And with that, the Fall semester of Fellows Class 20 comes to an end. This semester has gone by faster than anyone expected or prepared for. When I first arrived on campus, I don’t think I was fully prepared for or expecting how much would happen in four months. Now, looking back, I can see moment after moment in which the Lord was quietly shaping my heart through classes, conversations, people and even the assignments.
A couple of highlights from the semester have been our Utah and Spiritual Rhythms trips. These were both incredible opportunities to get new experiences and put into practice many of the things we have been learning about in the classroom. We got to grow in many skills including starting spiritual conversations, door to door evangelism, and practicing spiritual disciplines.
Alongside these trips, our time in the classroom was just as meaningful. In class we had the incredible opportunity to learn from many different professors such as Brett Kunkle, Katie McCoy, Jonathan Morrow, Ed Bort, and so many more. One of the incredible things about the academics of the Fellows program is the wide range of topics taught. We have gone over everything from evidence for the Bible and the existence of Jesus, the nature and problem of evil, how to interact with transgenderism and studied the Bible together.
Personally, one of my favorite moments from this semester was finding out about our international teams, which country I would visit and who would be on my team. I had been looking forward to that moment for so long and the excitement had been building. They announced our teams by a scavenger hunt where we first found out who was going to be on our teams, who our leaders would be and then where we would be going. It was such an exciting day and one I will always remember when I think about this fall semester.
Additionally, the Lord has also taught me a lot about what living in a community as a leader really looks like. God has shown up in my life in so many ways through community and the people here. I think I had an idea coming in to Fellows that all my relationships would be perfect and easy. While these people are some of the best friends in the world, I have still made mistakes. Through my mistakes I have seen God’s grace for me repeatedly.
Another thing that I’ve been learning through my relationships is in the discipleship aspect. In the Fall semester at Impact, you got to meet bi-weekly with a discipler to talk about life as we dove into the Bible together. During each one of my discipleship meetings, I’ve felt the Lord speaking something into my life through my discipler, Jenn Carr. Every staff member here are at Impact is so intentional, and it really shows in the ways they care deeply about the Fellows.
As I look forward to the spring semester, I’m expectant and hopeful for the ways the Lord is going to work. I’m excited for how the Lord is going to deepen relationships, strengthen our giftings, and shape our lives to look more like him. Just as the last few months flew by, I know the spring semester will also, but I’m excited that I get to do it with some of my favorite people, the Fellows of Class 20.
Leah Stine – Fremont, Nebraska
