The Stories

As a recent graduate of Stony Brook University, what I will miss most about my time at college is my weekly fellowship meetings with BASIC. How I came to be a member and eventually vice-president of BASIC at Stony Brook was very interesting. During my freshman year I got saved. I decided that since I was a "baby Christian," I needed guidance and support from other Christians who would understand my new transformation...That's when I was walking into the student union and saw a Christian information table or as I later learned it was called a "Book table." Gene, the overseer of BASIC at SB saw my interest and called me over to the table. He told me when they met and gave me some literature to read.

I was so excited that my search was over. Instead of looking any further, BASIC found me! I went to the first meeting and never stopped going. BASIC gave me a place where I could go to freely worship the Lord with others who were in the same age range and position as myself. I made invaluable friendships and gained much needed knowledge about the God whom I love so much. Nothing is coincidental; God knew that BASIC is where I needed to be. It gave me the support I needed to make it out of college without falling into any type of trouble and the friendships I have made through BASIC will carry on for a lifetime.

When I was not a Christian in my freshman year of college, I would hang out with the wrong people and was "enjoying" the college experience. Then I realized that I was going down the wrong path and I was not happy where I was going. There were many days and nights that I wondered if there was a God. I would wonder and listen to people comment about it. I was not a complete atheist, and I was curious about Christianity. Then later in my second semester of college I would party and was convinced that this is what I wanted to do. Then one night I thought about what I was doing and where I might be going so I just got on my knees and prayed. I prayed the sinner’s prayer and that day—on Nov 30, 2007 in my dorm room—my college career has changed. That next week I went to church and started to go to BASIC. I had some changes to get used to such as reading the Bible and going to church. I had to learn how to pray and why. Then I understood what it meant to be a Christian and I was starting to catch fire. The beginning of my sophomore year I really learned that God is real and I wanted to spread the good news so I would tell people about having a relationship with God...

I have a story to tell you. In the Spring 2007 BASIC conference there was a girl who attended. Now this girl wasn't even supposed to be there, but by strange circumstances, at the very last moment, ended up at the conference. This girl looked fine, worshiped with everyone, and listened attentively to the messages. However, what was different about this girl was that she planned to kill herself when she got home. This girl was me.

I was saved when I was very young but I went through a lot of hard things and somehow thought that suicide was the only option left. At the end of the first night I was in tears, I knew I wanted to be right with God, but I didn't think that He'd want me anymore. But through a conversation with someone in leadership over me, I learned that what I thought wasn't true, and that God wanted, more than anything, me to come back to Him. The following day, even though I knew God wanted me, my plans hadn't changed, that is, until the last session of the night. In the middle of worship I simply broke down, God had touched my heart. I spoke with two leaders for several hours. During which time I was released from a bondage that had held onto me for five years.

I am happy to say that I never again went back to that place of blind desperation. Since that BASIC conference weekend I have never been the same. It's been a long hard process, but I've never looked back.