Nimi Ocholi

Although I've been a Christian for as long as I can remember I cannot say it's been easy all the way. I look back over the years though and I have no regrets. Because my parents have always taken their faith really seriously, there wasn't much room for me growing up to experiment with 'bad' things without being caught and reprimanded so I believe I was really sheltered while growing up.

Coming to college though was definitely a big leap for me as I had no idea what to expect. During my first semester I found myself doing things which I definitely am not proud of. For one, I began searching for fulfillment in relationships alone and in general I became more inconsiderate and selfish as a person. Even though I went to church every week for some reason God didn't seem alive to me anymore.

That Christmas, I went home and had 'the talk' with my mother. As usual she could sense something was different. I'll spare you the details but essentially she reminded me about why I was brought up the way I was, encouraged me to hold onto what I knew, and suggested I find good community friends with whom I could share my struggles with.

So I got back and started taking an initiative to get more involved with Campus Crusade for Christ. I began meeting with Greg Nelson once a week and was able to chat honestly about all the stuff I was going through. In addition 4 of my closest friends and I began to meet every week to study the word and encourage each other. God definitely became more real to me. It felt like a huge load being lifted off my back. The weekly Tuesday meetings also helped me build some genuine relationships which have really helped to keep me going when things get tough here at MIT.

On the whole, I'd be lying if I said things were perfect at the moment. But what's amazing is that since I started taking my walk with Jesus more seriously I am still yet to be let down. More often than not, He doesn't do things the way I think they should be done but the results are always far greater than I can ever anticipate. For anyone out there looking for a reason to live and still asking those questions, I urge you to consider the offer made by Jesus. You will not be disappointed.

Nimi Ocholi
nimi@mit.edu