At the beginning of last spring semester, I was riding a spiritual high from the Acts2 Winter Conference. It was my last semester of college and I wanted to put myself in a situation where God could work through me. For me, that meant trying to reach out to the people that I was already in touch with, and for me, it was my Navy ROTC unit. So at the beginning of my very last semester, I email blasted the battalion about a midshipman Bible study and prayed I might get a couple of people to sign up. To my surprise, about ten people joined the GroupMe right away. It seems like God was already at work!

I had planned to meet on Friday mornings in the library and eagerly awaited our first meeting. I showed up with a dozen bagels and a cup of coffee in hand, ready to embark on a reading of the Gospel of John. We had a group of about five or six and had a solid discussion on the first chapter. I anticipated that the group would only grow over the semester. Over the weeks that followed, attendance dwindled down to about three or four. Before long I had my first Bible study with no attendees. Then spring break rolled around, and with finals around the corner, it was a solid two on a good week.

What may look like a failed endeavor from the outside actually became many lessons and points of growth. This experience served as a lesson that the goal was not numbers, that despite having zero attendees, I could look up and know that the Lord was still pleased with me showing up. I also learned about my own shortcomings in trying to lead in ministry. I can be horrendously bad at sending out reminders and I found it easy to overbook my schedule and not make time to study the chapters before trying to lead a discussion on them. It was a great reminder that, like all things, being a good minister of the Gospel requires us to be diligent and to put in the work.

In spite of my shortcomings, I came away from the last week of Bible study feeling incredibly encouraged. It was just me and one fellow NROTC midshipman, and we got to discuss how God had been working in both of our lives. My friend shared the ways in which God was working in her life, and she also shared how she intended to start a new Bible study among not only Navy ROTC, but with Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC as well. Sometimes we think answering the call to ministry means that we are going to show up and be Billy Graham, but since most of us are not, we should not be discouraged. God is pleased when you show up even when others don’t and he remains faithfully at work.

John L. is newly graduated from Rutgers and was a student leader at Campus Light Church.

Hi, I’m Helene! I just finished my senior year at Rutgers and will be going into my 5^th year at Rutgers for the Fall 2026 semester. For the past two years, I have had the honor of serving as the Director of the Scarlet to White Retreat at Rutgers University, which is a 3-day, 2-night retreat for incoming Rutgers students to find their place before the school year starts, and to help them find a Christian community that can keep them rooted in Christ throughout their college years. Our Rutgers retreat was started by the Oaks Collaborative in 2025, and our 2026 retreat in August will be our second one.

Every week, we had a Scarlet to White Bible study call where we went over the book of Nehemiah. Every week, I would be asked if we had any news on student registrations. And every week, it killed me to always answer, “No, not yet.” No, we didn’t have any students one month before the registration deadline. No, we didn’t have any students the week before the registration deadline. It felt even worse when parents would ask me about how many other students we had registered.

The week of the registration deadline, the pastor of my church gave a sermon on Jairus’s daughter, from Luke 8:40-56. In this account, Jesus is approached by two people, a woman who has been bleeding for twelve years and a man, Jairus, whose daughter was dying. Although Jairus made his request to Jesus first, Jesus took time to speak with the woman who had been bleeding. By the time Jesus is ready to go with Jairus, he’s told not to bother, as Jairus’s daughter has already died. But Jesus insists on going to Jairus’s daughter, telling those mourning her to stop. When Jesus arrives, he tells the girl to get up, and “Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up.” (Luke 8:55, NIV) While there are a great many number of lessons to be learned from this story, the one I remembered that day is that sometimes God’s timing is planned so that a greater miracle can be worked. Jesus could have healed Jairus’s daughter from her sickness, but instead he waited and raised her from the dead. Despite facing death, Jairus didn’t lose faith that Jesus could help his daughter.

Just a few days later, 24 hours before we would cancel the Scarlet to White retreat due to a lack of registrations, our first student registered.

Then another.

And another.

Within 48 hours, we had 11 students registered for the 2025 Scarlet to White Retreat. A retreat that would be happening because we did have students.

If our students had registered at scattered times throughout the summer, of course, we would have been excited. But there’s something about 11 registrations happening in rapid succession after a summer of waiting for them that felt so… well, miraculous.

Now, having eleven registrations, we had to scramble to make up for lost time and complete all the retreat preparations. Like Gideon, our scrappy team was facing a task that, by all human accounts, was impossible, starting with the impossible 11 registrations. That retreat was held together by God alone.

I am currently serving as Director for the 2026 Scarlet to White Retreat. We’ve had a full year to plan this retreat. Our deadlines are manageable, and we’ve had opportunities to promote our retreat across campus. This year, our staff has grown and includes four of the original freshmen attendees – more than one-third of the original eleven. As I write this post, there are still eight weeks until the Scarlet to White Retreat. Eight weeks out, and we already have our first two students registered. When I heard the news of our first registrations, I felt a lot of things. Joy, excitement, gratitude, to name a few. But not surprise. This year, I put all my faith in God, knowing that He would provide. I wasn’t surprised by our first registrations because I knew they would happen in God’s great timing.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

The author of this post is Helene H., student leader at Campus Light Church

Here are some of her learnings from this past year:

I learned that church is built upon the sacrifices of people, people who said yes to God and no to their own desires and comforts. As I saw what it took to run a ministry in MSU, it dawned on me that there are so many older ones who came before me, and now I’m in the position of replicating the church I have been a part of since I was a baby.

I learned that the church is built upon people who put their “yes” on the table and decided to reject lives of comfort or optimization for themselves. The church indeed isn’t a building, but is made up of the people coming together before God. I also saw the support of the church in the way we were carried by the Ann Arbor church and the Acts2 Training Center in Elgin. I know that there is no way we could’ve done what we did this year on our own. Though it was daunting to look into a future of a church plant made of only CPIs, it was because of the larger church that we were able to come out of this year having been able to experience and learn so much. We’re able to keep going because of the church and the family we have in one another, being able to rely on each other for strength, encouragement, and growth.

I also learned that ministry is more for me than the people that we minister to! As I saw lives being changed, students understanding the gospel, and also the reality of spiritual battle, I experienced my heart aligning with God’s—my heart breaking for what breaks His, and rejoicing for the small spiritual wins. I experienced stepping out of myself to meet the needs of the ministry in front of me, and I experienced the joy that comes through surrender. Yes, ministry is for people to come to know God personally, but it’s really for the ministers to experience God’s heart, to experience joy and suffering, and to experience God working in very real ways— even through sinners like us.

