Andrew was wary of Christianity. His family had been mistreated by Christians in the past, and he had grown up with one Christian parent and one Buddhist parent. Andrew didn’t want to pick one over the other as he was afraid this would show favouritism. The little he did know about Christianity didn’t make sense to him, and the potential divisiveness in his parents framed his thoughts on religion for most of his life. 

But when he learned of his friend Zoe’s faith, Andrew didn’t run away. He was curious, as she wasn’t like Christians he’d known in the past. Zoe brought him into her circle of friends, and he got to see how the gospel was at work in their lives. He hadn’t seen this side of Christianity before, and he told Zoe, “This isn’t as crazy as I thought it was. These people are actually trustworthy, caring, and compassionate.” This experience opened him up to hear more about what Zoe believed, and they began reading the Bible together. 

Andrew started asking questions, and eventually became more serious about Christianity. He didn’t want his only exposure to be through Zoe, and wanted to decide if this was something he actually believed on his own. Zoe reached out to a friend who connected him with Desmond from P2C-Students. 

At their first meeting, they shared their stories. “I tried to be open and vulnerable, which helped him become more open and vulnerable. And that’s where our journey began,” Desmond said. As Andrew learned about Desmond’s spiritual journey and the challenges he’d faced in his life, it helped him grow in trust towards Christians. 

As they got to know each other more, Desmond noted that “Andrew seemed like he was about to make a decision for Christ, but was scared to.” He wasn’t fully confident in his faith yet. He seemed attracted and compelled towards Christianity, but wanted to know what faith truly meant and what it looked like in someone’s life. He was drawn to the Christian worldview, but was apprehensive about fully committing. 

Andrew frequently asked, “What does it mean to be a Christian?” Desmond suggested reading the book of 1 John since it fit what Andrew was mostly curious about and struggling with. Desmond shared examples of faith in his own life and what it looked like for him to trust Jesus. He was also able to use examples within P2C-Students such as mission trips to show what the gospel could tangibly look like. 

One week, everything came together for Andrew. He had a powerful, clarifying conversation with a Christian friend which helped him further understand his own beliefs. A few days later, Andrew had the opportunity to talk about Jesus with a non-Christian friend who was visiting. As he was sharing, Andrew realized that he truly believed what he was saying. He was ready to call himself a Christian. 

“He was willing to admit that he believed,” Desmond shared. “This faith was now his own.”