My name is Mark and I am a believer. I was saved when I was 6 years old as I was sitting at the kitchen table enjoying a big slice of watermelon. Alone in my thoughts, probably thinking about my Transformer toys, a most random thought of me dying made its way into my mind. My bottom lip began to quiver and tears of fear immediately streamed down my face. Pretty soon my soft whimpering turned into an uncontrollable wail that brought my mom running. Of course she asked me what was wrong and my response was, "I...<gasp>...don't...<gasp>...want to...<gasp>...die!" So she told me that the Lord Jesus died on the cross for me and if I believe into Him, I would have eternal life. She also shared with me from Romans 10:13 that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. That hot afternoon, with my mom's help, I called on the Lord's name and believed that Jesus is Lord.
Fast forward a few years. As a new freshman at the University of California at Irvine, I knew I needed some companions to pursue the Lord with. I joined a club called Christian Students and was able to meet other christian believers who loved the Lord. I also got connected to some families who lived around the campus that shepherded and took care of me. They opened their homes, allowed me to nap on their sofas and raid their refrigerators. As a commuter student, I didn't stay in Irvine unless I had classes to attend, but I was more than happy to remain there longer just to be with these families.
My wife, Amy, was part of a sister organization at the University of Texas at Austin called Christians on Campus. Through Christians on Campus at UT, she met many local Christian families and attended Bible studies on campus, and participated in Christian activities and retreats with other students in the club. After graduating, she volunteered full-time for one year to care for new members of the club, getting together for appointments to read the Bible as well as joining the weekly college meeting.
Being with Christians on Campus and Christian Students afforded us an opportunity to see our future after college - a family with an open home to college students no matter where we live. We are now living in Austin, Texas working full-time jobs. Our home is open to students at UT and other local colleges and we've been blessed to have many in our home for meals and Bible studies.
