Help me stay at Oakwood

Hello my name is Stephie Mwamikazi Kayumba,

I was born in The Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as Zaire, in Kinshasa, which is located in Central Africa. At the age of one, my mother and I fled to America due to war back home, and by the grace of God we came on August 17, 2000. I am the second in my family to attend college, and it really has been a blessing. Even though attending Oakwood wasn’t in my plans, but God had something in store for me. It wasn’t until I visited Oakwood for the first time and got to attend prayer meeting that I experienced a life changing moment. If I had not been at the service that evening, I wouldn’t have felt the voice of God speaking to me so clearly. Even though I had a strong conviction that God was calling me to Oakwood, I still fought the feeling, yet God being the good God he is, He continued to work on my heart and convinced me to come here. Coming to Oakwood solely on faith and the voice of God, I registered and was cleared for my first semester. As my first semester comes to a close, I can honestly look back and say that I have fallen in love with the campus, the friends I have made, the teachers that took a special interest in me, and most of all the spiritual atmosphere. I can feel God on this campus, and I know that He is here. He has been better than good to me, and even blessed me with my green card, regardless of the political environment. I am a nursing major, and when I graduate I plan to go to grad school to become a Nurse Practitioner, and maybe even a doctor, if that is what God wants from me. God has blessed me with so much and I want to use my talents and experiences to help make a change. My lifelong goal is to open up my own education clinic in either Congo or Rwanda. I want to give an education to children and young adults that don’t have the resources that I had, and I want to help bring them to Christ. I want to be a light in the darkness for these people, and I want to be a difference in their communities and to encourage them. I want to make sure that they have all the tools that they need to be anything they want to be. I want to give young adults the opportunity to choose any Adventist University they want to go to, because I believe Adventist education is a powerful thing. I am asking for you to help me fulfill my dream of helping others, and this is where I need your help. I believe that the God I serve is bigger than financial clearance, therefore, the most helpful thing that you can do is pray for God to provide a way for me to make it to next semester. With that being said, I would appreciate anything you can give to help me continue my education at Oakwood. I want to thank you in advance for all of your emotional, spiritual, and monetary support.