God is at work in and through RUF! Below is a spotlight on one of the many amazing students involved with RUF at the University of Hawaii.
A quick intro from John Kim, the campus minister at the University of Hawaii: “I met Jiajie last semester through one of our RUF students, Shayna. I was excited to meet him because Shayna and I have been praying for him since last year when she started to share about her faith with him. At our meeting, Jiajie had a few follow up questions that he asked me about Christianity and after hearing the answers he said, “I think I believe in the Gospel.” By the grace of God, we baptized him at our local PCA church, City Church of Honolulu, the first Sunday of January.”
My name is JiaJie. I was born Guangzhou China, and I grew up in a non-religious background. I immigrated to Hawaii when I was ten years old. Life was difficult when I first arrived on this island. I had a hard time learning English and making friends. Fortunately, (now I see through the grace of God), I worked my way up to being accepted at University of Hawai’i, Manoa and then my life changed forever.
Last semester, I became close friends with a classmate. Her name is Shayna. She told me about her past and how Christ supported her when she was going through difficult trials. I found this to be remarkable and it peaked my interest in Christianity. Shayna would consistently send me a lot of information about Christianity. Shayna invited me to come out to RUF, but before I checked it out, she introduced me to Pastor John. He and I met and talked about Christianity and faith and he also invited me to RUF.
I immersed myself in researching everything I could about Christianity online. I began watching videos like “The Bible Project” to get a better understanding of the Bible. I saw Nabeel’s testimony, who was a former Muslim, and I was moved by what he was willing to give up and endure to become a Christian. After doing all of this research, along with talking with Shayna and Pastor John, I realized that I too am a sinner and found that I believed that Jesus not only forgave me of my sin but he was also the only way to eternal life. Soon after, I approached Pastor John and said that I believed in the Gospel and wanted to get baptized. I not only wanted to publicly declare in front of everyone that I am now a Christian but also wanted to further confirm to myself what I believed in my heart.
After becoming a Christian, I can’t get enough of God. I have been actively attending RUF meetings, going to Church, and praying with my friends. To know that I belong to RUF, that not only is willing to teach me more about the Bible but also to support me in my new faith makes me so thankful that RUF is on my campus. I am so thankful that RUF gave me a community where I can be myself and give me a place where I can learn more about the Gospel. I hope and pray that more students will come to RUF and experience what I experienced.
Praise the Lord!