Real Life Journeys

My Story is A Little Different

Elizabeth Fields

Hello, my name is Elizabeth Fields, and my story is a little bit different…

While both of my parents grew up in church, I did not. I went a few times to a Baptist church with my Grandmother when I was very young, and then on and off to a Presbyterian church for a few years as a little girl. I had always heard that God is Love and he is the source of our supply, but I never fully understood what that meant. When I started going to school at a Community College in my hometown, I meet a young man who soon turned into one of my best friends. He spent countless hours witnessing to me and guiding me toward the Lord. At the time, I had no idea what witnessing even was. In my mind, I thought he was just very religious and was simply being nice. He gave me my first Bible for Christmas and started inviting me to church, which I reluctantly attended. However, I soon found myself actually enjoying church and started to feel something stir in my soul. One Sunday in church, a strong feeling came over me, that told me I needed to make a change, and at the time, the only thing I knew to do was to pray. So I got up, went to the altar, knelt down, and prayed. I had a sea of people around me, and at the time, I thought I had been saved. However, I only found myself more confused…


We soon found ourselves both attending Appalachian State, where he stumbled upon CFC and immediately immersed himself. It took me a little while to join in….being a new student, I felt scared. But then I started going, and I started learning about the Lord. I have always tried not to be afraid to ask questions and seek help when I was confused. I started attending the local church that Kyle and Amanda are members of, and I immediately felt at home and found my safe and happy place. During one Wednesday night service, our Preacher was talking about being ‘unequally yoked’ and how when two or more people pray together, the stronger it can be. I didn’t even know what ‘unequally yoked’ meant….but, I didn’t like the sound of it. So after church, with tears streaming down my face, I asked my dear friend if he could help me understand what it means to be ‘unequally yoked’, and if he would pray with me so that my prayer would be more powerful. There on the floor of his apartment on September 17th, I got saved. I never knew that I could feel such joy and security.


My life has changed so much since that moment. If it wasn’t for dear friends, CFC, and for Kyle and Amanda, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I have since then been baptized, joined Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church, and become an active member of my new home church. I am eternally grateful for the patience and encouragement they showed me. They never gave up on me, and neither will the Lord. I am still learning every day, and since I am human, I also have my struggles; however, I always have God. I always thought that reading the Bible was strange because I never learned how to apply what I read to my life. At CFC, Kyle and Amanda are great at not only teaching from the Bible but also in helping to apply what is learned. Please come if you are looking for friendship, guidance, to learn more about God, or to find your safe and happy place.

He Is There When No One Else Is

Ethan Green
And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. (Psalm 50:15)

Hey y'all, my name is Ethan Green, and I graduated from Appalachian back in 2015. I attended App my junior and senior year, and earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. College was never something I wanted to do, but chose to carry through with it for its future benefits. I attended a community college in my hometown for two years before transferring to Appalachian.

Boone was about two hours away from where I lived, and being away from where I had grown up for 20 years did not seem appealing to me. I will never forget the day I moved-in with three complete strangers and watched my family drive away to leave me in a whole new world to adjust to all alone. Due to my Christian upbringing and conservative values, I found myself spending all my time alone. I desperately wanted my family but that was a desire that couldn’t be filled. So, where did I turn, I turned where I had always been taught to turn; I turned to the Lord.

How was I going to fit in? What would I do to pass the time? Well, I began praying and asking the Lord to help me in that very moment. I told Him that since I didn’t know where to begin in a new place, that I was His; to use me for what He wanted. So, as I rose from kneeling at my bedside I had no idea what the Lord was going to do with that prayer. That move-in weekend, right before school started, I decided to look into how I could get involved with the college. Thus, I began looking on Appalachian’s website to see what clubs were available.

I knew I wouldn’t fit in with Greek life, so I chose to look at finding a Christian club on campus. As you can imagine, there is not a plethora of Christian based clubs on a secular campus. However, I did find one or two, and from there it was choosing which one to try and attend for the first time. In that moment, I asked God to show me which one he would have me to try, and so I chose the one called Collegians for Christ. They had their first meeting of the new school year that coming Tuesday, and I decided to attend.

