God Will Provide for You

Samuel Vega is happy as a freshman theology major at Southwestern.

Freshman Samuel Vega is living proof that God will provide for the needs of those who love Him.  Wall after wall of opposition had been preventing Vega from attending an Adventist university. Now, after recent rebaptism and rededicating his life to Christ, Vega attends Southwestern Adventist University with a major in theology.

“My experiences were faith testing, and they molded me into who I am today,” says Vega. “I will share my testimony a thousand times, because if God has provided for me, why can He not provide for you?”

Vega came to the United States in 2005 and began to see church from a new perspective.  Born in El Salvador, Vega never felt that church was important.  His parents had come to America before he and his siblings had, and his oldest sister, who was in charge, didn’t take him to church very often. Later he began to attend church with his younger sister, and by the time he came to North America, he began to understand what church was about.  He began to have a closer relationship with God, and started reading the Bible more.

While reading the Bible, Vega found Matthew 24:14.  It says, “This gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached to all nations as a testimony.”  The verse hit him like a meteor.

Vega says, “I took this verse personally, and decided to take telling people about God as my mission. It influenced me to want my life to be different, and to want to make a difference in people’s lives.”

Summer of 2007, Vega experienced literature evangelism for the first time. Telling people about Christ was a blessing for him as much as it was for those who were just discovering Christ. The blessings and experiences reassured him more than ever what his purpose in life was. He knew that he wanted to study theology and share God’s salvation.

“I read in Ellen G. White’s books that there are people out there who only I can reach, or I might be the last person to offer them the gift of salvation,” says Vega. “For instance, people who have been told by doctors that they don’t have that much longer to live. Then comes this little guy that gives them the message of salvation, and that says there’s still hope for them. There’s someone named Jesus who gave his own life for us. That should be our joy completely, making sure that with our lives we are serving others.”

The question remained, how would Vega be able to attend an Adventist university?  He graduated from high school in 2007 and spent two years at a community college. Since Vega is not an American citizen, he could not receive FAFSA, and most scholarships and financial aid were unavailable to him.  He didn’t have a clue as to how he was going to get the money to study.

God knew Vega’s situation and began to provide miracle after miracle.  Vega entered a Southwestern sponsored talent show, won first place and received a $750 scholarship. During college days, he won a scavenger hunt with a group of his friends and was offered a $1,000 per semester scholarship. His mother gave him $600 she had been saving up. Then he met Duane Valencia, student accounts advisor and Enga Almeida, vice president for enrollment, who helped him find another $2,000 scholarship.

“The last $2,000 scholarship was like God whispering in my ear that he wanted me to go to Southwestern,” says Vega. “Then, when I received my acceptance letter it was one of the greatest joys of my life. I knew I was risking a lot by trying to attend Southwestern, but that didn’t matter.  I was just going to head here completely by faith.”

Vega had to trust that God knew what he was doing, and just keep going on with life.  As he rode with his girlfriend’s brother to Southwestern, Vega thought about all he had been through to get to Southwestern.

Vega says, “We were coming down South College Avenue by the guys dorm, I saw the University, and a knot came into my throat.  I just wanted to cry, and thought, ‘I made it. Thank God I made it. I’m finally going here.’

“Everything had been so frustrating.  I told myself to forget everything, and focus, because I had made it.”

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