Kim Atkins started college at Texas Tech in Lubbock like many other freshmen: she mapped out her classes in public relations, plugged into student organizations like InterVarsity, and landed a job at the front desk of a women’s dorm. But one thing soon became clear to Kim—God had plans to use her in transforming women’s lives.
During her desk shifts, she often chatted with students who came in and out of the dorm and got to know some of the Resident Assistants (RAs). As she made new friends, she also heard the hard stories of women struggling with eating disorders, poor relationships, and alcohol abuse. “I realized God loved these women more than they could know,” she said.
As a sophomore, Kim applied to be an RA in the dorm, despite its reputation on campus for having the most alcohol and drug-related incidents. Kim had been learning about how God viewed her—his beautiful creation—through InterVarsity’s outreach events on sexual purity and healing. In Psalm 139, Kim found a deeper personal identity in “being fearfully and wonderfully made” by God, and she wanted other women to know and experience that valued identity. She’s been an RA ever since.
“The experience is humbling,” said Kim. “I had these grand plans and thought people came to the Lord in a certain way. God taught me patience and to care for people regardless of results.”
Kim prays for the women who live on her floor and tries to pay attention to what’s happening in their lives. If she sees residents struggling with financial problems or difficult relationships, Kim finds ways to encourage them and resources to help.
When other RAs learned that she led an InterVarsity small group Bible study, they began to ask her questions about God and Christianity. “They are seeking Christ. They’re still not believers, but God gives me opportunities to speak truth into their lives,” Kim said.
Calling Others to Seek God
Last summer, Kim joined InterVarsity’s Student Training in Missions (STIM) before going on a Global Urban Trek to Manila. “God really taught me a lesson in yielding control of my life,” said Kim about the Trek. “I had to trust he would care for me and speak to me in hard circumstances.”
Working with a team on the Trek, Kim realized that she loved to build and encourage her team. When she returned, she began serving as the Small Group Coordinator for her InterVarsity chapter, helping other student leaders tweak their Bible study plans or try new methods for calling students to Christ while still following the chapter’s vision.
“It’s a challenge to call students to invest in seeking God in college,” said Kim. “But when they accept the call to let God change their perspectives, then they graduate and go into the workplace for God.”
As Kim prepares to graduate and head into the workplace, she’s exploring how she will continue to follow God with her degree in public relations. “God’s given me all this training in communications and insight into the human heart and spirit,” she said. “I need to steward these gifts well.” Her time serving the poor in Manila and the women in her dorm inspired her to explore how she can be a community-builder in the nonprofit sector.
Through InterVarsity, God took what seemed like a typical job and trained Kim to lead others in following him. “I wanted to find a place where I could grow,” said Kim. “And InterVarsity took my faith to a new level.”
Photo: Kim (center) and friends at Texas Tech
