by Dave Kieffer, the DiscipleMakers staff worker.  As I neared graduation I had no other desire than to serve God in full time ministry. DiscipleMakers seemed like the perfect fit for me. I joined staff in May 2000.

Lyn

I grew up on a dairy farm in a Christian home. The whole way through high school I did what was expected of me, but it was not until college that the essence of Christianity pierced my life and changed me.

I attended Bloomsburg University and when I moved into the dorm, that was the first time I was in such close contact with people who so blatantly chose to sin.  I remember thinking, "Wow I need to really decide if I believe what I have been raised with all of my life."  I got involved with DiscipleMakers Christian fellowship, and I remember one night a speaker drawing a  simple picture of us in our sin and God on the other side of the paper.  He said that the only way we could reach God was by the bridge that Christ gave by dying.  Suddenly what I had heard all of my life clicked.  And slowly the Lord changed my heart and I started to make choices to follow the Lord in all areas of my life.

After graduation I worked as a nurse for four years until Mike gave me a better job offer to be his wife and partner with him in campus ministry.  I love being part of campus ministry and having a front row seat to see the Lord work in college students' lives and to see their impact on the world around us!