September 3rd,
Today marks the beginning of a new chapter. Literally. As I write this, I'm sitting on the lower bunk in my new hostel room, staring at unfamiliar walls and wondering what lies ahead. I can feel it – this isn't just about getting a degree. There's something about this place… a weight in the air. But I am not afraid. My light must shine here too. Campus or not, God goes with me. And where He is, I fear no darkness.
***
I took a deep breath and closed my diary. The leather-bound book had followed me from home to high school to church retreats, and now—university. My fingers lingered over its spine for a moment before I placed it gently in the drawer beside my bed.
The room was quiet for now, except for the occasional honking from the campus gate outside. One bed was already made with pink floral sheets and a stack of devotional books by the pillow. That was mine. The other bunk remained empty. I hadn't met my roommate yet.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," I called, adjusting the neckline of my modest blue top.
The door creaked open, and Tony stepped inside, dragging a medium-sized box. "You sure this is the right hostel? This place looks like a prayer room and a crime scene had a baby."
I laughed. "Don't let the cracked walls fool you. God can move anywhere—even in a 'prayer-crime room.'"
Tony smiled, shaking his head. His usual white tee and jeans looked a bit wrinkled from the trip, but his eyes still carried that calm intensity I'd always admired.
"I checked out the fellowship center on my way here," Tony said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "It looks quiet. Too quiet."
I raised a brow. "Quiet how?"
"Spiritually. Like something's pressing down on the place. I don't know… Maybe I'm being paranoid."
I nodded slowly. "You're not. I felt something too. Last night when I prayed, I kept seeing chains and shadows in my mind."
Tony exhaled. "Then we were sent here for more than lectures and assignments."
I smiled faintly. "Looks like it."
***
That night, as I tried to sleep, I felt it again—that same heaviness pressing against my chest. My eyes fluttered open in the dark. Across the room, the other bunk was still empty. The room should have been silent, but there was a faint sound.
A whisper.
I sat up, straining to hear.
"...your light will cost you…"
The voice faded into silence.
I looked around, heart pounding, but saw nothing.
Grabbing my Bible, I flipped it open blindly. My eyes landed on a verse i had underlined long ago:
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." — John 1:5
I closed my eyes and whispered, "Amen."
Then I opened my diary again and wrote a single line under I earlier entry:
Lord I'm ready...