When time came for me to go, I can tell you my nerves were off the chart. This was my first major step out on my own at a college university. Well, to make a long story short, I instantly, and I mean instantly, fell in love with Collegians for Christ. I began attending every week, and never missed a Bible study the entire two years that I was at App. While attending CFC, I got involved in attending Wednesday night church service at the church that supports Collegians for Christ in Boone, and again I fell in love. The amount of hospitality, love, and the real, correct, and insightful biblical help that came from attending Bible study and church turned my walk with Jesus Christ into the greatest thing I have ever experienced. Words literally cannot describe how much Collegians for Christ means to me and what it has done for me.

I went on to become the Vice President of CFC and became involved with church and campus outreaches like I never thought was possible. Collegians for Christ is responsible for turning my relationship with Jesus Christ into one that is not only personal, but intimate, convicting, and absolutely full of life! I got to watch and be a part of lives being changed and a college transformed for the better.

What’s funny is God had this in store for me the whole time; I just had to realize that when no one else is there, your Saviour, your Redeemer, the one who is your Strong Tower, your Rock, He is always there! The best way I can summarize what He done for me starting on that lonely day when I moved to Boone, what he accomplished in my life through CFC, is to just simply say, To God Be The Glory Forevermore!

Want to Make God Laugh? Tell Him Your Plans.

Courtney McKinney
Hi! My name is Courtney McKinney. I am currently at first grade teacher at a wonderful, small school outside of Boone, NC. I graduated from Appalachian in 2014 with my undergraduate degree and now I am a part time graduate student in the Reading Education department!

From the moment I was born the Lord has been working in my life. Through each phase of my life I can see His mighty handprint. As a young girl, I was raised in a home that feared and worshipped God. At seven, I accepted the Lord as my savior. Though I know that I was saved then, it took me many years to grow and understand what that relationship should look like. One major way I learned about this relationship was through Collegians for Christ. My church is very small and we never had the opportunity to have a youth group. I always felt that I was missing a piece by not having a group of believers that were my age to connect with. I started my freshman year at App in search of a small group to attend each week, but I never found one that felt right in my heart. I kept attending my home church but still prayed for a group of people to learn about God with that were in the same stage of life as myself.

One day I got a strange call from a number I didn’t recognize. I let it go to voicemail so I could see who the person was. This lady left a short message about a bible study that was starting at App State and she invited me to their first meeting. Truthfully, I was half terrified and half ecstatic. I was a little nervous to just show up at a random bible study but this is exactly what I had been praying for! God had heard my prayers and at a vital time in my life I was introduced to CFC. I was able to help CFC become established on campus and was the first president of CFC! I was extremely proud as our bible study grew from a small building on King Street to a full room in the student union! Through this bible study I gained so much knowledge about the Bible and about my personal walk with God.

“Want to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans.” If you know me you know that I am a planner. I plan out my days to the hour most of the time. Part of this is because of a busy schedule, the other part is that I am beyond organized. I had plans to be married as soon as I graduated from App, buy a perfect little house, get the perfect teaching job, start a family within four years, and…you get the picture. I was engaged to someone who I had dated for six years. We had many discussions about our beliefs and I was under the impression that we believed the same things. One night my fiancé decided to be completely honest with me, he opened up about not being a believer and was very confused about his belief in God. When I was brought to this life altering decision, many of the lessons I had been studying at CFC came back to mind. I was to stand tall in my faith and to not back down because the Lord was on my side. During this decision, we also called on Kyle and Amanda Austin (the CFC leaders) to help us through this discussion. We decided that this was not what either of us wanted in a marriage. I never thought that I would be asked to stand for my faith in this situation. I am so thankful that I had Kyle and Amanda to help me through this part of life. Through this I have had the opportunity to share my testimony with so many different people. I feel like the Lord has used this situation to deepen my faith and help me understand that no matter what I have planned, He has a greater plan for my life.

The Lord knew what he was doing when He brought the Austin family into my life along with CFC. Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” I will never be able to put into words what CFC and the people involved have meant to me and my walk with my Savior. I am also thankful that the Lord has showed me to wait on HIS plan not my own!

