Meshael, the president of the Black Campus Ministries InterVarsity chapter at the University of Pittsburgh, and another student had just come out of an InterVarsity evangelism training session and were looking to share their faith with someone on campus. Meshael asked God to show them who they should talk to. She and her partner saw a student in one of the study lounges.
“We were nervous, but we felt like God was telling us to go and talk to the student,” said Meshael. “So we went back and talked to him.”
The conversation ended with the student holding back tears and sharing that he wanted to find a Christian community which would help him stay connected to God. Meshael and her evangelism partner explained why InterVarsity could be a great place for him to start.
Discovering a Relationship with God
Even though Meshael had grown up in a Christian home, she still was unaware of how much God loved her. Every Sunday, she and her family would attend church and serve with their church’s youth program, but Meshael still lacked a rich and loving relationship with God.
“It wasn’t until college, that I learned, and am still learning, that my relationship with God is a two-way street—meaning that God wants my time, dedication, and faithfulness,” shared Meshael. “Since being involved with InterVarsity, I’ve learned that God actually wants to have a relationship with me.”
Meshael remembers experiencing her first Quiet Time at an InterVarsity conference in 2011, where she intentionally spent time in God’s word alone so that she could listen for God to speak to her through prayer.
“It was a unique and somewhat confusing experience—I was so focused on blocking out distractions that I failed to realize that God could speak to me in a variety of ways,” said Meshael. “The whole concept of being still before God and letting him speak to me was completely new to me.”
Discovering the deep love of God
Since then Meshael’s love for God has only deepened, and she practices quiet times and listening prayer on a regular basis. It’s also one of the things that she loves teaching other InterVarsity students to do.
“I have learned so much during my time with InterVarsity about how to engage with God in real practical ways,” said Meshael. “And InterVarsity has sparked a drive for me to help others experience God and his love in the ways that I have.”
As Meshael’s love for God, God’s word, God’s people, and God’s purposes in the world continues to grow, Meshael looks forward to the ways that God might use her to encourage others, after graduation, to seek and discover for themselves, the deep love of God.
