Faith Welcomes Spring Semester Students

February 1, 2022

By Megan Hutchinson
Student Writer

As another semester has begun, the Faith family welcomes a handful of new students to campus, all with unique stories of their own. Among the new group of students that were welcomed this year, sisters Jessica and Jamie Paterson were particularly eager to make Ankeny their home. Both girls agree that God worked tremendously in their lives to bring them here.

Jessica and Jamie grew up living in beautiful Athabasca, Alberta, Canada. Dr. Tillotson used to be their pastor before he moved to Iowa. Jessica was a student at Faith four years ago, but only for one spring semester. This year, through the Lord’s help, the pair decided to pursue their Biblical studies degree at Faith and ease into their new adventure in Iowa.

Jessica is 23 years old and previously went to school to become an interior design technologist. For two consecutive summers (2016 and 2017), she enjoyed being on staff at Grand View Camp in Arizona. The following years included her one semester at Faith and spending a summer wiring automation systems for mixers. When asked how God has been working in her life so far this year, Jessica responded, “God has really been teaching me that to have true peace and joy, I need to keep my eyes on Him. He has also been showing me that I don’t need to know what’s next, but, instead, I just have to trust Him.”

Twenty-two-year-old Jamie spent her time out of high school working for her parent’s company. She briefly attended Capernwray Hall in England, where she was enrolled in Bible school. The summer of 2020 was spent impacting kids and showing them Christ as a counselor at Grand View Camp. Afterward, she returned home and became a firefighter while working for her parents again.

Both girls have thoroughly enjoyed their time in Iowa so far. Some of Jessica’s favorite things about Faith are the classes and getting to know everyone. “It’s fun to be around a group of people who want to learn and grow,” said Jessica. Likewise, Jamie loves her classes and chapel and appreciates that they are founded on God’s Word. “It’s great to sit under some good Bible teaching that you know is from the word of God,” said Jamie.

When asked how God is working in her life, Jamie responded, “I guess the biggest thing that God has been working on in my life is showing me dependence on Him and showing me to trust Him even when everything around me doesn’t make sense. He is faithful and has a reason for everything He does!”

Both girls are happily anticipating an exciting semester full of growth and fun at Faith.