Ellerslie Students - Student Bio
AMANDA “MAY” | Georgia
On Christ the solid Rock I stand! That has been the resounding theme of my time at Ellerslie. When I signed up to come this semester, I was desperately hoping that there was more to Christianity than what I had known- and I have found that there most definitely is! I am crucified with Christ, and He lives in me. I have a new abundant life in Christ Jesus my Lord. All powers of darkness, all sin, and all selfishness is conquered and underneath His beautiful feet, and therefore, none of that has any power over me anymore. This Christian life is truly victorious!!
JACIE | Manitoba
THE SCRIPTURE VERSE THAT COULD BEST HALLMARK THIS PAST YEAR OF MY LIFE IS Deuteronomy 32:10-12 which has been significant to me in this season of life. Being in a desert place, being cared for and protected by God as I learn to "fly" and having no other gods in my life are all things that describe this past year. "In a desert land He found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; He guarded him as the apple of His eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions. The Lord alone led him; no foreign god was with him." (NIV)
SOMETHING THAT GIVES ME JOY is a gorgeous sunset, a Tim's English Toffee, or a drawing from my little brother will all bring a smile to my face. On a deeper level, there is nothing that fills me with joy more than lingering in a sweet time with Jesus, worshipping Him with music, and sensing His presence as I relate to others.
THREE WORDS THAT BEST DESCRIBE ME: artist. nurturer. contemplative.
I DESIRE TO BE KNOWN AS: persevering.
GRANT | Oklahoma
It is amazing what God can do just by giving him 9 weeks of your life. From the very first week God’s plan was evident; I felt as if I had jumped into a mighty river that was flowing towards the Kingdom of God, where everyone sought His face. God was leading me onward through staff, fellow students and just about every other area. It was an adventurous, faith building trip where I learned to pray with fervency, speak edifyingly, and live towards unity. The final day, 5/15/11, was tremendously powerful, and God brought a completion to my time here that could not have been sweeter. For 9 straight weeks I was pursuing intimate communion with God. On that final day He showed me that I am a temple of the Holy Spirit, but my body was not sufficient for His Glory. Eric’s message on communion showed me that I had a need to partake of Jesus’ body, for His Spirit to fill me, and I was overjoyed to finish the semester taking of the Lord’s Supper. Ellerslie may be over, but Christ’s work is not and that excites me!
CHAMI | Indiana
Ellerslie is a place that not only brings you to your knees in flat out brokenness before the Lord, but I have never been filled with so much joy It is not Ellerslie itself that moves me to my knees and fills me with joy, it Jesus Himself. Oh, to know the power of Gods grace I no longer put my faith in the enemy or believe the flesh has too strong of a hold on me for Jesus to have the victory. Jesus ALWAYS, always has the victory! He is NOT an inconsistent God, but we must keep on knocking until He answers. As shocking and terrible as it sounds to flesh, early morning prayer was one of my favorite times at Ellerslie. It is so sweet being able to pray in unity with your brothers and sisters, fully confident that God WILL bring a great victory!
DAVID & AMITY | California
We are so thankful to God for bringing us to Ellerslie! Before we came we had been frustrated, knowing that there had to be more to the Christian life then what we were seeing and experiencing. We were crying out to God to show us what we were missing when we stumbled across Ellerslie. God began a series of events which brought us here, and He has done so much in our lives through the truths we have learned. Among many other things, God has been teaching us to take Him at His word, and to trust Him for every detail of our lives. We are so excited to continue to go deeper in our relationship with our King and have His life shine through us!
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PAUL | Wisconsin
IF I COULD TRAVEL TO ANY PLACE IN THE WORLD I would love to go and work anywhere in Africa. In the past year or so, God has been placing ideas in my head and on my heart, showing me ways that I could help people less fortunate than myself. There is a great need for compassionate servants of God to go to this area of the world and help out in any way that they can. Sign me up.
SOMETHING THAT GIVES ME JOY IS... well, I am definitely an outdoor enthusiast! Going camping / kayaking / rock climbing / biking / running / or just hanging out without a roof above me is when I am happiest. I love being out in God’s creation!
