1101
College Ave.
Manhattan, KS
66502
785.565.9420
What an incredible journey the last many years of my life have been! I would love to share with you a little of the story of how the Lord called me into full-time college ministry and why I believe His hand is still on me being involved at Kansas State University today. During my first 3 years of college (1994-1997), I was set on becoming the next Katie Couric! I never changed my major once. I never wavered in my decision to major in Broadcasting. I had all the classes under my belt, worked for radio stations, the Iowa Radio News Network, and an NBC Television affiliate out of Waterloo, Iowa, to get some experience in what I believed I was going to be doing for the rest of my life. The summer after my junior year of college, all of those desires began to change. I went on a summer mission project to Virginia Beach, Virginia. There were 50+ college students from all over the U.S. who had come together to learn more about what it meant to give our lives away to those who were lost and dying without Christ in their lives. I worked a full-time job during the day as a waitress at a hotel and during the evenings and on weekends, we received training on evangelism and also had many chances to go and share our faith on the beach. My heart broke as I saw the multitudes of people, both at work and during our time ministering on the beach, who were walking through life without having any concept of the Gospel and the pain and hurt they were living with. When I returned from that summer, I began to re-evaluate my desire to go into Broadcasting. It wasn't that going into that field was wrong, but my motivations for it were. I wanted to be "known" and do something "glamorous", I suppose. I wasn't going into television because I wanted to see those in the media impacted for Christ. The Lord really began challenging me on what it really was that I was passionate about and wanted to give my life to. He led me to Acts 20:24 which says this… "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." As I prayed and sought God, there was no denying that He was leading me to pursue college ministry. While I grew up in a solid, God-fearing home, it still wasn't until college that the Lord fully got a hold of my heart and allowed me to see that the other things in this world that I was putting my hope in were all leaving me empty. And so many other students go through the same things that I did as a student. College is such a pivotal time in a person's life. A time when you are on your own for the first time, making decisions that will impact the rest of your life…(i.e. career, spouse, faith, etc). What an incredible season to be involved in the lives of people. The Lord continued to open doors and I went on staff with the Navigators College Ministry at the University of Northern Iowa (my alma mater!) in the fall of 1998! What an incredible experience and time of growth that was! The Lord continued to grow my heart to "Know Christ and Make Him Known", as is the heart of the Navigators. I grew immensely during those years and the Lord graciously allowed me to be involved in the lives of many students. I left Iowa to move to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to continue on with the Navigators in September of 2000 through August 2001. It was during that time that I met my husband Joel Johnson and we were engaged in May of 2001 and married in November. God has continued to lay college students on both of our hearts and for now, has planted us at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, where we will labor (God willing) for at least the next few years with the Navigators. We LOVE it and have been so blessed to partner with so many of you. Thank you for your love and your prayers… Let's continue to trust God for BIG things in the lives of people! |
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