Josephine was part of A2F Santa Barbara during her college years. She was a CPI at Anchor MSU, and is now at A2F Indiana Bloomington!

Here’s his reflection on this past year:

I would describe my CPI year as “foundational.” I’ve been thinking about Pastor Manny’s analogy of the arrow in flight from a message he gave. You have about 25 years to set the trajectory of your life; everything from then on out is sort of fixed. What you do in college, what you aim for, what you value and pursue, it’s going to have an enormous impact on the kind of person you’ll become. And once you graduate, once you release the arrow, it’s going to go wherever you’ve aimed it, whether you want it to or not.

CPI is the best foundation you could possibly get for the rest of your life. That’s not apparent from the outside looking in. It’s advertised as “Church Plant Intern”, which to me conjures up images of Welcome Week events, large group Bible studies, tabling and outreach, and meetups with students. And you’ll do all of that, yes. But that’s literally half of what we did each day, 12pm to 5pm. What about 7am to 12pm? We did DT together, read the Bible together, had times of soul care. One night of the week, we’d gather together for team meeting where we’d focus on singing hymns and praying for our students. We’d have nightly prayer in our houses. More than half of our time was devoted to being in God’s Word and preparing our hearts for ministry.

That isn’t so self-evident when you think of “CPI life”. I think a lot of students see CPI as something for the ultra-spiritual, student leaders who’ve been leading small groups since they founded their kindergarten Christian club. Maybe they think you need to come in with your whole foundation already poured and set. And you do need something there, sure, but CPI will strengthen the foundation of your faith and your relationship with God like nothing else can (save maybe foreign missions!).

Coming into CPI year, I thought my foundation was set pretty well. I’d been a Christian for 5 years. I thought I knew my way around Christian life. But man, did I have a lot more to learn. All that time spent in God’s Word during CPI showed me just how shallow my faith (and inner life) really was. How I didn’t know or treasure God’s Word as much as I thought, how broken and prideful I am, how I’m basically a sinner. But it also made me appreciate God and the gospel all the more: his grace, his mercy, the people he’d placed in my life, and, of course, how amazing it is to engage in ministry. There’s nothing quite like baptizing our first two students this year, or the joy of leading someone to Christ for the very time.

CPI year felt like investing in my soul, investing in God. I’d probably be alright if I hadn’t done it, but I think I’d be weaker in my faith, and shallower in my relationship with God and even with others. If you want the arrow that is your life to fly true, to be aimed at God and not at the things of this world, then do CPI. If you want to build a foundation for your soul that will allow you to rest in God during tough times in ministry and in life, then do CPI. If you want to grow in awareness of your own sin—but also in your appreciation for God’s grace and mercy on the cross—then do CPI. It’s worth it!

Brendan graduated from University of Michigan and was part of Anchor College Church. He’s now serving at Acts2 Fellowship Indiana.

During Spring Break, some mentors and students at Foundry had the opportunity to go on a Midwest Evangelism Road Trip (ERT) across Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri.

They kicked off the trip in Elgin, Illinois where students helped run a kids’ program while their parents attended various sessions at our Acts2 Training Center. With chances to meet new people from our network and have fun with the kids (plus a Korean BBQ “thank you” dinner from the parents), it was a really meaningful way to start the trip. They ended their time in Chicago by joining friends at Voyage College Church for Sunday Service.

From there, they drove down to Bloomington to connect with the church community at Indiana University, A2F. Their church leads graciously hosted in their home, with fellowship over snacks and meeting the college students and CPIs (church plant interns). The next day they joined for outreach on campus and experienced a lot of openness and meaningful conversations.

The next stop was St. Louis, Missouri. They were greeted with a bit of a surprise as the Airbnb looked nothing like the photos. Instead of being frustrated, they leaned into it and joked that it felt like they were on an overseas mission trip.

The next morning included a prayer walk around Washington University, and after, a visit to the iconic City Museum and the Gateway Arch.

Next stop: hitting the ground running with outreach at Mizzou. Despite the cold and windy weather, the team pushed through to keep meeting new students and invite them to a special event at a nearby park.

On the way back to Minneapolis, they stopped at Iowa State University for a prayer walk, taking time to lift up the campus and future ministry there. When they finally arrived home, church members welcomed them back with a meal. It was the perfect ending—a time of rest, reflection, and fellowship.

To encapsulate the experience, Jennifer, one of the sophomore students, shared the following:

At the beginning of the Spring 2026 Evangelism Road Trip, I felt nervous. The idea of approaching strangers and starting conversations about faith felt intimidating. I was afraid of being rejected or not knowing what to say. Throughout the week, I experienced both rejection and really meaningful moments of connection with strangers, along with Acts 2 Network and Foundry students, mentors, and staff.

One moment that stood out to me was a conversation I had with a Christian student at IU. They shared about how much they appreciated what we were doing and how important their faith was to them, especially in college. That moment meant more to me than I expected. It reminded me that what we were doing truly mattered, and that God can use even small, simple conversations in ways we may not immediately see. This was emphasized when “It takes someone hearing the Gospel seven times before turning to Jesus. You can be one of the seven” was said to the students on this trip.

This trip helped me realize the heart behind evangelizing and sharing the Gospel. It’s about being present, intentional, and genuinely caring for others in hope that they would choose and find life through Jesus and the many joys He offers.

As I stepped out, I had to face my fear of rejection, and over time, I felt myself becoming more willing and confident. I began to understand that obedience matters more than outcomes.

Overall, this experience taught me more about the Christian life and obedience. Obedience now feels less like obligation and more like a real, growing relationship with Jesus. Moving forward, I want to continue growing spiritually and living out my faith with courage.

Last but not least, here’s a recap video.

Jennifer is a student at the University of Minnesota and a part of Foundry College Church

A team of college students from Gather College Church spent their spring break serving in Belize on a mission trip with Filter of Hope. Here are a couple of their reflections.

From Sarah:

One of the takeaways I had was that God is very patient with me, even when I mess up when I’m sharing the Gospel or I mess up on the filter demonstration or I’m feeling burnt out.

He still finds a way to give me strength and use me.

