Dorm Trooper Testimonies
Amy Joseph - Martha Cook
Living in the Martha Cook building is a blessing - both having the dorm trooper community for support and having so many opportunities to reach out to the girls in my dorm. This year has been especially good because we have a core group of girls from down the hall that meet for morning prayer twice a week and support each other. We've been able to reach out through having dinner with newer girls, inviting people to movie nights or parties in our room, or just knocking on a few extra doors before we walk over to UCO. There is a sense of community here that is uncommon - and part of our outreach is just being this way, being welcoming to others and being a light in the dorms.
Mark Pressprich
Living with the men of the Pentatude (as we have christened our dorm room) has been an experience unlike any other. Before now, I'd never really lived with four guys really committed to following the Lord and growing in faithfulness. The constant interaction between us has allowed me to isolate some areas of my own life that need work, and its great to be able to ask a roomate at any time of the day for prayer regarding just about anything. Living among believers has changed my outlook on dorm ministry as well. It's so much easier to remain focused on Christ when I've got faithful guys living it out around me. Having this place of safety not only provides for my mental and spiritual health, it becomes a place in which I can invite anyone I want to, knowing that the guys will receive them warmly. Living with these men has really encouraged me to pursue God, with the added benefits of making it fun and a little easier.
Leslie McClain
Why would you ever want to be a dorm trooper? You mean putt-putt golf in the dorms, a giant slip-n-slide in the hallway, and movie nights don't strike your fancy? Okay, sure, that stuff's not for everyone. You say, "I'm a junior (even a senior) and it's lame to still live in the dorms." Yeah, there's always the danger of being called lame, or worse. You're shy? You don't think you would be effective in talking to others about Christ? I'll admit, it is tough sometimes. Plus, the dorms are expensive. All right - you've got me. Why would anyone want to be a dormtrooper?
You know what makes being a dormtrooper worth all that stuff? It's doing and experiencing all that with other people who genuinely care about you, and more importantly, who are invested in God. We're not here to evangelize the dorms, we're not here to have fun, we're not here to attract others to Christ, we're not even here to support and encourage each other in our faith. We live in the dorms to seek God with our daily lives and end up experiencing these things and more in the process, in an environment that is unique to this time in our lives.
I could say so much about what it's like to be a dormtrooper. How it is sometimes the hardest thing you could ever do because of the constant reminder of the lost and broken in this world, and because of the individual motivation required in doing God's work (as there is with any kind of work). How it is also the easiest thing to do because of the convenience of the dorms and most importantly, because of the support and love you receive on a daily basis from the people living in the same situation as you, and because of the strength that God provides. I could talk about the joys, the struggles, the frustration, the life that comes from living as a Dormtrooper, but I'll leave that for you to experience. I hate it when people ruin the ending of a story...
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