Brianne: How God worked in my life through Phi Lamb

Me and my New Member class, & New Member educators at retreat!

Coming into college I told myself I would never join a sorority. For one they were too expensive, but I also didn’t care to put myself in that environment. Mainly because so many lose their faith while in college and I wanted to avoid putting myself in an environment that didn’t encourage my faith. 
​
I came to the University of Arkansas from out of state and got exempt from living in a dorm my freshman year. I thought this would be great, but it made it very hard to get connected and meet people. I had friends from when I previously lived in Arkansas that were attending the University and I thought we would reconnect. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen, I got ignored instead and my first semester had no friends. I simply went to class and came home. Spring semester I met the girl who is now my best friend as well as a few others, but they either lived farther away or were always busy. I didn’t have that social aspect that I so desperately needed and began to feel extremely alone. 
Not having a social life made it very difficult for me. As well, my mom had passed away my senior year of high school and lots of family drama/issues have occurred since then. Since losing my mom it also felt like I was losing my family too. I began to feel like God wasn’t there for me, that he no longer cared. It felt like a never-ending cycle of terrible things being unleashed on me. With everything that was happening in my life I started to lose hope. Then the fall of my sophomore year a girl in my macroeconomics class asked if I was in a sorority. Once I told her I wasn’t and my reasons for it she immediately told me about Phi Lamb. At first, I was totally against it. No way was I joining a sorority. But God had different plans for me. 
I can remember one day I looked up the Arkansas Phi Lamb page on Instagram. I can remember instantly thinking that this was something I needed to be a part of. I wanted that community of Christian friends so desperately. Sadly, I had missed recruitment by a week and had to wait an entire semester. To my surprise, this semester ended up being one of my hardest. I felt like I had totally lost my faith. I didn’t feel a connection with God anymore and I was really struggling. So many things were tearing me apart and I didn’t know how to continue. I got to a point to where I didn’t care if I lost my faith, and if I’m being honest I was about to leave church. No matter how much I read my bible, prayed, or even screamed at God asking him why these things kept happening, nothing was changing. I was spiritually dead. 
Then came this spring. I was absolutely terrified to go to recruitment week. I was nervous that I would look dumb joining as a second semester sophomore. Little did I know that my life would change entirely. I have felt nothing but acceptance, love, encouragement, kindness, and Godliness from this group of girls. Being able to be in Phi Lamb has given me so much hope. My faith is starting to get back on the right track and I have a large community of Christian friends to keep me accountable. Phi Lamb has been a light in a very dark place for me. They have shown me how gracious Christ is, and how loving he is on a constant basis. Even if I don’t feel it right now he doesn’t give us a trial we cannot overcome. 
​
Phi Lamb has been such a great life change for me and I can’t imagine the rest of my college experience without it. God’s love is evident in this sorority and I’m so excited to see what he has in store for this amazing group of girls.