Four Years Later
In the blur of the moment it was easy to forget, but looking back at Fall Welcome Night, it’s apparent how much of a miracle it is that I was even there. It feels like a lifetime ago when I was a freshman and I was attending my first Welcome Night. I never thought that four years later, I would be up on that stage.
This year in lieu of a traditional bible study, we put on games, held a student panel, and gave a short object lesson. The student panel included me as well as others in A2F — students of various years, majors, spiritual backgrounds and college experiences. On stage, we got to share a bit of our lives with an audience of 250+ students, answering questions like what meme would we use to describe our freshman year, what our life philosophies were coming into college and how they’ve changed, and what our freshman self would be most surprised by if they saw us now.
Never did it ever cross my mind four years ago that one day I would be sharing my own experiences in college to new students. Never did I anticipate how my life would drastically change after coming to that first night. Some of the reasons I came was for the free food, the opportunity to meet people, and just plain curiosity, but what I got was the beginning of a journey.
I didn’t expect that on this journey I would discover truths about Christianity. I didn’t expect that I would hear the gospel and personally relate with Jesus, or that I would join a Christian fellowship and experience community like I’ve never experienced in my life before. I didn’t expect how crucial these years in college would be in changing the trajectory of my life.
Welcome Night my freshman year feels like a lifetime ago because of just how much my life has changed. To answer one of the questions, my freshman self would be most surprised by what’s transpired since then — never did I think that God would become the center of my life, that I would be willing to make my life about loving and serving God, that I would have a personal relationship with Him.
As a senior looking back at my past few years in college, I’m just grateful for how God was truly working in my life, every step of the way. The past few years have been full of growth, and He was there through it all — during all the fun and fellowship I’ve experienced, as well as during all the struggles and hardships I’ve faced.
It’s a miracle that I came and that I stayed, and I only have God to thank for that. So with the start of the new year, it’s my hope that God will continue to work in my senior year and in the years to come, and that I would continue to walk in this spiritual journey with Him. Whether it’s through a Welcome Night, a bible study, a reading or a conversation, all it takes for God to work a miracle is that first encounter, that first step.
Josh Asuncion (class of 2020, Berkeley A2F) is a Data Science major, and in addition to A2F he is involved with the Division of Data Science, a sports analytics club, and the Basic Needs Center. In his free time he likes to read, rap, play bass, play basketball, grow plants, make videos, make fun of his friends, Photoshop his friends, and pretend he is in AFX.