At the beginning of 2024, I learned about the Faculty Commons movement in Cali through Carlos Esteban Cuervo, who is with Faculty Commons here in Colombia. Later, several Christian professors began meeting to encourage one another.
Among the activities, we began reading the book Una Historia Mas Grande;La Metanarrativa De Dios (A Grander Story).
The authors’ testimonies were wonderful and impactful. The one that touched my heart the most was that of Dr. Walter Bradley (professor of mechanical engineering), who shared his testimony as a Christian professor with nearly 100 students.
Accepting the Call
When I read Dr. Bradley’s story, we were fasting at our church. At that moment, I felt a call from God to share my testimony of life in Christ with my students at Universidad Libre. I decided to accept that call. I prepared my testimony with the help of Carlos Esteban Cuervo and presented it to 66 students.
I could see from their faces that some were puzzled, others distracted, but several were happy and excited to hear me. So I invited them to form an extracurricular group where we would meet to talk and learn the principles of the Christian faith. To my surprise, a group of 17 students formed; all were very excited, eager to learn more (see the photo of the group below). We currently continue to meet on Thursdays at the university.
Drawing Closer to God
What has given me the most satisfaction from this whole process is hearing the students tell me that the group has helped them get to know and draw closer to God. I remember a particular case of a student who, at the beginning of the semester, had been hospitalized due to a suicide attempt.
At one of the meetings, she told me that before joining the group, she felt an emptiness in her heart. She needed a personal relationship with God and to know Him through her own eyes. She expressed that being in the group was a blessing for her.
First, I thank God for touching my heart and helping me move forward despite my fears. I also thank Carlos Esteban Cuervos and Edgar Penilla, wonderful friends who guided me and helped me in this new life experience. God is a God of wonderful surprises.
Diana Marcela Peralta
Medicina Interna
Universidad Libre
Cali, Colombia