The experiences I have encountered while at Ecola have been some of the most challenging and enjoyable I have ever had. My horizons have been stretched at every turn. Through the speakers I have been confronted with the importance and how-to of having Christ as the center of my life. I am learning to look at every opportunity as a possibility for me if it be God's will. I am no longer shutting doors myself all the time, but letting Him make the decision. I am learning more and more to trust the Lord with all aspects of my life. In doing that my desire to know the God I am letting take charge has been enhanced. Each speaker seems to make me more poignantly aware of some of the facets of the character of God. Each one brings a new testimony and reveals more of the relevance and sheer beauty of scripture.

Moving to new place with new people, expecially into the close quarters of a dorm, is not always easy. You learn to love or leave pretty quickly. Thankfully, God has blessed my dorm with wonderfully loving girls. Some of the best times I can think of are laughing and talking together in the lounge or rooms. These are some of the friendships I will hold in my heart and mind forever.

I won't say that you don't come up against any hard times or valleys, so to speak, during your time at Ecola. Sometimes experiences here bring you face to face with sin and fault in your own life. Being challenged and stretched can create quite a struggle for awhile. But for each valley I have walked through the Lord has led me up to a mountaintop higher than any before and the view is always worth it.

Lauren Dechacco