He will use me even though I’m not the most capable person or the most confident person.

He still find ways that I can serve Him and that’s really a privilege.

I would definitely recommend going on a mission trip with Filter of Hope. Even though I went into it not being super confident and hadn’t shared the Gospel very much, and I’m not confident speaking to new people, I still am very glad I went.

So even if you don’t feel like you are prepared or you don’t feel confident about your abilities, God will still find a way to use you.

Saying that “yes” is a good step to take!

From Yilan:

Throughout the entire trip in Belize, just sharing the Gospel with other people in different houses that we visited, I just felt more and more confident each time when I shared the Gospel.

And while we were sharing the Gospel to other families, I was very joyful to see that they came to Christ.

At the same time, it was also a reassurance for us, especially for me, that each time we shared with them, we were also sharing to ourselves that the Gospel truth is deep inside me.

Because when I (first) went to Belize, if you asked me the question: from 1-10 how certain am I going to heaven: 1 is no, and 10 is a yes? I would say I’m in between like a 5 or 6 and most of the time uncertain.

But throughout the trip, I learned that Lord Jesus indeed has died on the cross for us and we did not have to receive our salvation by doing good works.

It definitely strengthened my mind about the truth of the Gospel.

And now if you ask me again from 1-10, I would say 10, certainly I am going to heaven!

Praise God for the work He did in and through our team members. See their mission trip recap video below:

Sarah and Yilan are students at the UC Davis and a part of Gather College Church.

Below is Kiara’s reflection serving as a camp counselor.

Youth ministry takes a lot of patience and listening. My campers had different interests and personalities. Sometimes they wanted to participate in different activities. I wanted to make sure that I was actively listening and that they all were being heard, that they all felt important and comfortable asking questions and voicing their opinions.

I learned that in the process you have to sometimes get out of your comfort zone. As you serve you’ll sometimes have to set aside your desires. My campers wanted to play in the snow for two hours. I didn’t have snow pants and couldn’t feel my legs but I did and it was a memorable time for them. God taught me that it was a way of showing them some love.

I always feel so joyful seeing people come to Christ, especially through retreats. It’s how I came to Christ.

Every time a name was called out to recognize someone for making a decision to follow Christ, I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. It was so beautiful seeing everyone rejoicing. I just get so excited because I know it’s the best decision that they are going to make in their life.

God is so good and I came into camp just knowing that he would be present and that people would make decisions. Many of us have been witnesses to seeing our prayers be answered. All the hard work, all the planning, the sufferings, the lack of sleep. It is so fulfilling and makes me know that it is all worth it.

Kiara is a senior and a part of Koinonia at SF State University.

From Daniel

My friend, Sam, and I were thinking about organizing this event when this semester began in January; we had done something similar last year and were thinking of doing it again. We were both leading these events, and I initially thought that organizing them would go smoothly because the experience Sam and I already had. However, I experienced quite the challenges to my expectations, patience, confidence, and capabilities as a leader while working with the other student leaders. Sometimes, I felt discouraged by seemingly not being able to rally the students to act together or come up with suggestions or organizational methods that others agreed with, but I have since learned that there is much more to leading than charismatically motivating a convincing idea.

For instance, I learned that I often make unfair assumptions about others, that clear communication requires active and consistent attention, that no matter how frustrated I feel, I can bring my feelings to the Lord and, through the power of Christ, to others extend the grace He has given to me. Additionally, I learned a deeper sense of the importance of honesty with others and with God. My pastor, David Jun, encouraged me to share with the other student leaders my fears about the March 7 event, and in doing so, as uncomfortable as it was to share my insecurities, I got to experience the grace of my friends and was reminded that God had given us to each other as His gifts. I was powerfully reminded in that moment that I should trust my friends, not because of their capabilities but because we do share the same heart to advance the kingdom of God for His sake.

Even when we received no audience at all on our March 7 event, we still followed through that heart by inviting random people around our venue and switching from our original program to a more casual watch party. And God graciously allowed us to meet 15 new people that day who just came in to eat free food but also got to have spiritual conversations with us. And on March 28, when we did see people who we invited come (after having made a more intentional effort to promote the event), God graciously allowed us to have a smoothly run program overall and to meet for the first time a few more seeking students.

In retrospect, I can see how important it was for my character to experience these challenges before seeing the second event turn out well. The event that Sam and I had organized in spring of 2025 resulted in 80 people attending, 60 staying for all of it, and we had hoped for a similar turnout again this year. But if we did see such, I imagine it would have inflated my pride, and God certainly brought it down for how we had “failed”. He led me to reconsider my priorities around these events, and He led me to confront my valuing of their logistics over simply giving Him glory. So He prepared me to give rightful gratitude to Him for everything I have experienced through these projects, even the challenges. As a result, my peace and security in leadership and in life are more soundly founded in the Lord rather than in what I can do.

So I cannot take credit for the impact we student leaders have had but can only give thanks to God. I praise the Lord for the work He has done in and through us, and I pray to continue to hear His voice guiding me through the end of this semester and into CPI. And I thank Him for humbling me so that I can acknowledge the truth of His merciful love that leaves no room to be proud of myself. This was surely a semester of struggle and growth; I am glad to end my time at Purdue in this way.

From Sam

Last year (Spring of 2025), my peers and I put on a “student seeker event” which involved a testimony potluck and a boba social. I learned a lot about putting together events and really enjoyed working alongside my friends to share the gospel. As student leaders, I figured that it would be good to do something similar this year. The original idea was to do something more -- an overnight retreat -- but after nobody (literally zero people) attended our initial interest event, we decided to pivot to KBBQ and Big Questions (because who doesn’t love kbbq?). It was great getting to see friends working together, and stressful when decisions were slow to be made. I also really appreciated experiencing something not going as planned during ministry. I think it was valuable to experience disappointment, but also to work to move past and adjust our plans without giving up. Overall, I gained a really big appreciation for the amount of planning, logistics, and work that went into the Friday nights and other such fun events I attended as an underclassman.

