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When I arrived at 91��ܽ I had no idea what I was expecting. As an exchange student from England I was pretty scared of how life would look, but I felt it was something that God had placed on my heart and I’m so glad that I listened.

I came to Canada having no idea how life would look, but before I came, I was praying that I would find a church on campus…And this is the church that I found!

God taught me so much about what it means to live in community. A big part of my faith & exchange journey in Canada began when I stumbled into a group of people from The Point Church early on. The Point is a faith group with the Multifaith Centre on campus. The Point is made up of SFU students, alumni, staff, faculty, and community members. The first time I met them was on my move-in day… and now they are some of my closest and funniest friends. I had no idea what was waiting for me.

The Point community welcomed me with open arms, prayed for me, listened deeply, and showed me incredible kindness. God taught me so much about what it means to live in community. For the first time, I truly felt like I had found a community — and I’m so grateful to now call these people my family. They made me feel so loved & wanted and it helped me to get a further glimpse of God's awesome love for me :)

On my year abroad, there were many challenges, especially balancing my faith and studies but one thing I learned was the beauty of being immersed in the Bible.

Faith and My Studies: The Connection

God really cared about the little and the big, and it was a beautiful moment to remember that I am a child to a perfect Father who cares anough to provide some gingerbread. I will never graduate from being God's little kid! On stressful days, I had an opportunity to see the northern lights which was incredible. God always had such incredible ways of making me feel safe and at home in his presence, in Canada and with a complete new group of people, who turned out to be pretty British once I taught them my jokes.

3. Stress & Trust

Academic stress and constant exams were some of the main reasons behind my stress of my year abroad. The first semester of my SFU year was filled with constant stress and anxiety, but in January of 2025, I felt a new joy, hope and confidence, and I started to see the way Jesus was transforming my life, and how through the struggles, he was with me all along. He provided an awesome community, joy, love, (and a cute smelly dog).

Through many health struggles and uncertainty on whether I would pass, God led me through and he has provided for me in passing my year abroad, and also getting me through happy and healthy :) God helped me to feel more confident in myself, like getting buses and working out the healthcare system. I also saw some incredible moments of healing from past hurts take place over the course of my year abroad. This taught me so much about relying on God, and trusting him in the uncertainty; I saw myself grow in confidence, joy and friendships :)

4. My people!

Some people who were a big part of my journey were, the little boy in the MFC--a nickname I provided--(Rachel, the MFC lady, who sits at the front desk). We connected quickly and shared many laughs. During both the hard times and the joyful ones, I found myself spending hours there — basically keeping the same schedule as her lol. Other SFU friends from The Point would also come into the MFC where we would all gather around for some silly laughs. Looking back, the laughs would usually be about my British accent….?

The Multifaith Chaplain, Mac, and his wife Grace, who are a part of The Point, were also a big part in my journey. Grace always created a safe place for me and helped me find joy on the hard days (and lots of teasing about my British accent), and Mac created an awesome space for me to grow in my faith while also making me genuinely feel a part of a family at The Point Church. But in Mac’s words, it would be described as “cutesy.”

Being surrounded by people who reflected Jesus through their love and care made my exchange year unforgettable, alongside meeting a dog who had a lot of love for me too. 

I also had an awesome lifegroup and community of people to have laughs with every single wednesday on campus, where you would find me every single week. If you guys are reading this: odds you up your spice levels. 

After leaving this exchange year, I have realised through the difficult times and uncertainty, Jesus was guiding me through every step of the way, growing me and loving me more than I could ever imagine. God knew I needed to go to Canada and SFU, and I am continuing to learn how He is present to provide for every single one of my needs because He is a good, loving, gentle and perfect Father. He loves me, He loves you!

By Gods grace, I was able to have this awesome experience to grow and learn more about living for Jesus, and continuing to learn how to honour him through all I do. He is a perfect Father!

Cheers,
Naomi