THE SCRIPTURE VERSE THAT COULD BEST HALLMARK THIS PAST YEAR OF MY LIFE IS... “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3: 5-6
This past year has been full of highs and lows and now, after graduating from college and looking at what exactly God wants me to do with my life, I have had to open my hands to Him and let Him shape my path. I look anxiously to see what God has in store.
THREE WORDS THAT BEST DESCRIBE ME: artist. adventurer. determined
I DESIRE TO BE KNOWN AS A: servant.
HANNAH | Colorado
"When Thou saidist, Seek ye My face; my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek." ~Psalm 27:8
This verse has been the theme of my time at Ellerslie. Through the semester, Jesus has been drawing me deeper into Himself and has filled my soul with longing and a great expectation for more of Him. There is so much joy in surrendering my all to Jesus and then having Him, who is more than I could ever imagine, come in and fill me. My Jesus is so faithful! My deepest desire is for Him to be the only One seen in me; for Him to increase and for me to decrease. I know that the farther I go in Him, the sweeter and richer He becomes. That is a very exciting promise! I am looking forward to a lifetime of seeking His face and serving as His body, with all that I am. The best part of that desire is that in and of myself a life of seeking and serving is impossible. But, because it is Jesus in me, I know I will do valiantly and I will have all that I need. Jesus is my Beloved and I am His and I gladly give Him my life as a living sacrifice. I am by no means a complete work, but Jesus is faithful to continue the work that has been started and one day I will be complete before His heavenly throne. Glory, honor and praise to Jesus, for He alone is worthy!.
LESLIE | California
My time here at Ellerslie has been such a beautiful, life changing experience! I found Jesus in a way I never thought I could. I discovered that I didn't have to go limping through life anymore. The vast love and power of Jesus is overwhelming! There are not words big enough, in any language, to describe the wonder of Christ and what He has done in my once-defeated life! He has gained such a glorious victory! I came here with such a longing for something real. I came with so much discouragement, doubt and fear. And guess what!? I found hope, strength and joy in Jesus! The way I thought of God before was so pitiful and powerless, but I discovered the truth - He is full of power, might and majesty! He is the all glorious, all powerful, all victorious King of kings! I live in Him and (get this) He lives in me! I've come to realize I can do nothing without Him, nor do I desire to even attempt to do anything without Him. Give me Christ, or I die!
CHELSEA | Washington
God has taken the blinders off of my eyes. I’ve been so accustomed to darkness that my pupils are still adjusting and all I can see are shadows of His reality…but, it’s enough. It has been enough to humble me and cause all that this world offers to grow strangely dim. When I came here, I was a little afraid of becoming a legalist. However, I’m not walking away from Ellerslie with a list of rules. I’m walking away with my eyes focused on something higher than the lesser things. When you begin seeing Jesus, the things that used to romanticize you and tempt you become less and less attractive. God planted a deep desire in my heart for real-deal Christianity but I never felt like I could attain it. At Ellerslie, I found the solution and guidepost to direct me: Jesus.
HANNAH | Texas
This semester has been packed with wonderful teachings from the Word of God. Taking each day one at a time and not worrying what the next day will bring. God is the writer of my life and He has planned everything out for His will. God is still teaching me to pray and to keep praying until He answers, whether His answers come quick or not for a long time. We still need to trust and have faith in our God that He will answer and it will bring Him glory.
Jesus Christ is our first turn for counsel. He is the one who knows all things and knows what is best for our lives. Through ourselves we are nothing, but Christ is in us so through Him we can do all things. God is our very breath and our strength for every day. We stand unmovable on the Solid Rock of our God and He is our high tower for protection.
I am so glad I was able to come to Ellerslie in this time in my life. Ellerslie did not do anything to my life, but it was Jesus working and speaking through others that changed things for me. Jesus is the answer! .