Be Still & Know That I Am God

Danielle Eggers
Hello! My name is Danielle Eggers and I am currently serving as the Collegians for Christ President. I am a senior at Appalachian State University double majoring in Elementary Education and Spanish. I grew up in a Christian home where the Bible was read daily and “Dad and Mom, are we going to church this morning?” was never a question on Sunday. If the church doors were open, we knew we were going. From a young age, I was taught that hell is a place that is real and that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. Despite the fact that I knew this, it was not enough to save me. I needed to be forgiven of my sins and believe on Jesus Christ. As an 11-year-old child, I asked the Lord to save me and He did. In John 5:24, the Bible says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life..” From that moment, I became a new creature in Christ and was given eternal life. I knew that I would never have to face hell and would go to Heaven when I died, but I didn’t know exactly what it meant to live my life for the Lord.

Growing up, I was taught right from wrong and things that I should and shouldn’t do. Through high school, I lived a “morally good” life, staying away from activities and friends that would have led me down a rough path. Despite this, I still did not have a strong relationship with the Lord. After applying to several different universities, I decided to stay close to home and attend App State. Even though I moved out of my parent’s house, I continued to stay faithful to my home church, but still did not really grow in my walk with the Lord. I have always been involved in many activities and at the time, did not find it important enough to work on that relationship. My sophomore year, I began to drift very far away from the Lord. I became less and less faithful to church, made friendships with the wrong crowd, and would go weeks without opening my Bible outside of church. On top of all of this, my boyfriend since high school and I had broken up and I was absolutely devastated. Instead of turning to Jesus, I distracted myself with anything I could to get my mind off of the heartbreak I felt. I had hit rock bottom. My life was the furthest from being pleasing to the Lord.

The summer before my junior year, I decided to study abroad in Spain. It was an amazing experience and I met many great friends. When I returned to the United States, my family had moved to a different church. This church, where I am currently a member, is a place where the Holy Spirit moves in a mighty way and people have a strong desire to serve and worship the Lord. I began to see what it meant to be around a body of believers that were on fire for God. The Lord began to convict my heart and show me that the life I was living was very far from His will. At this time, I had begun serving as the President for CFC and God showed me that I had a special standard to uphold. I was not only responsible for myself, but to those that were looking to me as an example. I needed to change.

I began trying to read my Bible every day, mediating on the things of God, and separating myself from those friends that had led me into temptation. I was lonely, because most of the friends I made in college were the ones I was trying to distance myself from. I found myself spending a lot of time alone in my room, even when my roommates were all hanging out together downstairs. Despite the fact that I felt extremely lonely, the Spirit of God wrapped His loving arms around me and let me know that I would never be alone. He kept reminding me of one specific verse, “Be still and know that I am God.” After thinking about this over and over, I realized that with my crazy schedule and very active life, I was not being still. I needed to get my spiritual life back on track and with all the activities I had going on, I was not able to give God the time that He deserves. January came and I realized that it was God’s will for me to take a semester off from school. I continued to serve as CFC president and worked my job, but not having school work to complete, allowed me to focus on things of God.

My pastor and his family have always been close family friends. His son, Tyler, and I dated in high school and we had always tried to make something work between us, but the connection was just never there. At the beginning of that semester, he and I began talking. God had made many significant changes in both of our hearts and had prepared our paths for each other. We began dating, are now engaged, and planning a wedding for October 2016. I can’t help but wonder if I had disobeyed God and continued with school that semester, if my relationship with Tyler would have happened the way that it did.

My life has been one of many ups and downs, but through it all, I have learned that if I love God, stay close to Him, and put Him first always, the outcome is much better. Throughout my college career, I have been very fortunate to have been a part of CFC and have amazing people like Kyle and Amanda be a part of my life. They have been there for me, prayed for me, tried to guide me, and watched me grow. They have shared their mistakes and given advice that would help me in my spiritual walk. I can only hope that one day I will be able to pour my heart and life into my future students and young adults the way that they have mine.

My Faith Journey in College

Marie Hebrock
I suppose the beginning of my faith journey is similar to many college-aged Christians. I was baptized as a young child, grew up going to church with my family, participated in youth group in high school, and involved myself with volunteer ministries in the church community. I watched my mother especially, always hang on to her strong faith and teach us to always put God first. However, even with a great Christian upbringing, I still found myself a little lost in high school and college. It was like I went to church because, yes I loved the Lord and it was the right thing to do, but something was missing. I would pray at night for Jesus to show me the way, and hoped that one day it would just click. I was praying and searching for answers, but wasn’t finding them. I wanted to be a better Christian - a Christian that was so into her faith that my good life choices would come natural for me, which I know can especially be difficult in college. I wanted to serve others and choose my career well. These things kept nudging my conscious throughout my pivotal college years.

