SBS International

How SBS saved my life:

by Tricia Dougan

Is this too strong of a statement? Or is it the truth of what happens to your life when you are actively in the word of God?

I always use to say, “I would never do an SBS, unless God made it extremely clear, there is no way!” Last spring God made it evident that He was changing the plans. I was planning on finishing my last year of college and moving on from there. But of course the Lord knows more than we do and He knew I needed the SBS. I am still going back and finishing school, but this was a little sidetrack that turned into a pivotal year for my faith and for my overall well being.

For the last two years I had struggled with anxiety. This anxiety was a daily battle and had begun to affect my health, my grades in school and my overall approach towards God. I can confidently say that this has completely changed. There was not a certain day, or a certain book of the bible, or a certain piece of advice that changed this for me. It was the continual act of being in the word of God and learning who God was. It was never about me. The Bible is not about us. The Bible is about God and who He is and who He will remain to be. He is the hero of the story, he is the focal point. And yet He still makes us a part of the story, He still loves us in a way we will never be able to fathom, He still places trust in us that we did not earn, and He still pursues us when we are actively running from Him.

I assumed coming into this school that I would get all of my ‘Head’ questions answered. That my theology would be concrete in every way. Don’t get me wrong, my views on many things have changed and have become more stable. And yet the biggest thing this school has done for me is a renewal of my faith. After being in YWAM and seeing many amazing miracles and incredible acts of faith I would have assumed that this is when my belief in those things would have increased the most. But for me, after studying the word of God, after reading the gospels and seeing the acts of Jesus and the disciples, after reading the Old Testament and seeing the faith of those who loved God, I can honestly say this school has renewed my faith in miracles. My view of how incredible the Holy Spirit is has changed, my desire to share the gospel with others, my desire to pray and see healing, my desire to share the good news with the nations has increased a million fold during this school.

I am not sure how this happened. Again there was not a certain instance but a year full of studying who God is and what His word says that has changed everything for me. I feel more stable in my life than I have ever felt, I feel ready to make a huge transition and move back home. A transition that would have terrified me and possibly made me crippled by anxiety a year ago.

This is my personal story of SBS. I am not saying if you have anxiety that it will be solved by this school, I am simply sharing my own experience. I can assure you however that if you do this school you will see the face of God in a whole new way. You will work hard, and there may be days where you are annoyed with all the reading you have to do. But I can assure you that you will change, if you allow God to show you himself in this book. God of the Bible is the God of today. He is still actively moving in the world and in our lives, He still fervently fights for you and He still calls us into the greatest story ever told.

Isaiah 26: 3 ESV " You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."