We had a ton of freshmen join our church this year with lots of variance in their faiths. I saw many that were enthusiastic or wanted to pursue God more, but were unsure of how. I was inspired by what Roy and Kaitlyn did for us my freshman year, taking us through Course 101 deliberately, with the intention of teaching us how to teach it. So, I came up with T&T, or Tabling & Training, to help show others that having spiritual conversations wasn’t so bad. The idea was to do simple “cookie for a question” tabling (with KBBQ and Big Questions as a good event to flyer for) and for participants to take ideas/questions from conversations they had and have talks with their friends/families/coworkers/classmates. Feedback from these underclassmen was really positive! The thing I heard the most was “oh, it’s actually not that bad” and people were excited to ask questions and to talk with their friends more about spiritual topics. Hopefully, this encourages them to sign up to be student leaders in the coming school year.

It was great seeing God work through us. Even though things didn’t go exactly as planned, I think we were able to learn more about ourselves and what it took to work together as a unit. I came away learning a lot more about my own tendencies, and how they can be both good and bad. God showed me ways in which I was difficult to work with, especially where and when my own pride interfered and I tried to work things out for myself. I’m excited to take these lessons into my senior year and on and I hope to continue to grow as a leader, helping others grow closer to God as I grow closer to Him too.

Daniel is a senior and Sam a junior at Purdue University. They are student leaders at Purdue A2F.

I quit my company (Tomoji) to focus on God.

For 48 hours.
Last weekend, I went on a winter retreat with my college church.
In the middle of nowhere. No wifi. (Feels like) -31 degrees.

Honestly, I was really hesitating whether I should go.
> Last weekend was the Super Bowl.
> My roommates and I had a potluck planned at our house.
> And it was the last time I’d get to watch my girlfriend compete in collegiate swimming.

I really wanted to stay back.
But I was broken. I needed help more than I even knew at the time.
I was a little nervous, not really knowing what to expect.
But the people at my church are so welcoming, it always feels like home.

After our second sermon on repentance, I sat down with my church mentor and my pastor for over an hour and told them everything.
I tried to be as open and vulnerable as I possibly could.
The sin and burden I’d been carrying all along, without me even realizing it.
It was beginning to affect all aspects of my life. At work, I had no patience with my team, and every day I felt annoyed and directionless.
But when I opened up, I received nothing but love.

I recently heard a sermon from famous pastor Cliffe Knechtle, and he said something that stuck with me: “I’m a worse sinner than I ever realized, but I’m more loved than I ever hoped for.”
And meditating on that contrast is the beginning of faith.
I always knew about what Jesus did for me on the cross, but I didn’t really GET IT until that weekend.

So I left thankful.
Thankful for my mentors.
My pastor.
A loving community of believers who feel like family.
But most importantly,

Thankful for a God who laid down His life to save me from the punishment I deserve: death.

I came back to work on Tomoji alongside Michael Long and Jordan F. with a weight lifted off my chest. Lighter. Like a breath of fresh air.

For the first time in a while, I showed up with a clear sense of direction and a newfound confidence to serve my team.

Your work can wait. Your soul can't.

(I also made it back just in time for kickoff 😆)

Elijah is a graduate student at Northeastern University and a part of Reclaimer College Church.

For Megan, her life before Christ was characterized by the need to achieve - she grew up in a family who excelled in academics and athletics, and she was driven by the same desire, to maximize life and to find her worth in her talents. However, in her junior year, she started to experience burn out and realized that she was being enslaved by the constant pursuit of success. A turning point was when her brother Richard got baptized in the A2N Boston church, which led to spiritual conversations and something he said that struck her “If eternity is real, then our achievements here won’t ultimately matter.”

Richard encouraged her to start checking out the Seattle church, then she took Course101. Then came Passion week, and through watching The Passion of the Christ movie, she finally understood the significance of the cross.

“Up until this point I saw Christianity as a self improvement plan and I didn’t understand how repentance was enough to right the wrongs because it felt too easy to just say sorry and move on. I learned that only Jesus dying on the cross is enough to right our wrongs. Jesus had to die for us to receive true forgiveness.

The phrase, “Jesus died for our sins”, was no longer abstract. My sin isn’t bad decisions — it’s my pride, my need for control, my chasing approval, my building my identity on things other than God. And instead of rejecting me for that, Jesus bore the cost of it.”

After making her salvation decision at Easter Sunday last year, she began to make new changes in her schedule and prioritize spiritual disciplines, such as prayer and devotional time. And since then, she’s experienced a deep security being rooted in God’s love.

“Before, I thought I could only be loved through works, and that failing would lead to rejection; but now I know that God loves me even though I am a sinner. God humbled me, showed me the ways in which I could never satisfy my own desires, and worked through my struggles to lead me to a loving relationship with Him.”

Meichen is another student who got baptized on the same day, but her journey was different. She grew up in a Christian family in Beijing, China, and her family was very involved in church. However, her convictions took time to grow.

“Whenever someone asks me, “How did you become a Christian?”, I would say, “I am a Christian because my parents are Christians and I live a Christian life just like them.”

In high school, she found herself struggling with her body image, performance anxieties, and it was during that time when she stopped going to church. Coming to college at UW Seattle, she met some ISM mentors and experienced being radically loved and welcomed into the community.

“They chose to open their house, cook meals, and that we would grab food and sit around a table where our ISM mentors would hear us talk about what’s happening in life and genuinely want to know and support us. It reminds me of home. However, deep down in my heart I think this is too good to be true. I thought it won’t last too long and the mentors will eventually burn out of their love and effort in this.”

Over Thanksgiving, she started writing her testimony with her mentor, but there was something critical missing in her testimony. She couldn’t identify her turning point. Growing up she always thought of herself as Christian, an identity given by her family.

“Christianity was the very first thing that was introduced to me and it is the primary filter of how I see the world. I don’t remember when there’s a time when I’m not “Christian”. The piece that I kept avoiding was to give up the pride and arrogance of thinking I’ve been raised on these good Christian ‘moral standards’ and that I’m not as much of a sinner as other people, which I used as an excuse for not having a turning point.”

After going to Elgin, Illinois for the Acts2 network wide winter conference, she was convicted by one of the speakers, Cliff Knectle, and realized that she needed to make a clear Lordship decision, confess her sins before Jesus, and declare Him as the rightful Lord of her life.

“After making my Lordship decision, everything became more clear. I now see that Christian life is not a spectrum and that following God is a YES or NO answer and there’s no middle ground, I either follow Jesus or I don’t. It’s such a relief as my life is now based upon God’s standards instead of my own.”

Titus 3:5, “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”

Praise the Lord for these 5 lives that have been changed!