It wasn’t until one morning my junior year that I received an unexpected knock on my apartment door. Standing there was a kind faced man with an inviting smile and his daughter who simply gave us a brochure for their church. I had been trying out different churches in the area, but did not truly feel connected. It was honestly my roommate at the time who asked if I would go to this particular church with her that Sunday, and I did. It was there I was introduced to the Austin’s and their beautiful calling to establish a Collegians For Christ ministry at ASU. From there, I began to attend weekly Bible study meetings with my roommate so she would feel comfortable, but never expected to have it change my life. I felt welcomed, loved, unjudged, kept wanting to learn more, and soon enough I felt the desire to share my faith with others. It was a joy inside me that only Jesus Christ can bring to someone. I finally found my niche, my major, career choices, friends, and boyfriend- who is now my husband, that it all started to make sense. I discovered gifts in myself that made me feel as though I could make a difference. I realized through CFC, that it was not enough for me to go through the motions, but to lead others to Christ.

In fact, there was one winter night after bible study, that someone very dear to me, pulled me aside and asked if I was saved. In that moment I realized I made the choice as a young teen for Christ to be my personal savior, but it was once again like I was following the motions. As I reflected in the moment as a young adult, I felt a whole new wave flow through me, in that moment, I again asked Christ to be my savior and this time not only meant it and truly understood the meaning of John 3:16. From there, ministry became second nature to me, I found myself feeling love for others who I could tell really needed Christ. CFC came into my life at the perfect time. It was like God had been saving it all along for me. Good things truly come to those who love the Lord.

As I reflect on my life today, I am so thankful to have been involved in CFC, the lasting friendships I made, the people I met, and the honor of sharing the Gospel alongside the members. I am by no means perfect, but I do have a wonderful life, a Godly husband, beautiful home, loving family, an incredible job as a therapist for children with Autism, and the seed of love that the ministry of CFC planted inside of my heart.

1 Corinthians 13:4 - "Love is patient, love is kind."

A Huge Piece Missing In My Life

Nicole Riccio
Hi guys! My name is Nicole Riccio, and I graduated from App in 2014 with a degree in Child Development.

When I came to Boone I was excited to be a part of the community and immediately started looking for ways to get involved on campus. I didn’t grow up in a Christian family, I had only ever been to VBS growing up with my neighbors, and religion was never discussed in our house. So naturally, my first interest in getting involved had nothing to do with pursuing a relationship with God.

After attending church with my boyfriend (now husband) and his family back in Greensboro, I realized there was a huge piece missing in my life that could only be filled by Christ. I was saved the summer after my freshman year, and when I returned back to campus after break I knew that I wanted to find a church to call my home. What I found was SO much more than I could have ever asked for. After visiting a couple of churches in the area, we were invited to visit Mt. Lebanon and I immediately felt like I was a part of the church family. From there, we were invited to a Collegians for Christ bible study that was being held in a little rented room on King Street. I was incredibly nervous to go, especially since I would be going on my own the first couple of times, and I had very little knowledge of the bible. I almost talked myself out of going, but God gave me the courage to show up that night! Fast forward 2 years, and CFC had become such a huge part of my life. It went beyond just being in college and going to a weekly bible study. There were girls night dinners at Hokkaido, ski trips and Sunday lunches at Dos. My first ever “mission trip” was to ECU where we helped a church as they worked towards starting a CFC group on campus. God not only used CFC to strengthen my personal relationship with Him, but also to help me become bold in my faith. I never imagined I would be confident enough to talk about Christ with unbelievers or that I would be praying out loud in front of other people! Now, after graduation, one of the things I miss most about college was knowing that Tuesday nights I would be walking into the student union for bible study (and usually dinner and dessert). But CFC lasts longer than college! Amanda is always a call or text away, and Kyle was a part of our wedding in 2014. College has so many experiences to offer, and it’s so important to make your time there count! I am excited to see how God continues to use CFC to minister to the campus and community!
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