Good evening, my name is Gracia Rolf, I am from Lisbon, ND, and I am a second-year student here at the Free Lutheran Bible College. 

Ephesians 2:1 and 4-5 says, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked…But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—…“

I am a saved child of God. I am extremely thankful for the wonderful Christian family that God has blessed me with. Because of the light of Jesus through these people and through God’s Word at home and church, I have always known Jesus as my Savior.

Through middle and high school, I started to realize that I was different than most of my peers, and it made me uncomfortable. I wanted to fit in. I cared more about being accepted and recognized by those around me and my performance in academics, sports, and other activities than I did about bringing glory to God. During my senior year of high school, I became more aware of this problem and started to seek a personal relationship with the Lord and see His Word at work in my life more and more. 

And that brings me here, to FLBC, where I have grown in my knowledge of God’s character. I have learned: 

1. God is faithful. through classes here, I have been reminded of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness now, and throughout history in all generations. Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Even through the chaos of my life and all the changes that happen from day to day and year to year, God and His plans and promises remain the same. 
2. God’s grace is sufficient. One way God has been teaching me this is through the physical trials I have faced here. I had surgery on my legs last year, which has been challenging for me as I both enjoy and benefit from physical activity. My tendency in life is to just push through it, to keep driving harder and harder until I make it through. But when I rely on my own strength to live my life and achieve my own goals, I break. Jesus says in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” In every area of my life, God’s grace is more than enough.
3. God promises to provide for all my needs. Through financial worries, questions about my future, and other day-to-day anxieties, I know that God will provide for me according to His will. I can trust that He knows His plans, even when I can’t see them and don’t understand. 

…when I rely on my own strength to live my life and achieve my own goals, I break.

The mission of the Free Lutheran Bible College is to establish students in the eternal and inerrant Word of God for a life of faith in Jesus Christ and faithful service in His Kingdom. While being here, I have grown in my knowledge of how to serve him in a wide variety of ways. 

1. Because of God’s character and love, I desire to serve Him for all of my life, and have had excellent opportunities to do so here at FLBC. Through God’s Word in my classes, I have seen Jesus’ heart for all people. A prayer of mine this year has been that The Lord would help me to see people as He does, and he truly has been answering that prayer and gradually softening my heart. My good works are for my neighbors, so I want to love and help others, and I pray that my doing so helps others to see Christ in my life. 
2. I have gotten the privilege to proclaim God’s Word through song in Concert Choir, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Gospel Teams, and the Ambassador Summer Team. Sharing what gifts God has given me with congregations both locally and nationally, as well as across the ocean in Scandinavia during choir tour. Being part of our basketball and volleyball programs has shown me how to live on mission for Jesus Christ. 
3. In classes, I have learned the importance of becoming active in a church body, and I have gotten to apply that knowledge by helping with youth group and Sunday School in a local congregation. 
4. In discipleship groups, I have been given the opportunity to meditate on the Word of God and I have been learning learned how to disciple others through the Christian community that God uses to strengthen our faith. 

Through all these opportunities to serve, I have been realizing that it’s not at all about forcing myself into leadership positions but rather all about living out my vocation wherever I may be, and stepping into roles that God equipped me to fulfill. 

Romans 16:1 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” 

I praise the Lord for this school: the professors, staff, and community who have all contributed to deepening my relationship with God. I have seen how God’s Word truly impacts my everyday life. It’s becoming instinctual to see Jesus throughout all of Scripture. God’s Word has continued to shape my thoughts, decisions, and actions. The Holy Spirit’s work in my life encourages me even through suffering, and He guides me daily. I have the hope of eternal life through the Lord because he has forgiven all my sin. Tonight, because of this, my prayer is that you don’t just see me but that you instead see a child of God who lives her life to proclaim the love of Jesus Christ. Because as Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”