XA Chi Alpha...
(The "chi" in the abbreviation for "Christ" in Greek, and the "alpha" is for "ambassador" in the same language.)

It was on the third Monday of the last month of the year of our Lord 1996 that I first met someone whom Jesus would use to radically change my life.  It was my senior year at Chelsea High, and I was visiting the First Assembly of God in my home town for the denomination's once a month, area youth rally.  It wasn't my regular church, but I had been there before and had friends who went there.  That night, a man named Greg Tiffany, the Chi Alpha campus pastor at the University of Oklahoma (OU), spoke.  His message was full of stories of mission trips that he had taken, and the message in them was plain: "Love sinners."  This idea burned deep in my heart and also lit a desire in me to go to the Cherokee red campus of OU.  Before then, I had been worried about where to go to college, so with this new desire in my heart, I gave my options for college to God, and wouldn't you know that he made OU the most affordable for me and my financial situation.

Once there, I began to learn in more ways than one.  Of course there was all of the academic studying.  I had thought about maybe being an architectural engineer (pre-architect to all of you who are familiar with the OU jargon), but it just didn't really seem right thing for me.  After much soul-searching I finally decided to get a degree in teaching.  To use yet more jargon, I decided to get a degree in French Foreign Language Education, meaning I studied to be a French teacher.  (Now that I have graduated, I am actually thinking that I might really enjoy traveling abroad and teaching English as a Second Language [ESL] instead, but I am still waiting on God about that and also developing my relationship with Katie.)   Along with the academics, I also learned a lot about other people.  As I was really shy growing up and didn't have a large circle of good friends, coming to OU and joining such a wonderful group of friends as OU Chi Alpha was a true joy for me.  I learned a lot about interacting with and caring for others that I hadn't learning in my hometown.  But besides all this, I learned more about Jesus than ever before.  I learned about his heart for needing people, especially those who don't know him yet.  I learned that all of the little picky things about religion that we sometimes hold onto so tightly are not the most important things on God's mind.  Furthermore, I learned more about who Jesus really is, even a loving caring friend, who is always with us and reaching out with arms of love to us all.

Thus with this learning going on (and never stopping), I spent four years now at OU before finishing my degree, serving my Lord and Friend, Christ Jesus, as an ambassador on the University campus. After graduating, I worked with XA as a volunteer for another year while studying part time.  (I also spent the year between my sophomore and junior year of college at School of the Cross Master's Commission and the year between my junior and senior year in Clermont-Ferrant, FRANCE where I was present for the beginning of another cool campus ministry, l'AEU.)

In Fall of 2004, I did my student teacher, and now as a certified French teacher, I am looking ahead to see where my Jesus will lead...

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