To FI or Not to FI: That Was the Question

Questions, doubts and challenges nagged at me. Could I really do it? Was it too late? Was Foundation Institute the right choice?

Even before Foundation Institute existed, my friend and I had wished and prayed for just such a program that we could go to together. And when I found out about FI, I was very excited. My friend and I rushed to get our applications.

However, procrastinator that I was, I allowed my application to sit, and fear and apprehension began to set in.

Questions and discouragement

A lot of questions began to bombard my mind. How would going to FI work? I had never lived away from home before. What would that be like? I was very shy. How would I adjust to the social situation? How would I afford to go?

In addition to my own worries, sometimes others would point out the practical challenges to me, which also got a little discouraging. I started to think that maybe it would be best for me to wait and go sometime in the future.

Time passed, and I had pretty much given up on going last year. My thoughts turned to other plans and possibilities for the next step in my life. I was so confused and uncertain.

My mother consistently advised me to ask God for guidance and direction. So I did, but my faith wasn’t very strong, and I wondered whether the answer would really come. I had been unsure for so long.

However, Foundation Institute seemed to keep popping up in conversations. Also, my friend was going, and I was kind of letting her down. After all, we’d planned to go together.

So I again talked with my mom about it, and we talked with my dad. It began to seem that it would be possible for my parents to help me financially, in addition to some money my grandfather had left me for education. I learned from my friend that there was still one room available for rent in the house where she would be. Through all this, it seemed to me that FI was where God was leading me.

Applying and waiting

So, with my mom encouraging me, I applied. But it was past the application deadline, and she didn’t really think I would be accepted. I wasn’t sure, but I knew that I had to take this step in faith. I was still very nervous. It was the unknown to me, and the unknown can be really scary. But I knew that God would take care of me and get me through it.

I waited anxiously to find out if I had been accepted. I was afraid that someone else would take the one room that was left, which would mean that I would have to figure out some other living situation. It would also mean that I wouldn’t get to live with my friend, and I really wanted to have someone to lean on for such a big step. So I prayed that if I was accepted, I could live there.

But I asked myself, would I still go, even if I couldn’t live there? I decided that, yes, I would, if this was where God was leading me. I knew that He could take care of me and things would work out okay.

A mixture of nervousness and faith

As you’ve probably guessed, I did get accepted, and I did get that room. Then, with a mixture of nervousness and faith, I prepared to take a huge step and move about 900 miles away from home to attend Foundation Institute. 

So when I got there, did I slide in like butter on a hot skillet? Not quite. My introverted self got a bit overstretched at the beginning, and I was exhausted. I loved the classes right away, but I felt like an outsider who didn’t belong there. That was a really painful feeling that threatened to make me reconsider, until a beautiful thought came to me:

Yes, in fact, I did belong there, because God had brought me there. That was a powerful thought that left no room for argument, no matter how much I felt like a puzzle piece from a completely different puzzle.

There were still adjustments and somewhat painful learning opportunities, but as I continued, and the Word of God came alive to me like never before—with stories about people who were as human as I am and who faced parallel challenges, with living lessons that had direct applications to the situations I was facing right then, and with conversations with friends that God showed He heard—I had no doubt that this was the right choice. There was nowhere else I’d rather be.

For me, Foundation Institute was a very worthwhile experience, filled with opportunities to grow and learn about not only the Bible but also people and life. If coming to FI is an option for you, you have much learning awaiting you. If you are prepared to fully invest yourself in the program, God can use this experience to accomplish much in your life.

Even if circumstances in your life aren’t ideal, consider applying. God can work it out for you, just as He did for me and others.

The deadline for applications for the 2013-14 year is June 30. For more information and to download an application, see http://foundationinstitute.org/application.

Jennifer Cox, pictured above (left) with her friend Rosalynn, was part of the inaugural class of Foundation Institute. She completed the program successfully and graduated from FI in May 2013. She is a member of the London, Kentucky, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.