Why I brought my faith to Uni

Each college at Oxford has a Christian Union (CU). They are a great community of Christians who work at encouraging one another in faith and reaching out to those who have questions and want to know more about Christianity. The one at Worcester is very active. We have bible studies every Wednesday evening, prayer breakfasts on Sunday and we meet in small groups of 5 or less during the week to encourage each other. Every second week we join up with the Oxford Central CU for a combined meeting.

Last Wednesday evening, the Worcester CU had an opportunity to hold a service in the beautiful college chapel I showed you photos of a while back. Six of us shared short (three minute) testimonies on the theme "Why I brought my faith to Uni." It was a great opportunity to share and I think we all left encouraged by each other's accounts of what God has done for us.

Here's what I shared:

Hi, my name’s Sonja Gammage and I’m studying a two-year Master’s degree in Linguistics. Coming to study in Oxford wasn’t an easy process for me. It was my first time leaving home (we don’t generally leave home to go to uni in SA) and I’d lived in the same place my entire life.

One of the hardest parts of the move was packing. I was only allowed to bring one 30 kg bag, beside my small hand luggage on the aeroplane, and it was very difficult to decide what I should and shouldn’t bring. I had to leave behind certain things that I really wanted to bring and had to be content with leaving things I could replace here. And there are some irreplaceable things that I couldn’t bring, such as my family and friends. But I could bring my faith in Jesus. Now that I’m here can only keep contact with my friends and family via skype, email and facebook. So it’s an amazing comfort to know that God is still with me here and as near and real to me as he was in South Africa. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world or how far away from home you are, Jesus is the same loving and gracious friend and my relationship with him hasn’t changed – if anything, it’s become more precious.

This verse has been an amazing comfort to me during this move:

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
   if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

   your right hand will hold me fast.

Psalm 139:9-10

There are so many small things that happened while I planned my move and since I have arrived that that have shown me just how much God cares about me. For example, at the church I’ve been going to, St Ebbes, I’ve met up with another South African family. It might seem trivial, but it was such a comfort to hear another South African accent. Also, I knew almost nothing about Worcester College when I applied, but it has been such a blessing in its beauty and location. My house is almost directly opposite the linguistics department. I feel as though God has been looking after me every step of the way, and like a true friend, he even cares about the small things that make my life more comfortable.
But my faith is more than just a crutch, something that acts as a “reminder” or “link” to my life in South Africa, like the pictures and ornaments I have in my room that I brought to make it feel like home. In a very real way, it was only through God’s amazing provision in my life that I was even able to come and study here. You can ask me about the details afterwards if you are interested. My relationship with Jesus is so important that even if it had taken up extra room in my luggage, I would have found the extra space to bring my faith with me to Oxford.