Josiah and Emily Forker
In 2015 I (Josiah) had the opportunity to see my friend give his life to Christ. When I saw him become a new creation it revealed to me that I was not walking with the Lord. I was stuck in sin and relied on myself and my work to earn God's approval. I confessed that I was not walking with Christ to my youth pastor who for the next four months faithfully walked through the Gospel of Mark with me. After reading how Jesus came for the sick and asked broken people to follow him, I realized I was not good enough to save myself and that I needed a Savior. I gave my life to Christ and began to live out my faith in college. I was discipled by a staff member from CO who intentionally read the word with me and taught me how to live out my faith. From 2021 until 2023, I served with a ministry teaching English in Cambodia. God has shifted my ministry to come back and join staff with CO.
I (Emily) was blessed to hear the gospel for the first time in 2014 at a youth group. This is when I began to understand that I too could have a relationship with the Lord. After getting my first Bible, I was excited to learn more about God's character. In high school, I struggled to find fulfillment in friendships, sports, and academics. The Lord showed me through His Word and through faithful people that these things could not satisfy me but only Christ, who paid the ultimate penalty that I deserved for my sins. In my freshman year of college, I got introduced to CO by an older student who then began to read the Bible with me. As we went through Romans 6:23, I began to see more of my sinful nature and my need for a Savior. The following year I began life-on-life discipleship. Through discipleship, I learned and saw the importance of spiritual disciplines and getting involved in the local church. After my first Summer Training Project I got excited about sharing my faith with other students and living on mission for the Gospel. Through my time in college, I began to see the vision of building up laborers for Christ. I'm excited to walk with students as they treasure more of who Jesus is on a daily basis.