Student Week of Prayer 2013: Out of the Darkness

Over a span of six days, May 6 – May 11, students, faculty, and staff gathered together as a school family to take a break from classes and studying. During the week, thirteen students shared the ways God has brought them “out of the darkness.”

PUC hosts a week of prayer every quarter. Something is different about the week during spring quarter, because fellow students share their faith. “I really like that each student has a different story to tell, so it’s really relatable to a lot of people,” said sophomore Alana Muller. “[The speakers] are going through issues that college students are going through. I really like that.”

Students shared amazing stories of God’s faithfulness as He pulled them out of dark periods in their lives. Shared themes of faith, surrender, and love ran through these stories. A pivotal point in nursing student Tad Worku’s journey was when he surrendered control. “I was no longer writing my own story,” Worku remembered. “From that point on, I said, ‘God, You know what, whatever You want to write in my life, whatever that means, the pen is Yours. You can write whatever story You want.’”

For Halstyn Hart, one of PUC’s student chaplains, that moment came when she realized that her mistakes didn’t define her. “It finally clicked for me that I’m worth a lot,” recalled Hart. “We’re all worth a lot.”

Incoming SA Religious Vice President Adam Washington spoke for vespers. “To be honest, PUC, I’m still in the process of coming out of darkness,” he said, “and I think I will always be in the process of coming out of darkness.” He shared with students that it’s okay not to have all the answers. “If you could figure out God, He probably wouldn’t be God anymore,” Washington said, recalling a point Chaplain Laffit Cortes made in the last sermon of last school year.

Students appreciated the stories their peers shared, and the transparency they were willing to demonstrate. “I think students are refreshing,” noted sophomore John Goorhuis, “because in a school setting, we’re used to being told ‘what is,’ especially if you’re in science classes. So to have someone like Adam say, ‘I don’t know everything, I don’t know most of everything, but I know that this is good,’ is refreshing.”

The week closed with four student baptisms, two Friday night and two on Sabbath.