Megan, Meichen, Evan, Ivan, and Joseph are a part of A2F and Klesis in Seattle, WA.

One of them, Ricky Zhao, shares his fuller story below.

My first experience with church was when my grandparents decided that it would be a good idea to start bringing my sisters, my cousins, and I to a Taiwanese Christian church in our neighborhood. Though we are not Taiwanese, it was the only Chinese-speaking church in my neighborhood which served as sort of a social hub for a bunch of older Chinese people. I was around 9 years old and among the oldest of the kids to join Sunday school – the place where they would teach us about John 3: 16 and the fruits of the Spirit. However, being the immature kid that I was, I would goof off a lot and struggled to understand what it all meant. Ultimately, I saw church as a place where I go once a week to play with kids my age and eat free lunch afterwards. After a couple of years, I had grown out of Sunday school and joined my older sisters in the English ministry where I became surrounded by older people ranging from young adults to middle-aged people. I felt out of place as it felt more like a lecture rather than the carefree playtime that I was used to, which meant less fun for me. To me, it was just singing random songs and listening to the pastor telling me random stories which eventually led me to stop going altogether. I never saw my own wickedness and figured that the messages did not apply to me so I went on to live my own life, not giving God a second thought.

For the next several years, I had made it my goal to live for myself and chase after a comfortable, pleasurable life. My mentality was: “Work hard, play harder”. Having the responsibility of helping my parents run their restaurant, it served as sort of an excuse or justification for me to go out and have as much fun as I could, no matter the cost. This fueled my immaturity, irresponsibility, and lack of direction as I turned to playing lots of video games, thinking that I could gain accolades and recognition through it. I practiced for countless hours to get better at gaming, hoping that, one day, I would be acknowledged or accepted by others and finally feel like someone. My competitiveness and insecurity led me to become extremely corrupted by gaming. It got to the point where my parents, grandparents, and even my siblings got involved. At the time, I could not, or rather, I chose not to acknowledge how my addiction to gaming was affecting them. I got angry easily and would snap at them when they would try to get me to stop. It consumed me to the point where I wouldn’t even associate or spend time with my family despite being in such close proximity. I neglected my family and caused unnecessary disputes and arguments which carried on into high school.

I spent my high school years aimless and careless while hanging out with the same handful of people and doing the same menial tasks. I avoided thinking about the bigger questions in life because I simply thought it was too cumbersome. To add on to my lack of purpose, my insecurities and shame only grew on the inside. When COVID hit during my sophomore year, my life shifted to become very isolated and confined. The remote learning experience only drove me deeper into a pit where I lost every bit of motivation to learn and my passions broke apart. My focus and drive gradually drifted away which left me empty; thus, in an attempt to fill my emptiness, I distracted myself through more gaming and binging shows. I came out of lockdown as an even more broken person. On the outside, I put on the facade of that innocent and soft-spoken introvert. However, on the inside, I was filled with insecurity, lust, resentment, envy, and shame. As I entered college, I had only wanted to lay low for the next four years and get through it without growing any attachment to anything or anyone. My mentality was to just get by, and it meant that I had spent my first two years of college bouncing between classes and my dorm. Eventually, it got to the point where I had stopped going to class altogether which led my grades to drop drastically. During this time, I had invested most of my days playing video games or doomscrolling, where I spent more time talking to people online than in real life. Nevertheless, all these relationships were very shallow and it made me feel even lonelier. I convinced myself that I could find comfort and fulfillment in a relationship which only made me idolize it in a toxic way. I tried filling the God-shaped vacuum in my heart with another broken person which – well, it didn’t end so well.

By the fall semester of junior year, I was in a really bad state. I had lost my scholarship due to the fall of my GPA, I failed a class for the first time in my life, my heart was in a million pieces, and the worst part was that I felt like I had no one that I could go to. Every time I closed my eyes at night, I would get lost in a tangle of intrusive thoughts and self-loathing — leading me to think that maybe it would be easier if I had just gone away. I avoided sleep by playing videogames and doomscrolling into the late morning. When I woke up in the late afternoons, I would lay in bed thinking about how much I hated my life and myself because despite trying to blame everything else, I knew that it was me that messed up.

It wasn’t until around mid-January when my oldest sister, Cindy, texted me out of the blue asking if I was free during the weekend of February 7-9th. If you knew us, we did not have that type of relationship where we would talk to each other frequently. Despite that, I still respected her as an older sister as she had taken care of my other two sisters and I when we were younger. Anyways, she pitched the East Coast Winter Retreat to me like it was a fun weekend where I get to meet college students, like me, from all throughout the northeast. Now, I suspected that it was a church event so I was skeptical at first. But, I figured it was an opportunity to see my sister (who was also offering to pay for it), and I quite literally had nothing better to do with my time, so I gave her a “maybe”. I had forgotten about that conversation until about a week later, Cindy had texted me again to encourage me to go to the Sunday service so I could at least meet some of the people at church first. I left her on read. By this time, a mentor from the church, Winston, had also reached out to me about rides to the retreat to which I replied with “Okay, sounds good. Thanks”. After a few conversations with my friends who’s advice I didn’t end up taking, the day finally crept up on me. I packed a sole duffel bag and walked to the loading zone of the Cathedral of Learning where I was met with a fleet of Honda Odyssey’s. I considered turning around at that point. However, I had already been spotted by Nathan (another mentor at the church) who promptly greeted me and said, “You must be Ricky, Cindy’s brother. Looks like you’re in my car!”

And so it was about a five hour car ride to Maryland, sitting in a packed car with a senior and some freshmen I didn’t know. Somewhere in the middle of the ride as I was trying to avoid as much talking as I could, Nathan said, “Let’s each share our stories/backgrounds”. I wanted to pretend to be asleep. But, eventually, we arrived at the dark and cold retreat site. We walked into the gymnasium where I finally met Winston in person, and they hyped the students up for the retreat.

Going into the first session, I was expecting it to be like a boring lecture. As the worship began, I felt out of place and couldn’t get myself to sing along. However, as I was able to listen to the message that revealed how sin was an “I” problem and that I was putting my treasures and values into worldly things that did not matter in the end, my heart started to open up a bit. I felt convicted about the way that I was living and I didn’t want to continue. I was the very reason why my life ended up as messy as it was. I had thought I knew what was best for me, when actually, I didn’t have a clue. After a full day of messages, I somehow ended up beside Winston again. To battle the awkwardness, I asked him questions about what it means to be a Christian and even shared a bit about myself. To which he responded by sharing the GOSPEL acrostic with me and invited me to go on a prayer walk with him. At first, I didn’t know what to do, but Winston guided me and prayed for me as we walked around the retreat site. I felt accepted and seen.

