My Story/college

My Story - Caleb Skipper

Caleb Skipper - STLF Alum
University of North Dakota

This is just in from Skip in Ethiopia.  Take a few minutes to learn about how STLF has shaped his life story so far, and some words of advice he just sent to fellow STLFers at UND...

Greetings from Africa! As many of you know, I have been living in the bush of Ethiopia since August, and will be here until April. It has been a wonderful experience so far. I am living with an American missionary family among the Gumuz people. Yes - grasshuts an all. Out here I have the wondeful blessing of carrying out three of the most important aspects of my life: my faith, my passion for service and people, and my interest in medicine. I can't help but believe that this is exactly where I am supposed to be right now.

I wanted to let you all know how much STLF has meant to me in the past and that it is a huge reason I am here in Ethiopia now. Through STLF, I found the leader within myself, I realized just how much I desired to serve, and it strenghened the engrained compassion I have for people. It has been a tremedously important part of my life over the past four years, and I can definitely say that it is one of the things I miss most over here.

I am not writing this to lecture about myself, but rather to encourage all of you. First, to thank all of you for all the hardwork, excitment, and commitment you have put in to STLF. And secondly, to encourage you to keep perservering and not to take the people or the spirit of STLF for granted. Who knows the impact that STLF will eventually make in your life, or in the life of another. For this reason, keep giving it your all. You might look back someday and say that STLF is one of the main reasons you are serving in Africa.

Most of all, remember and cherish that STLF is really about the people around you, who share in your experiences. I don't care so much as what happens to UND's STLF as I do what happens to you, my friends, as individuals.

So I hope that you have a very blessed year and wonderful year. Thank you to those for your prayers for my safety and effectiveness. God has done amazing things in my life so far, and I know he will in all your lives too!

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