Following God to a New Life

Sheena Arocho

“I asked God to make a change in my life that I couldn’t ignore, and ever since then God has been blessing me in ways that I could have never imagined,” says junior music major Sheena Arocho.

A few years ago, Sheena was moving in a completely different direction for her life plan.  She had everything worked out.  Then God revealed His plan for her.  “Trusting God is not always easy, but if you follow God He blesses so much,” says Sheena.

Sheena was getting ready to start college.  She would attend another university and study to be an emergency physician.  This was no last-minute choice. Sheena had researched all the details, applied, and even paid for most of her first semester.  As she was preparing to leave, something didn’t feel right.

“I knew that if I followed that path I would be well off and content, but I didn’t know if it would make me happy.  If I went to another school, I would go all out to accomplish my goals, but I prayed and just didn’t feel God calling me to be there,” says Sheena.  With only two days left until school started, Sheena enrolled in a community college.

Life continued to move on at a normal pace, until God decided it was time to shake things up.  The recruitment team at Southwestern Adventist University had not planned to visit her church.  Nevertheless, a group of people found themselves singing and preaching there.

“They were intense,” says Sheena. “I was thinking about how they had really good music, and were different than what I would have expected.”

One of Sheena’s friends was on the recruitment team that year.  He came up to Sheena and told her directly, “You’re coming to Southwestern, bottom line.” Sheena was not about to change her whole life that easily.  She prayed for four things, that she would get a free ride, a free place to stay for a while, peace of mind, and assurance from her mother.

After that prayer, her friend came back and tried again to convince her to go.   “What is holding you back? Is it a place to stay? I know a place you can stay for free.  Do you need a ride?  Look, I’ll provide the first ride as long as you don’t pack that much because my car’s not that big.  I can show you all the scholarship opportunities, and you can talk to Marland May about jobs on campus.”

God had answered half of her prayer in an instant.  The rest came later when Sheena’s mother encouraged her to go to Southwestern if she felt God calling her there.  Still, Sheena was hesitant.  Everything in her life was going really smoothly.  Why would she leave the place where she was already comfortable?

“What I soon realized was that you have to follow God in the good times and the bad.  Just because it is good at that instant doesn’t mean it will last forever.  I had been praying for God to put a change in my life, I couldn’t ignore Him because I was comfortable.  Soon after that things in my life started going crazy. I felt like I couldn’t leave because I had to stay with my family.  Once again I reminded myself to follow God in good times and bad,” says Sheena.

Sheena made her way to Southwestern, and pieces of the puzzle began to fall together. She got a job on campus and soon found herself studying music, as she says she would have never expected to study.   She came to Southwestern with nothing but her clothes.  God completely provided for her needs and set her on a path that would make her happy.

“The turning point in my career choice, after I had come to Southwestern, was talking to Pastor Keith Gray,” she says. “He told me that if I feel God calling me to do something, don’t ignore it.  I needed to lean on God not myself.  Now I feel okay with not knowing exactly what I will do or where to go. God will provide.”

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