Stories by Students for Students
Each student processed information given them by other students, then designed a story to make it accessible to others for growth and encouragement.
Travel / Outreach
Student trip to Czechia
The story of MidAmerica Nazarene University’s 2026 student trip to Czechia told in video.
Graphic Media
Comic Story Project
A young girl’s faith is challenged and transformed through a dramatic roadside encounter.
Video
Claire’s Story
A short reflection on the nature of God’s love through a relational experience on a college campus.
Podcast
Seyenna’s Story
An audio reminder that faith is not just about trust, it’s about a daily pursuit of God.
Social Media
A Message in Purple
Sometimes the biggest transformation isn’t in our circumstances, it’s in the way we come to know who God truly is.
Samantha’s story is one of moving from fear to trust. She spent years believing God was distant and waiting to see how much suffering she could endure. Through chronic pain, anxiety, and countless questions, she slowly discovered that He wasn’t standing on the sidelines watching, He was walking through every moment with her.
Along the way, God gave her a simple, unexpected reminder of His presence: the color purple. What started as a funny distraction during moments of panic became a personal reminder that He sees her, cares for her, and is present even in the smallest details.
One verse that has anchored her faith is Isaiah 43:2:
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you… when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.”
Samantha’s story is a reminder that God doesn’t promise a life without suffering, but He does promise that we never have to walk through it alone.
Written Narrative
It started again fifteen minutes before her twelfth birthday party. The near drowning, mouth-watering, stomach clenching Anxiety. Despite her excitement about the plans she’d made weeks ago, Brielle sat alone in a locked bathroom.
Her mom and dad were setting up the decorations downstairs. She didn’t want to bother them, but when the first guest knocked on the front door, dread crashed over her, fear welled up, and the only way it could come out was to throw up.
The party was canceled; guests turned away as soon as they climbed the front steps.
Brielle’s mom comforted her, saying they would reschedule as soon as she recovered. But the familiar crippling Anxiety clutched at her insides. It had overwhelmed her before, clinging to her desire not to be sick and turning her phobia into reality. Two years ago, it had all lifted with a prayer over a radio station call line. One moment, Anxiety had controlled her, the next God had lifted it. Why was it back? Maybe her mom was right; maybe it was just the stomach flu. Yet it felt so familiar.
Anxiety still weighed on her the next day. The roiling feeling kept her pinned to her bed. She ignored breakfast, ignored a friend’s call, ignored everything except what she couldn’t: her spiraling thoughts, the saliva-filled mouth, and the fight against vomiting. It was then her parents recognized what happened before. They prayed for her and told her to pray too. Brielle did, but Anxiety wouldn’t leave. What was wrong? Why wouldn’t it just go away instantly again? Why was she always afraid of doing things she wanted to do?
Brielle grew more and more isolated, turning away every social engagement in the peak of summer. Even when she wanted to go, Anxiety took over. What if something went wrong? What if she did something and then her friends hated her for it?
“Brielle, you can’t let Anxiety control your life.” She and her dad sat in the car in front of her friend’s house.
Brielle sobbed in the seat beside him. “Please, Dad, no. I don’t want to go! I’m going to be sick again.”
“Brielle.” He stopped and looked directly into her eyes. “I love you, but you need to look the devil in the face and say to him, ‘Fear be gone, be gone, fear be gone, splat!’” A silly children’s song opened the door to a smile. “Going to your friend’s is the first step of courage. Take back the ground that the enemy has stolen.”
Everything was fine when she went, though she shared nothing of her struggles with her friends. It would be selfish to burden her friends with the knowledge. And anyway, she shouldn’t be struggling. Her life was good; why was she afraid? Why did she have to battle this again alone? What would her friends think of her if she said something?
“Use your voice,” her mom encouraged. “Use your voice in spite of the enemy. Trust God, face your fear, and get up.”
Every morning was a struggle, but her sisters helped too. First, it was early morning prayer runs. Brielle pushed past the sickness to move with her eldest sister. Then it was dancing, in her room, on their lawn; worship music blasting as she twirled and laughed. Third, it was singing “I Speak Jesus,” using her voice, her prayers, her body. Finally, it was reading, filling her mind with the Word, starting each day with Jesus. All summer long, she did just as Dad said. She gained ground. She praised God.
One morning she realized it wasn’t hard to get out of bed. There was no dread, no Anxiety, no fear. No clutching stomach or watering mouth. She ran, full of joy, to her parents and they celebrated. It wasn’t instant like the first time. It had taken effort. But God had freed her.
Now, five years later, Brielle is still anxiety free. In an interview, she realized, “Anxiety is a self-centered thing. Being lost in your own fears, detached from reality. The enemy’s plan keeping you from community and connection.” – Sharing her struggles, not just with her family but with God, freed her.
Adapted by student Lauren Varney