Birmingham Staff

Alex

Before I met Christ, my life felt pretty hopeless and lonely. I grew up in a military family, so my childhood was full of moving around and instability. We never really talked about Jesus, so I didn’t grow up knowing anything about Him. Eventually, we settled in Andalusia, Alabama and that’s where I heard the Gospel for the first time.

Looking back, I can see how God was protecting and guiding me, even when I didn’t know Him. I went through a lot of struggles and got caught up in what you’d call “Cultural Christianity” of just going through the motions without a real relationship with Jesus. It wasn’t until I got to Auburn University that everything changed. That’s where I surrendered my life to Jesus and was rescued by His saving grace.

As I grew in my walk with God, He led me to get involved with Campus Outreach International. Through this ministry, I’ve been able to build relationships with international students and share the Gospel with people from all over the world. It’s been such an amazing journey, and I’m excited to keep following where the Lord leads.

Brittany

Although I grew up surrounded by sweet, faithful people whom I looked up to, my understanding of God and the Gospel remained pretty shallow. I became a follower of Jesus in middle school, but looking back, much of my early faith was wrapped up in trying to please both God and people. I believed that following God’s commandments was the “right” way to live, but I lacked the understanding that it’s only by His immeasurable grace that I’m able to follow Him at all.

Right before college, God opened my eyes to my peers’ zeal for Jesus and used it to challenge me to reflect on my own faith. By His grace, I surrendered my life more fully to Him and began to experience the peace that comes from knowing that the God of the universe sees me, knows me, hears me, and loves me.

Since then, my heart has become deeply burdened for those who don’t know Jesus. Through that burden, the Lord led me to Campus Outreach International. It’s been such a gift to build friendships with people from all over the world and share hope with them. It is a privilege to love others as He has loved me.