Over the next few weeks we will be doing a series of interviews with our scholarship students at George Whitefield College. Each student will be sharing about what they are up to this year, the challenges and excitements they are facing. Today we’ll be getting to know Kasmiro who is in his second year of his Bachelor of Theology at George Whitefield College. Kasmiro will share with us how he’s been persevering in his studies and the challenges with his family situation back home.
What have the successes been for you in the past few months?
I think I’ve had a lot of successes this month. I think my assignments have been fine this year. There are not as many challenges as there were in first year. I passed my Hebrew exams in summer school, and this semester I am taking the Gospel of John, God and Humanity, Hebrew 2, Ethics 2, Preaching and the Former Prophets. At this stage, we’ve finished our assignments but haven’t received back all of them. I passed John’s Gospel and Former Prophets, and I’m waiting on the results of Ethics, Doctrine of God and Revelation, which I submitted today.
I feel that I’m on the right track with my assignments. They are not giving me as much stress anymore—I’m receiving assignments back and they’re all okay. Although the marks aren’t all that I’ve expected, I have passed it. It’s giving me hope to do better and to improve. Another thing which I felt good about is that when I did the supplementary test, the mark which I got in the second attempt was good—that also encouraged me. These are some of the successes I’ve seen.
Tell us about your fellowship group at college.
We meet twice a week at college for fellowship group. On Tuesdays, our chaplain who is also a lecturer is with us, but on Wednesdays it’s just us students. The student leader of my fellowship group is good. He encourages us each time we have fellowship. We pray for one another, and we also share in preaching. So if you’re assigned to preach in class, you first practice within your fellowship group. You give feedback on what was good or bad before you present it in class or at chapel. It can be quite helpful.
What challenges have you faced during the past couple of months?
On the academic side, I’ve found it difficult to finish my readings—which I have to read to prepare for my exams—especially when I have a lot of assignments. I find it difficult to balance them both.
Another thing I’ve also found challenging is that although we have access to books in the library, sometimes books that are recommended by the lecturer for the whole course must stay in the reserve shelves, so you will not be able to access them if you are outside of the library. Sometimes you may find that someone has borrowed it, so if you come late you will not get the book.
Outside of college, another challenge is when I hear that there are problems at home, like if my wife or children are sick. I don’t talk to them as frequently as my wife doesn’t use WhatsApp—I call her directly. Sometimes I do feel bad when I don’t know how they are going, and when such a situation happens, it does disturb my studies sometimes.
But although my family faces a lot of challenges, I thank God that they are okay. In March this semester, my uncle who used to help my wife and children died. His death affected us a lot. I can find it challenging when my wife lacks something and wants someone to help, or when I hear about their sicknesses — especially when there is no one who will help them. But they recovering with the help of God. I thank God that they are doing well. I’m hoping to see them soon.
What’s something you have learned that has been new or exciting in your walk with God?
I am very excited when we go through the books—especially when we did Mark’s Gospel. I enjoy learning about Biblical Theology, relating the Old Testament to the New Testament. This time as we went through the Gospel of John, I’ve found it helpful to use phrases from the original language to interpret the meaning of the text. When we do exegesis to see how a word’s original use and intended meaning before it was translated, that is something important and good that I’ve been learning, and so helpful.
One of the other things I found helpful is the fellowship groups. When people share their testimonies, you can see how God has been working through the life of each person differently. It is wonderful to be together and to share experiences of how people come to know Christ. I think it is something people need to encourage more, the sharing of testimonies. That’s something I have found helpful.
Why not take a minute to give thanks to God and pray for Kasmiro, his family and his studies? We have included a summary of prayer points below.
You can also check out the other interviews we did with other students in our series: Elias, Alex, Seme and Philip. We also did a bonus interview with John, a recent graduate who is passing on what he has learned at college as a lecturer at Bishop Gwynne College, South Sudan.
Give thanks for…
- Encouraging time of testimony sharing amongst fellowship groups at college
- Opportunities for Kasmiro to learn from God’s Word, particularly from the Gospels of Mark and John
- Ongoing improvement in the results of Kasmiro’s exams and assignments
Please pray for…
- Perseverance and growth for Kasmiro as he continues in his theological studies
- Help and support for Kasmiro’ wife and family in the challenges they face while Kasmiro is far away
- Improved accessibility to books in the library required for core course content
