Page 10 - Spring 2017 Magazine

contInued from prevIous page
“We became best friends from the moment we met,” says Zuidhof. “We
haven’t gone on adventures without each other. Now we eat together,
work out together, and wait for each other after class. It has become a no- man-left-behind type of friendship.”
While the friends initially connected on a social level, they discovered that the most important similarity they shared was their unwavering zeal for God’s Word.
“When I met Charlotte and Madison,
I couldn’t believe how much they and the rest of the Providence community held the gospel in such high esteem,” recalls Smith. “Many of the students have been raised in Reformed churches, and their theology and understanding of scripture was far greater than mine, so I felt like I had a lot to learn from them.”
Over the past two semesters, De Jager and Zuidhof, who had both attended United Reformed Churches (URC) since childhood, have been sharing their love and knowledge
of scripture with Smith. The three friends began attending a local Reformed church together and have edified and encouraged one another in their knowledge of God’s Word.
“Grace was very open to talking and learning more about the Reformed
Christian perspective,” says De Jager. “It was exciting because Char and I were able to share with Grace everything we had learned, from the Catechisms to the Confessions,
and put those lessons into
practice in ways that we couldn’t have imagined.”
Over the past nine months, the young women have laughed together, cried together, and spent their first year at Providence experiencing the joy of having friendships in which the gospel
is foundational.
“What I love about Providence is that the students and teachers don’t limit their discussions about scripture to just a church service or a Bible study. They talk about the Bible outside of the classroom,” says Smith. “There are times when Madison, Charlotte, and I will debate theology until
two o’clock in the morning, and it’s absolutely wonderful! We teach each other about the Bible and learn from each other. Christ and the gospel
are the center of our friendship and our lives, and that’s what Christian friendships should look like.”
In less than four years, Smith, De Jager, and Zuidhof will conclude their studies, clean out their dorm rooms, and pursue their individual
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