Hello! My name is Elsa and I’m currently going into my 4th year studying Neuroscience and Physiology at UofT. I started getting more involved with P2C going into 3rd year, and God has truly answered my prayers for placing me in a Christian community, while also giving me so many new friendships this year! I remember joining Summer DG exactly one year ago, so having the opportunity to serve as a leader has been one of my favourite memories so far!
How have you been encouraged or challenged in your journey to participate in God’s mission?
I think this past year, my views on evangelism have definitely shifted. I knew about the Great Commission and that evangelism is something that Christians do sometimes, but I had my own doubts and fears: “maybe I’m not the one to bring the Gospel to someone, maybe this was a job for another wiser, older, and braver Christian”. But by God’s grace I was able to see just how much—and how many—people on the receiving end need to hear the Gospel.
I had to really evaluate myself, “do I think that telling people about Jesus validates me as a ‘good’ Christian, or do I tell people out of compassion because I know they need Him badly?” This radically changed my perspective. There is an urgency to share the Good News because people all over the world are searching for truth and need to know that, through Jesus, their sins are forgiven. Through this, the Lord changed my attitude toward evangelism from a “how can I?” to a “how could I not?”
Tell us more about your journey preparing to serve this summer:
During the planning stages before launching Summer DG, the other leaders and I had many meetings to pray for the people that would come and to discuss what topics to cover each week. Going into it, I experienced a bit of imposter syndrome because I’ve never actually lead a Bible study before and was worried I might get things wrong. But I kept turning back to 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 and 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 to remind myself that my confidence does not reside in my abilities; rather, my boast is in the Lord, whose power is made perfect in weakness.
Now that we are more than halfway through the summer, it has been such a blessing to witness what God has done through our Bible studies, discussions, and socials. People have been sharing convictions, encouraging one another, and praying together to take practical steps in growing closer to Jesus. I’ve also been deeply inspired by the other leaders who have worked tirelessly and made a commitment to serve each week!