During the retreat, the gospel became clear to me. The gospel which says that there is a God that loves me and valued me so much that He paid the ultimate price for me. I remember during one of the sessions, the pastor had used the analogy of a watermelon. This watermelon looked pristine on the outside — without any blemishes. However, when the pastor cut open the watermelon, a mush of watermelon oozed out onto the table. It was indeed spoiled and inedible. Like this watermelon, I had spent my life thinking that as long as I kept up a pristine outwardly appearance, everything would be fine. On the outside, I portrayed myself to be that innocent, smart, and mature kid who carried the weight of many responsibilities on his shoulders. I tried my best to impress and please all types of people, hoping that I would not be on the receiving end of teasing or insults. I forced myself to remain indifferent and nonchalant towards people after constantly being told that I was “too much” and was cautious to show much of my real self. Ultimately, I was always self-conscious of what people thought of the real me, hoping that the watermelon would never get cut open. All the while, my sin was spoiling me on the inside and it had already begun to show. In my seat, as I listened to the pastor bring his message home, I truly saw how futile my situation was. I was wasting my life away trying to please other people and striving to find my worth in things of the world that would actually never fulfill me. I felt hopeless and helpless. But then, hearing that there was hope for me and that there was a savior that deemed me to be so valuable that he gave up his life as a ransom for mine. This love was one that I did not deserve nor was it something that I could earn. It was an act of grace that was given through the unconditional, sacrificial love of Christ. I realized that this whole time, I was living without regard to a very personal God that was just waiting for me to come back home. Being a child of God was not a title I had to work towards or earn. Rather, it is an identity that I had to embrace. I saw that I no longer needed to chase after the attention or affection from other people because the God of the universe has already displayed how much I mean to Him by sending His only son to die on the cross so that I may one day join Him in heaven. Right then and there, I knew that I wanted to put my wholehearted trust and faith in that alone.

At the end of the retreat, they invited people who made significant decisions to come up onto the stage and I was so nervous that I stuttered through the declaration of Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Despite that, a room full of people that I did not know rejoiced and congratulated me. I searched the room for my sister and I could not help but to break down into tears as we hugged. I was thankful that she invited me to the retreat and most of all, I was thankful that God kept pursuing me despite all the time that I had turned my back on Him. A flood of emotions washed over me and for the first time in a long time, I knew I was not alone.

After the retreat, the car ride back to Pittsburgh was different. It felt much more familiar and comfortable as these “strangers” were normal guys like me who were also just trying to find their footing. The following Sunday, I started coming out to church and met even more people who welcomed me. I realized that God provided exactly what I needed at the lowest point in my life — it was this community that was focused on heaven rather than the world. I strangely felt like I had known them for a long time and they quickly became my home away from home. Christ met me where I was, welcomed me back home, and turned my life around even though I did not deserve it.

Now as I walk alongside Christ with the guidance of my mentors and peers, I have seen how blessed my life actually is. By inviting the Lord to transform my heart posture, I have been able to become a better son to my parents, a better grandson to my grandparents, a better brother to my sisters, and a better friend. I have been blessed to join in God’s plentiful work that He has prepared beforehand. Now with a purpose and direction, I have replaced the time that I had previously spent playing videogames and doomscrolling with fellowship and engaging in ministry. My previous visions for my future were now transformed into building a stronger and deeper relationship with Christ as I have been able to forgive and let go of the past. Moreover, I’ve seen that by chasing after God, He truly is able to do far more abundantly than all that I ask or think. So much so that even my grades have improved tremendously. Praise God.

As I continue to walk alongside Christ and get to know the person of Jesus better, I can lean on Him even more. Even though I stumble and fall short of His glory, I find comfort in knowing that His mercy and grace is greater. I find peace in living solely for His audience. I find purpose in surrendering all my desires and living by His will. I find joy in faithfully abiding in the Lord and His Word, becoming a man after His heart. As I engage in conversations with my friends and family who do not know Christ, I am grateful that I get to share my testimony and the gospel with them. I pray that one day, the Lord will open their hearts and welcome them back home as well. The Lord has my blank check and my “Yes” on the table, permanently. Therefore, I want to spend the rest of my time here on earth sharing this good news to all the people that God has placed in my life.

Ricky Zhao is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh, and a part of River College Church

At the recent Northeast Winter Retreat, many students responded to the messages with meaningful and life-changing decisions. Praise the Lord! Jordan is one such student, who made the decision to follow Christ. Below is a brief reflection on what led him to cross that line of faith:

“I made the decision to recommit my life to Jesus because I felt that for some time I had taken charge over my life. However, one of the sermons was about Absalom who tried to dethrone his father, David. In pursuit of his father, Absalom dies and when David gets word of this he weeps and wishes that he could take his son’s place. This retreat made me realize that I was Absalom because I was taking over my life and calling the shots for myself and serving my own interests. But one of the pastors said that God has rewritten how the story ends. Through Jesus, He has taken our spot and sacrificed himself so that we may live.”

Here’s a recap video:

Jordan is a Junior at the Berklee School of Music and a part of Reclaimer College Church.

During spring break, students from River College Church partnered with Word of Life and Filter of Hope, sharing the gospel and providing water filters to families in need across the Dominican Republic.

Below is Sam’s sharing:

I’m thankful for being able to come to the Dominican Republic during spring break to experience the beautiful view and culture of the country, and to get to know a lot of people living here, many brothers and sisters in Christ of different backgrounds, and most importantly being able to distribute water filters to different households, and to share the gospel with them. It was a totally different and totally new experienced, and it was good. I’m thankful for all the people from the local churches, from Filter of Hope, from Word of Life, and from A2F who made this trip possible. And I’m thankful for God that he’s making this happen. I”m thankful for the fact that we were able to distribute the filter to roughly 70 families and that 21 people among the families, people who hadn’t had a personal relationship with Jesus, made the decisions to choose Jesus as the Lord over their lives. I’m deeply aware that I shouldn’t take credit for it, for so many other missionaries and local church people have reached out to them and planted seeds in their heart, and that God has been working on their hearts to make the seeds bear fruit. I’m also thankful for being able to develop a closer relationship with the team. I got to know about and work together with the Michigan people, and I got to interact with Luis, Kat, and Emily (who I rarely see on campus) more and learn more about them. I’m also thankful for Diego, Roger, Victor, and all the other translators. They made my sharing of the Gospel to the people here possible. Huge thanks to the guides from the local church. They led the way into the families. I’m also thankful for Fred, Ashley, Nick and Sarah. They led the team and made the whole trip organized. Fred also helped me when I encountered questions that I did not know how to answer while sharing the Gospel. This made me realize that I need to learn about the Bible more.

