LEAD/Grow Testimony

I joined Freshley as a Freshman but didn’t really keep up with it because my Monday nights always seemed to be busy. I quickly fell into the culture of Athens and started to feel myself drifting farther and farther away from God. One Wednesday night, a friend asked me to grab dinner in Tate and go to Wesley with her because she knew I would never go alone. I went and coincidentally that was the night that LEAD/Grow sign-ups came out. I was nervous about the time commitment but something in my heart told me that I needed to take that leap and jump right back into my faith journey. Grow was the perfect fit for a very busy gal like me. My first discipler, Ashlyn, was everything I needed at the time. She understood when I told her that I lived in a house with 64 other girls but had never felt more lonely, she understood every time I cried because Physics can be so hard and somehow always knew how to make me see the strength within myself. Because of Ashlyn, I took a huge leap and signed up for the Cuba mission trip. In Cuba, I grew in my faith in ways that I had never experienced before and saw the Lord work in unbelievable ways. I also saw the community I had so desperately been craving start to build around me. Had it not been for my involvement in Grow, I’m not sure I would have ever taken the trip that changed my life. After my Junior year, I wasn’t sure if I would continue in Grow because Ashlyn was leaving and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to open up to another person like I had in two years with Ashlyn. Again I felt that pull in my heart to sign-up and boy am I glad I did. Seeing Brooklyn became one of the highlights of my week. She always keeps me accountable but also makes sure I feel heard and gives some of the best advice. Joining Grow gave me more than I could ever have imagined. Through discipleship, I had not only someone to keep me accountable but also a friends who was my shoulder to cry on when the pressures of school and friendships became too much. Discipleship saved me from one of the loneliest points in my life, helped me overcome some of the biggest challenges in my college career and gave me a community that I know will last long after I leave Athens.

Rachel Erin Taylor | Author
Student on Grow