WINTER/SPRING 2011 student body
HANNAH | Pennsylvania
Jesus Christ has shown me his sweetness and his mightiness. He is a merciful and gracious savior, the lover of my soul. He is also a mighty warrior, jealous for the glory of his kingdom and the purity of his people. Jesus Christ is worthy of every part of me, my passion, my mind (reasoning), my body. This is a command that he gives,
...love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Matthew 22:37-38
During this semester, Eric told the story of a Waldensien man who worked , transcribing the scripture, knowing that if he was caught, he would suffer a horrendous death. His declaration was, "Would that I could die ten-thousand such deaths to express my love for my King.”
In martyrdom we know we can only die once, which is a kind of relief. This man wished he could be martyred multiple times in order to show the Lord Jesus how much he loved him. I want to know Jesus that much, to have such a desire to express my love that I would be willing to "die ten-thousand such deaths" for him.
RACHEL | Pennsylvania
IF I COULD TRAVEL TO ANY PLACE IN THE WORLD, There are so many places that I would like to travel to, that I can't really nail down just one.
If I were to travel for pleasure, I'd like to go to Europe - primarily Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy, and Greece. The majority of my family history lies in Scotland and Ireland, so I have always wanted to go to those places and explore, while seeing if I could trace my family roots. France, Italy, and Greece are all beautiful places rich with history and art, and I would love to visit them! Israel is also a country that I deeply desire to visit! I would love to walk where Jesus walked and experience life in the Promised Land! I think Passover would be an absolutely amazing time to be there!
If I were to travel for missions, I'd like to either go to South America or Africa and work with orphanages. God has given me such a heart for the orphans and broken children of this world, and it is my greatest desire to be a part of ministry to them! There are so many abandoned, lonely, abused, neglected, unwanted, and unloved children both in this country, as well as the rest of the world, and it just breaks my heart!!!! There are so many unclaimed treasures, but so many just don't see it!
SOMETHING THAT GIVES ME JOY IS my family and friends. They give me the most joy in my life. (That includes my dog Sunny - she is a delight! =0) )
THE SCRIPTURE VERSE THAT COULD BEST HALLMARK THIS PAST YEAR OF MY LIFE IS... Jeremiah 32:27 - "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?"
This verse can actually hallmark the last several years of my life. God gave me this verse years ago when I was struggling with a particularly difficult situation. I could not see how the situation could be worked out, and I was crying out to God for help. I literally just opened my bible and looked down, and that was the exact verse my eyes fell on. Needless to say, I was "stopped in my tracks". In those sort of situations, the appropriate response is probably something like "No sir, nothing. Please forgive me for doubting.", but my response was something more like "Wow....WOW.....I hear you, Lord! I'm sorry I doubted You!" ;) This verse has really been something that I've clung to ever since then! It really encourages me and gives me hope when faced with the trials that always come.
THREE WORDS THAT BEST DESCRIBE ME: artist. faithful. thinker.
I DESIRE TO BE KNOWN AS A: servant.
MICAH | Ohio
The missionary C.T. Studd once referred to something known as the “old ground.” The “old ground” was the gospel of Christ, something that needed to be dwelt in and walked over by Christians many times in their lives. To me, Ellerslie is the gateway to the “old ground.” Never before had I heard the gospel so powerful, meaningful and taught as something that is living. You do not come to Ellerslie if you want power, you come to Ellerslie if you want Jesus. Ellerslie is a harkening back to a Christian lifestyle that does not live in defeat, one that takes the world by storm. Ellerslie is the growl for Christ’s glory, a battle cry to the modern generation to lift high the name of Christ in a perishing world.
BREANA | Michigan
THE SCRIPTURE VERSE THAT COULD BEST HALLMARK THIS PAST YEAR OF MY LIFE IS... Okay, I have two. The first one is Romans 8:18-39, (which is pretty long soI won't write it in). The second is James 1:2-4, which is "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
SOMETHING THAT GIVES ME JOY IS...This would definitely be my family. My parents are both awesome, and my brothers and sisters are the greatest. They've always been there for me when I needed them, and I love them a ton.
THREE WORDS THAT BEST DESCRIBE ME: reader. loyal. dreamer.
I DESIRE TO BE KNOWN AS : joyful.
