I Will Be With You

Hi Team Chill!

"I Will Be With You" (based on Haggai 1:13) was the title of a sermon from ESSC in Chicago that moved me to tears. In the midst of stressful assignments and much time away from home in Houston, this phrase comforted me beyond any other words I could have asked to hear—surely it is our greatest strength and peace to know that God is dwelling beside us, loving us, and guiding us no matter where we go or what we do. I have seen in so many ways how God has been with me these past 6.5 weeks while in college, and my life has really been like a counselor's sharing from NYTS: even on the days I did not think much about God, He reached out to me.

Below are simply just some of the blessings I have experienced from Him this past month and a half since moving to Chicago :)

Single in A Double
I did not know that having no roommate in a room with two beds, two desks, and two closets all in almost double the space of a single would be such a great blessing. The probability of all this happening was so unlikely, and I am reminded of God's love to me each time I enter my room and am able to pray, to store my things wherever I want, and to have quiet time. While some might feel that this living situation could be quite lonely, I have learned that time alone is time to truly experience God and to feel His presence; it's almost all as if God is my own roommate, keeping me company through all the times I feel lonely.

A Beautiful Campus
The view every time I walk out of my dorm, bike by the music building, or run by the lake always astounds me—the skyline of Chicago, the rays cast by the sun, and the shimmering blue water of the lake are unbelievably beautiful. I have realized that God has put me here in this gorgeous place to continually remind me of His goodness and greatness; all I must do is look out the window.

Good Friends
Without a doubt, God knows what I need. I have shared with all of you my fear of loneliness, but from the very first day since arriving here, He has given me such good friends who ask me to eat with them or to hang out in my room every day. Although my friends here are not in church, I can feel God's love to me through them all the time; such good friends as these can only be given by God, for "every good gift...is from above" (Jas 1:17).

Always the Right Timing
God has shown over and over how He is control of my time. For example, today I planned to remotely join Houston RE prayer at 9:30 PM, and while before I wasn't sure if I could finish my math homework today, I finished right at 9:29. This also happened last week with a Chicago youth prayer, when I finished my homework 9:59 when prayer was at 10 PM. There was also a time when I planned to return something to Amazon, and I could not find a UPS dropoff station. It just so happened that right at the moment I crossed the street to continue looking for a station, I saw a UPS truck driving by and rolling to a stop about 100 feet away, and because there was much traffic at the time, the driver was not driving especially quickly. I was able to simply give my box to the driver because UPS trucks often have their right hand-side doors wide open—it was all so easy, and all I could think was "Thank God, thank God." Lastly, in the beginning of the quarter registering for classes was stressful—I was trying to enter the only section of math that worked with my schedule, but it was already full. However, on the very last day registering for classes was allowed, I went up to the office for math and they gave me a 4-number code that resolved it all: I was able to register for that class in under 5 seconds so easily. The perfection found in all this timing testifies of God's guidance and presence, always at the right time.

Church and Family Away from Home
Before coming to Chicago, one of my biggest stresses was how I would get to and from church. However, when my first weekend in Chicago came around, transportation worked out so smoothly that there was no denying God's providence through it all. Every week since the first weekend a brother has picked me up from my dorm on Friday, a family has let me stay at their house Friday night and taken me to church the next day, and another sister takes me back to my dorm on Saturday. The family I stay with weekly on Friday nights is like my family away from home. They give me such good food, make my bed so warm and comfy, and show me overall so much love by letting me stay at their house. The first time I entered their home I was almost crying—their house reminds me so much of my home in Houston that I couldn't help but think God has provided all this for me to reassure me in my homesickness. Through all of this I have learned that as long as we have the desire to seek God, He will provide us with the rest, and we will always, always be made strong in our weaknesses through His sufficient grace (2 Cor. 12:9).

I hope that sharing the blessings I have received compels all of you to reflect upon how God has been with you also, because He has promised us, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Heb. 13:5). For as long as God is with us, what else do we need?

God bless,
Sophia