Hi guys,

I just wanted to follow up with the second and final part of this blog.

As you may have read, the end of my Freshman year in college wasn’t the best, I failed a course and the rest of my grades weren’t the greatest. As a result, I lost my Trinity Presidential Scholarship and it seemed as though I wouldn’t be able to continue my education due to lack of funds.

As for the summer of 2014, I had made the decision to drop out of college. My mom had moved to Ohio, and I had become responsible for my little brother. I had gotten into my head the idea of becoming a manager at the restaurant where I worked and that way I could spend more time with my family and supply our needs. I also really wanted to immerse myself into studying the bible so that I could know God more and preach to others. But that didn’t go quite well.

Once I shared my vision with my grandma, she disagreed with what I had planned and telling her, was like telling my whole family as well. Soon, my mom texted me from Ohio asking what exactly was running through my head and what future did I want to provide to my future children? As decided as I was, I asked her to respect my decision and to let me carry on. Soon after, my uncle inboxed me through Facebook to know how I was doing… but really, to talk some “sense” into me. But as decided as I was, I stated to him that the decision had already been made. He said, “Let me tell you something, [in some parts of the world] the only way [we can preach] is by exerting [our] profession.” As soon as I read those words, my heart begun to beat faster… I had never known that, neither did I think education could play a role in the Gospel.

I felt so confused and I did not want anyone to speak to me but God. Not my grandma, not my mom, not my uncle, God. On a Wednesday night, I went to church seeking for an answer… and surely that’s what I got. Not only God said that He had given me talents to use, but that He knew I was capable of using them, and that He was going to ask me what I had done with them in the end of days. I got out of church having changed my decision, and I was decided to continue my education. I was ready to do all it took to get my funds back and to enroll into my Fall semester.

Once I got the chance, I began e-mailing professors that I knew would help me by write letters on my behalf so that I could get my Trinity scholarship back, but that didn’t work well because I could not appeal my case. However, the professor whose class I had failed willingly spoke to the Provost of the school so that I could turn in all of the work that I had missed, including my final, to get me closer to the grade I needed to earn my scholarship back. Therefore, my summer consisted, on completing work that I could have done during the school year… Once I turned it in, and my grade was changed, I went from a 2.8 GPA to a 3.0. All I needed to get my scholarship back! Not only did I get it back, but as I re-applied (late) to one of the other scholarships that I had convinced myself not to apply, I got the full amount for it, which were $2, 070 bucks. Little by little things were falling into place and the doors were opening so that I could fulfill my overall purpose. At the end of my Fall semester as a Sophomore, I didn’t have all the money to register for my Spring courses. However, through online fundraising and donations from church, I was able to gather the money I needed to pay for school, I believe I ended my fall semester with a 3.2 GPA. The best of all is that at the end of my Spring semester, probably the most challenging one for my at a personal level, I was able to get a 3.5 GPA, which places me on the Dean’s List, something that I have longed for, for quite a while.

Now, although I owe school a little bit of money,  I am sure that God will keep opening doors so that I can continue my education. Along the way I have met beautiful people that have helped me through my journey. Not only have they encouraged me, but sometimes even supported economically. I can’t take all the credit for making it this far, because without God, and the people that surround me, all this pursuit would be meaningless as well as pointless.

For that reasons, my words to you are, not matter how low you are, when you trust in God, or have faith in anything you feel that pushes you forward, things are bound to happen. Although I think with God, they are a lot easier 🙂 . Move forward, surround with people that push you, don’t lose faith. Things will happen.

 

Love,

Brenda