Rachel is a senior at Oakland University studying pre-physical therapy. She joined the Cultivate process in the spring of 2016, and since has grown tremendously in her faith. When Rachel began the Cultivate process her faith was young and not her own, but the product of the way she was raised. Rachel had a strong desire to grow in her relationship with God, but lacked the tools and guidance needed to become an effective kingdom worker.

In 2017 Rachel begin to take the first steps in the Cultivate process. She began attending a Cultivate class on apologetics and serving within a campus ministry. Rachel chose to get involved with Young Life OU, a college ministry for students from various faith backgrounds. Rachel became a part of the outreach team and lead a group of volunteers around Oakland’s campus each week to share Young Life’s mission and to invite people to come to their large group. Rachel’s enthusiasm and bubbly personality drew in new members and played a significant influence in Young Life tripling in size in 2017. As the school year ended, Rachel took one of the biggest steps in her faith walk, meeting with a mentor. Rachel began meeting with Alexa Lawlor, a discipler of Cultivate and director of Connect the Nations. Alexa and Rachel hit it off and have been meeting regularly since then. Alexa has had a significant influence in Rachel’s spiritual walk and has created a safe space for Rachel to talk about life.

In the fall of 2018 Rachel became the Vice President of Young Life and took charge of the communication outlets for Young Life. Rachel grew in her administration skills as she sent out weekly emails and posts on social media, but she didn’t let her time behind the computer stop her from meeting new people. Rachel became a friendly face to newcomers and helped them find their place within Younglife. As the year progressed Rachel become involved in a new church plant, Life Church Auburn Hills, and begin serving within the children’s ministry. Rachel currently serves within Life Church’s ministry to kids every Sunday and has been a reliable volunteer for the young church.

In the fall of 2019 Rachel remains the Vice President of Young Life OU and is a centerpiece of Young Life’s leadership team. Rachel’s wisdom, encouragement and positive attitude have come to be something that the leaders in Young Life are able to count on.

Rachel plans on graduating in the Spring of 2019 with a BA in health science and plans to get her master’s in physical therapy in the future. Rachel plans on remaining active within Life Church Auburn Hills and hopes to continue to make an impact on Oakland’s campus.

Below are quotes from Rachel about her time in Cultivate.

One of the best things that happened to me in my college career is meeting the people behind Cultivate. Not only have they loved me unconditionally and spent time and energy getting to know me, they have also poured into me spiritually time and time again. When I came into college my faith was young and fragile. It broke easily and produced little fruit. I knew I wanted to strengthen my foundation in Christ, but I didn’t have the tools to do it, nor did I even know what those tools were. It was then that God lead me toward the Cultivate community. Through Cultivate, God provided a mentor to help guide me through my life, a church where I feel welcomed and loved, and a community of Christ followers that do nothing but support me through my trials and rejoice in the blessings. I’m thankful for Cultivate and its mission to help souls like mine pursue a life that is centered around glorifying the God of the universe.

These are quotes from Alexa Lawlor, Rachel’s mentor, about Rachel’s time in Cultivate.

Rachel has grown beautifully in the faith since beginning university. Excited about being in relationship with the Lord as a freshman and with solid Christian friends of various ages who taught her about Jesus and the Bible, Rachel soaked up every testimony shared with her by other believers. Two years after beginning university, she is now trying to be intentional to keep the fire stirred in her heart for the Lord as well as take her thoughts captive when there are thoughts that she knows do not align with the Word of God. Being involved in a campus ministry has been a great way for her to invite others to learn more about the faith. She has also been faithful to try to share with her family about Jesus. It was awesome to learn that she invited a couple of the international students whom she befriended at the beginning of this school year to attend the events held by their campus fellowship as well as a weekend retreat.