This trip showed me clearly than ever how God is indeed good and is constantly working in everybody’s heart. Regardless of whether the person accepted Christ or not, at each family during each gospel sharing, I could see that the Gospel went deep into their heart and that they were all moved by it. The first house we visited on Monday, an old lady lived alone in there. She told us about how one of her two sons lives in New York City and cut off his connection with her, and how she was hurt by that. That really made me sad. It was my first time sharing the Gospel during the trip, and also the first time I shared to someone I didn’t previously know of (actually I’ve only shared to my parents before this). I had to look at the cheatsheet multiple times to remind myself of what I should talk about next, and my hands were shaking when I did the “pour water” analogy to explain how doing good deeds doesn’t make up for our sinful nature, and can’t guarantee eternal life with God after death. I thought that I really did a bad job at sharing the Gospel, but to my surprise, she said that she wanted to make a decision at the end. At that moment I clearly felt how God has been working to open her heart to listen to the truth and the good news, and to make Jesus the Lord over her life, to be saved before her time comes.

I learned a couple things from this trip. The first thing I learned is that I should put more trust in Jesus and make him the center of my life again. Sunday night when we finished the first distribution session, during the free time I was in the room trying to use the camp wifi to watch the lectures from the course that I was behind on. It worked until it didn’t and then the network connection never restored, which made me upset. I started thinking about the tasks, goals, commitments, pressures that I had on my shoulder, and I felt overwhelmed and anxious. I thought to myself, I really gave up the spring break time that could have been useful to do other things. What am I going to do with these things that I need to do? Am I just going to run out of time and fail? But by the time I went to bed, after recalling what happened in the day and thinking about the teachings from Jesus, I realized I was moving him away from the center of my life and not putting trust in him. I should instead focus more on him and trust that he will plan everything out for me, that even if some of the things that I’ve been chasing after didn’t work out, it is still the best plan he has planned out for me, and therefore there is nothing to worry about.

The second thing I learned is that I really need to learn more about Jesus’ teachings in order to live it out, and be able to answer other peoples’ questions about Christianity when they are in need of an answer. We never know if a good answer from the Bible can help a person make the decision. I also felt a lot more comfortable about sharing the Gospel with other people now. I had previously thought that I’m not yet ready to share the Gospel, but after all these Gospel sharings I did here in the Dominican Republic in which I had to communicate with people whom I don’t know in different languages, I have come to the realization that it really is not that hard to share the Gospel with other people.

Sam is a student at Carnegie Mellon University and a part of River College Church

It was especially meaningful to be joined by Steven’s longtime peers—Isaiah, Bob, Neil, and Jordan—who flew in to serve our students through workshops, worship, and personal testimonies. Their presence brought both wisdom and encouragement, helping set the tone for a rich and impactful retreat.

Throughout the weekend, messages centered on the life of David, inviting students to consider what it truly means to repent, receive God’s forgiveness, and pursue a noble cause together in community. We’re grateful that several students made Lordship decisions, choosing to recommit their lives to Jesus as Lord and Savior, and that one student made a first-time decision to follow Christ.

Beyond the sessions, friendships deepened and many took bold, personal steps in their faith. We’re thankful for all that God has done and are expectant for how He will continue to move in the lives of these students in the days ahead.

Here’s a recap video:

During spring break, students from Reclaimer College Church served in the Dominican Republic, distributing water filters and sharing the gospel with local communities. A couple students share about what they experienced on the trip:

Rebecca:

During our Filter of Hope mission trip to the Dominican Republic, our team got equipped with Bible verses to use in the gospel presentations, put on a children’s program (where kids showed up 1.5 hrs earlier than expected), and shared the gospel to 85 people with 15 people making salvation decisions!

The mission trip was particularly insightful for me as coming back home to my non-Christian friends here helped me realize that my life here in Boston is just as real a mission that God has personally called me to.

In this way, the trip felt a lot like a launch pad back to life in Boston. Post mission trip, our team is realizing that the spiritual battle we experienced there is just as real here: it may not be a loud truck suddenly interrupting a gospel presentation, but instead the quiet comforts and busy schedules that slowly chip away at our focus and convictions. It’s all the more a time of remembering what is true: the gospel we preached in DR is not any less true or relevant in people’s lives here, the peace we have in Jesus is not any less real when we have our own difficulties (John 14), and the God we praised for the souls saved and seeds planted there is the same God that saved us and who we can hope in to work in lives here.

Henoch:

My biggest takeaway from the Filter of Hope mission trip this past spring break was that I need to depend on God and His word in every aspect of life, but especially in ministry. Coming into the trip, I was really confident in my ability to articulate intellectual arguments in sharing the gospel with people, but I quickly realized that I was ill-equipped to support these arguments with scripture, especially when faced with tough questions. Through the time I spent poring over many Bible passages, I was taken aback by how immediate and direct God’s word is in addressing common questions and doubts that people view as obstacles to putting their faith in Jesus. It turns out that I was not ill-equipped; God’s word is all I needed in those moments where I felt like I had no answers. Ultimately, ministry is not about me or what I can do, but my willingness to be used by God in whatever way He desires – that begins with knowing and using His word, not mine.

And here’s a video recap that the team put together:

Rebecca is a student at Northeastern University & Henoch is a student at Boston College.

The National Collegiate Day of Prayer took place on Thursday, February 26, 2026. On this day each year, college students across the country gather to pray for revival on campuses and for the gospel to spread throughout the world.

This tradition stretches back to the mid-1780s, at the dawn of the Second Great Awakening, when early missions mobilizers began calling students to pray that the gospel would reach the nations. In many ways, these gatherings became part of the spiritual awakening that swept across the nation.

