secular college...

[tamtam92]

Hi everyone !

I'm attending a secular "college" (french equivalent in fact). That's quite a little college, about 600-700 people, don't know. But they're so heathens... i need to vent a little

First of all, i'd like to say i love these people i live sith at school with all christian love possible... and i think that's why i suffer.
This week, they're making their campaign to elect the students board. There's a big clutter in the school, in the main hall. They organize games, some innocent, some less. But what i hate most is the pictures they put on the walls... so i had to remove them and put them in the dustbin... well i don't like to do that, but i think i'm free to censor what i want. BTW, often, they don't mind, they even understand... that's terrible to see young people living in such a debauchery.
And i didn't tell about alcohol. They cannot restrain themselves. Happily they didn't put the music so loud as last year. And happily now i can share my thoughts with another christian in the school... but that's really irritating.
They're even able to do stripteases in front of everybody in the theater, interrupting a lecture... Happily last year i anticipated and closed my eyes soon enough.

You can understand it's quite hard to witness in such an atmosphere. it lasts only less than a week, but it's awful

I pray that God has mercy on them. I believe in miracles

Anyone having similar experiences ? Ideas what i should do ? Thanks for sharing, and thanks for listening to me

tamtam

 

[Thithy]

I'm very sorry you are having such a hard time in college.

I'm actually having a very different experience. I'm going to a secular college but everyone is very understanding. There aren't any offensive poster/pictures, in fact, in our store that has clothing with our logo on it, the president of the college wouldn't let some advertisments up because he thought the models didn't have enough clothes on them.

I have no problems being able to talk to people about my beliefs. There are several bible studies on campus. I'm loving my school.

It's really a shame that you're having so many problems. I'll be praying for you.

 

[waterbear]

I had similar experiences at a secular college. The publications and events are especially lewd, but the conversations with classmates were a bit unfortuante too. I considered myself atheist at the time, which probably helped in that I had no perceived need to witness and ultimately came to peace with it all through indifference.

My roommates at the moment are similarly annoying, but I'm doing pretty well finding something else to distract me (or using ear plugs). My obvious disapproval to drunkeness and fornication is sufficient witnessing insofar as I'm concerned - provided I appear completely at peace with my values.

 

[Iron Sun 254]

Think of the parable of the Prodigal Son. This is the first taste of "freedom' for many of the students in your college and like the Prodigal Son, they're spending they're time doing things that aren't in God's plan. And like the Prodigal Son, many of them will need to hit rock bottom before they find Jesus. If you're really prepared to witness, you need to seek out those who are ready to hear the Word and God will open their ears to what you have to say. You may only be able to plant the seeds in their minds which will only bear fruit years later. You just need to be patient and let God lead you where he wishes you to be.

 

[tamtam92]

Think of the parable of the Prodigal Son. This is the first taste of "freedom' for many of the students in your college and like the Prodigal Son, they're spending they're time doing things that aren't in God's plan. And like the Prodigal Son, many of them will need to hit rock bottom before they find Jesus. If you're really prepared to witness, you need to seek out those who are ready to hear the Word and God will open their ears to what you have to say. You may only be able to plant the seeds in their minds which will only bear fruit years later. You just need to be patient and let God lead you where he wishes you to be.

yeah, thanks for your advice guys. The image of the prodigal son is good, but the problem is, most of them aren't from christian families... they don't really come "out" of the father's house. They've never know anything but the world.
I'm probably learning patience there... i'm happy now it's holidays !

I hope there are some who are ready to listen to the Gospel... but for sure they can understand there are people that disapprove their way of life -as waterbear said.
Then i hope they won't forget this, and remember God when they'll get to the bottom. But the point is i love them and i don't want them to get that far. I'd like so much they come to Christ before their life is wasted. Besides, there's a need of young people in the missionary field.

On the other hand, i pray i won't forget them after college. Or maybe i should turn to other people then and let them in God's hands... i don't know, i've time, i'm not out of college by now...

After holidays, it'll be better... now that they've finished their elections.

 

[jgarden]

Your most effective testimony isn't what you say, but how you live your life. If Christ brings genuine joy in your life and you show it, that is the springboard to the next step. There are always people out there searching for meaning in their lives and you can be a positive influence even if your not always aware of it.

 

[FaithfulServant]

Whoa Whoa Whoa, where are these colleges? Mine is nothing like this! It's a large school, 30,000.....and granted many students often talk about their late night drinking, drugs and sleeping around, we don't ever have really offensive (half nakes people) posters on our dorm walls or anything? (I lived in the dorms last year).

I went pot luck on roomates last year and 2 out of the 3 were Christians. Maybe you're going to school in a mostly athiest city or something????

 

[Dak man]

Your most effective testimony isn't what you say, but how you live your life. If Christ brings genuine joy in your life and you show it, that is the springboard to the next step. There are always people out there searching for meaning in their lives and you can be a positive influence even if your not always aware of it.

Agreed. If other people see that you can have fun and be a happy person without running around naked all the time, then people may wonder where it comes from.

 

[tamtam92]

Agreed. If other people see that you can have fun and be a happy person without running around naked all the time, then people may wonder where it comes from.

Hey, they're not going that far. That week i talked about was only one week in the year, and personnally i didn't see anything but pictures...

By the way, they come from all around France, (from north to south and east to west, and from overseas department too), and yes, France is a mostly atheist country...

Thanks for you advice. BTW, they ask me questions at times about why i live that way, but i feel they want short answers, and i can't explain my profound reasons. Well, that's quite weird. I know they can take the chance to make fun not of me, but of God, and that's what i want to avoid.
I think yes, they see i'm very serious about life, but i'm very joyful too.

 

[Blank123]

yucky. I know a guy who's going to a secular school right now, and he's really having a tough time fitting in because there are so many people there opposed to his faith. However he has had the opprotunity to strike up a friendship with an atheist there, and it sounds like God is using him to work in this guys life.

personally I am kinda nervous because one of the colleges I'm thinking about going to after Bible college is a secular one, and I already know from talking to one of the guys there that it is pretty bad for drinking and partying and that whole lifestyle, so I'm praying about that. thankfully thats not for several years yet anyway.

 

[tamtam92]

personally I am kinda nervous because one of the colleges I'm thinking about going to after Bible college is a secular one, and I already know from talking to one of the guys there that it is pretty bad for drinking and partying and that whole lifestyle, so I'm praying about that. thankfully thats not for several years yet anyway.

You know that's a good experience still. Because i believe these people have to hear the Gospel too, and how will they hear it if there's no christian in the school ? You can always be sure God put you there for a purpose.
It can be harder if you live on the campus and have no-one to talk too... but God will always be there.

Yeah, it's quite difficult to swallow at times, but i like to think it's for a purpose.

 

[Blank123]

thats very true

who knows? maybe you and I will be the only ones who ever have a real opprotunity to witness to our class and room mates

 

[tamtam92]

Well, i don't know why God chose me...
But i think there are many christian in the same case as us...

and sometimes i think it could be easier to witness to anyone in the street, someone i don't know, someone i may never see again, than witness to someone you know well and love.