Faustina and her fellow students during EQUIP
Faustina attended EQUIP this year, was inspired by the CUI World Assembly Student Volunteer Programme, and is excited to apply. Hear her story about why.
My name is Faustina Obodo, and I'm an international student from South Africa studying at MTU Cork. I grew up in a Christian home, but for me, Christianity was mostly about going to church. I didn't have Christian friends, and I never really felt the need to talk about my faith. It seemed like something personal, something that stayed within the family.
That changed when I came to Ireland on my own as an international student. During freshers' week, I was handed a booklet listing all the societies on campus. When I saw the Christian Union, I lit up. I remember thinking, “Here I am in a country that values religious freedom enough that there's a Christian society right here on my campus.”
The very first event I went to was a meet-and-greet, and it was amazing. I wasn't the only new face there, since it was the start of the year, but I felt welcomed straight away! We laughed with people, we ate pizza, and I just kept coming back whenever I had the chance. CU has grown my faith enormously, and I know that's down to God drawing me toward it. That has led me all the way here. And I believe the same could be true for so many other international students. That's part of why I want to give back to CUI by applying to the CUI World Assembly Student Volunteer Programme.
What drew me to the programme is its sheer scale: more than 150 countries coming together, each with its own Christian student movement, and a chance for me to welcome the nations as I was welcomed! It feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, especially since something like this probably won't happen again in Ireland.
What drew me to the programme is its sheer scale: more than 150 countries coming together, each with its own Christian student movement and a chance for me to welcome the nations as I was welcomed!
I'm looking forward to understanding the Bible more deeply. The programme has a strong emphasis on Scripture: we'll be reading through parts of the book of Acts beforehand, so we can do our own personal study and come equipped and empowered for the event. I'm also really looking forward to meeting and talking with people, and to offering hospitality to those attending, many of whom will be travelling for the first time, and some of whom won't speak English.
But more than anything, I'd love to come away with a real taste of what a life of mission actually looks like! I'm currently studying electrical engineering at MTU, but I know that after graduating I'd still want to give a lot of my time to the work CUI is doing among students here, and to see other university students come through CU and experience the same blessing and welcome I received.