This year at University of California, Berkeley, students from Acts2Fellowship, Soon Movement, and Reformed University Fellowship joined together to host a full day of events mobilizing students to pray for the advance of the gospel on campuses around the world.

Throughout the day, we hosted a table with prayer resources, set up a prayer tent that sustained a 12-hour unbroken prayer chain, and concluded the evening with a campus-wide prayer gathering.

Buiry, one of our seniors, participated in the entire day. Here is how she described her experience:

Collegiate day of prayer started off with a morning prayer at 7am in Dwinelle, where we got the chance to meet fellow Christians from around campus and pray together for our shared campus. I really appreciated this time as it gave us all a chance to put aside our differences and see everyone move towards the same goal of a campus revival.

From 8am-5:15pm, we were under the tent outside of Sproul, and this was impactful as it put us in front of the whole campus as we prayed and worshiped together. I got the chance to just focus on God and pray for the different needs people brought forward, which helped me open my eyes to the needs that went beyond what I could only see in my personal life. There was some times of worship where we could reorient ourselves back to giving thanks and praise to God, which I was grateful for, as I could remember who He is and how He’s already been moving in this campus.

During the ending campus wide prayer meeting, I was amazed and encouraged to see so many people and felt blessed to have a strong community of believers who had strong faith in God’s ability to move in Berkeley.

I loved seeing students take the lead on the event (as you can tell by the professional signage🤣). And I loved seeing students gather on campus under our prayer tent on Sproul, which is the heart of campus life, to pray for students everywhere to open their hearts to the gospel and for people to be saved. At night, one of the students preached his heart out to the many students lounging on Memorial Glade and passing through on the way to class. Ever since I came back to the Berkeley campus, I’ve heard story after story of students being stressed, too busy for spiritual things and generally, not interested in God or church or Christianity. But when people pray, things happen.

“This day is often the beginning of a revival in the college… It is impossible to estimate the influence of this great national prayer meeting.” – Luther D. Wishard (1882)

Buiry is a senior at the University of California, Berkeley

The retreat was a powerful and clarifying time for Jaiden, a junior at North Carolina State University. Here’s his story:

What does it mean to be a Christian? Is it declaring to the Lord that you believe in Him, doing works to show your constant dedication, or being a good person and not making mistakes? This was the question I’ve been asking ever since redeclaring my faith on Easter.

I was struggling behind the scenes. I was constantly scared of opportunities thrown my way and had constant doubt about myself and how God would help me, but I kept telling myself that I was fine and that this was just a phase. I repented constantly but never felt relieved. I constantly thought God was disappointed in me because of my sins. Over winter break, I was running and hiding from Him through watching videos to cure my loneliness and anxiety. I thought things would get better in the spring semester with new opportunities to reconnect with like-minded friends of faith, but I kept up my mask, finding it hard to admit my wrongdoings and insecurities. I continued to hide in games and distractions in the hopes of keeping away this lingering feeling of doubt and anxiety, but nothing worked for me. All this culminated in me speaking to a mentor who advised me to go to the retreat as a way to allow God to speak to me.

Going into the retreat, I thought I was going to receive the same general message about being a sinner and needing to repent, but in reality the message was much more personal and gut wrenching as if God had been watching my suffering and wanted to address every concern I had. The messages were based on the book of Matthew, which shocked me because a week before the retreat I had decided to reread Matthew in hopes of finding an answer. That couldn’t be a coincidence. Part of the message was that you could only have one master: Christ, or the world, and that maintaining control over your life isn’t truly giving your life to Christ. We talked about Peter and his failures as a Christian but in the end his childlike attitude towards Christ is what allows him to come back to Him. I was shocked to my core because I could relate to everything that Peter was going through, especially when he found himself failing Christ at the 3rd rooster call. I felt like a failure who didn’t give my everything because of fears and worries. I could give Christ the small things I was already doing before I became a Christian but held onto the things I felt Christ “couldn’t” fix. I was a hypocrite, declaring Christ as my savior while still holding onto the steering wheel of my life. When asked about Nobleman I was scared of the responsibility, when my savings got lower I kept frugally to myself and was selfish with others. I doubted my own abilities while also comparing myself to others, especially with my failures and worries about my future. I thought I was a terrible Christian and possibly not even a Christian all together. But Christ told me that even though I failed this miserably, He still loved me and wanted the worst side of me to come to him no matter how broken. I broke down during the second session, seeing how broken I truly was. When I repented of the control over my life I felt so much peace in my soul. What I learned was this: the whole point is that you’re going to fail and be a “bad” Christian. You’re not supposed to be a “good” Christian because in doing so you won’t admit when you need help from the Lord, and become self-righteous. I also learned that this life is going to be difficult and full of challenges and worries, even as I get older in my faith, but by having a childlike wonder in Christ and surrendering control to Him, Christ would pull through no matter what, because if God provides for the birds and lilies, why wouldn’t He provide for me? This retreat did tell me I was a sinner and that I needed to repent, but at the same time told me that I needed to willingly come to him broken and depend on Him by surrendering control over what I think would make me content. I needed to be childlike in my faith and truly give over my life for Him because even if this world advertises the answers to peace, it is still a wolf hidden in sheep’s clothing, and I need my shepherd to take me home to what’s truly peaceful, fulfilling, and safe.

So what does it mean to be a Christian? Be a bad Christian, admit to yourself that you need help from the Father everyday and that you will give control to Him instead of the world because you can only have one master in life, Jesus Christ.

Thankful for how God spoke to Jaiden at the retreat, and praying for everyone who was there — that the retreat wouldn’t be a high point that becomes a distant memory, but a springboard to a faith-filled semester!

Check out the recap video from the retreat below:

Jaiden is a junior at NC State, and a part of A2F North Carolina State University.

Here’s a video so you can get to know a bit of each of their stories!

George, Matthew, Kunmi, Jeff, and Zach are students at Voyage College Church.

Welcome to Acts 2 life on the college campus

It’s not exactly the story of the early church as chronicled in the book of Acts, but the story in Acts chapter 2 is continuing today and the college campus is still an amazing place to see the gospel take hold of a person’s heart and transform their lives. As one college minister said, college students are the most reachable, teachable, sendable people on the planet.

We love what God is doing in the lives of the college students who experience our network. Our hope is to use this space to share some of their stories.