Studying at UCT was a huge adjustment for me. Luckily, within the first few months, I found a community in an office on Middle Campus, which was literally open for anyone. I walked inside, was welcomed warmly, and got a cup of tea and a friendly conversation on the purple couch. Since that day, I went to that office every day. The Y was the place I could call home during my time at university; it was where newly found family was, it was a place where people tried to understand me, and were willing to accept me for who I am, but who wanted to see changes in me through God’s word.

When I look back, I can see how God used the Y to shape me for life after university, in ways I never would have expected. I used to think that I needed to be in some sort of ‘full-time ministry’ position in order to be part of what God was doing in our world, but through the Y, God opened my mind and eyes to see how we can follow Jesus right where we are, whatever we are doing; we can join him in his mission in every sphere of our lives. I learnt that making disciples of Jesus is slow, and deeply relational. If we want to follow our Lord into the journey of discipleship, he calls us to walk in deep relationships with people, sharing Jesus and our lives with whomever comes across our paths.

The Y equipped me with tools for studying the Bible on my own so that I am able to make sense of the world I am currently living in through the lens of Scripture. At the Student Y I was taught to question and that there are answers in Scripture. The Y laid foundations for my walk with the Lord—teaching me that all things belong to God and that there is no secular/sacred divide.