Meet One Of Our Heroines

By Amira Farhoud

In January 2012, I remember seeing a cute little family of three entering the door of the college.   I knew that the mother was a new student–she looked so beautiful and shy at the same time.  Her husband was holding a baby.  As he asked me to show his wife the way to the first year’s classroom, he gave her a kiss and handed her the baby.  I happened to be going to the same class, so the three of us—Rawan, her baby and I walked to the classroom together.   As we walked, I discovered that the baby girl was two months old and would be attending the class with us. I was surprised and impressed at the same time.  Little did I know that this beautiful woman was going to become one of my closest friends and how much I would grow to love that little baby.

 “I was a wife and a mother of 2 little girls, 4 years and 2 months old. But that didn’t stop me! I wanted to study the Word of God and to have a good college degree.”  Propelled by a strong desire to know the Lord, Rawan was determined to attend Bethlehem Bible College, despite recently giving birth.  When BBC saw her desire, the college opened its arms to her and her baby and accepted them with love and tenderness. It was approved that Rawan could bring her baby with her to the classes.

Her Big Challenges

“I faced many challenges. I’m a wife and a mom and I have a house to run, and to be a full time college student was too much for me! I remember praying so hard to the Lord to help me with all the responsibilities.”During this time, Rawan’s evenings were spent with her duties as a mother: feeding her babies, putting them to sleep and then staying awake all night to finish her homework and assignments. And with a 2-month old baby girl in the class, that was epic! Let me tell you something about little “Shirelle” which means the song of God.   She wasn’t a calm baby—she was crazy, crying a lot, and doing those annoying sweet voices all the time during class.  But as Rawan’s classmates, this didn’t annoy us.  We loved the baby girl and her mother, and she brought life and purity to our class for a whole semester.

“Getting to the college on time with “Shirelle” was another challenge I faced. And I can’t tell you how I felt when she used to start crying in the class in the middle of something important. Even though I knew the teachers and my classmates loved her, it still made me nervous and stressed every time she started crying and doing her annoying voices.”  The teachers would calm Rawan down and tell her that it’s okay with them if the baby cried.  The class did all we could to help her to continue with her studies and face her struggles.

BBC’s Magical Touch

The college changed her life in all ways: personally, spiritually and even her relationship with her husband and daughters.

“I used to get nervous every time I wanted to speak in front of more than two people, but now I’m more confident that I can speak and share the Word of God with anyone, thanks to the courses I took at the College.

Spiritually, I got closer to God and to his word. I studied every chapter in the Bible, which helped me to know God and His personality and heart more.”

And Now…

“I’m currently a fourth year student and will graduate next summer. My 2- month classmate Shirelle is now 4 years old—and she is as clever as ever. I thank the college, my teachers and my wonderful classmates for their support.

I did it!  I’m going to finish my degree despite all the challenges I faced. I overcame them all by the support of God, my husband and the college…. And you also can do it! If you’re a mom and you have a dream in studying or doing anything on earth, you can do it. All you have to do is get out of your comfort zone and trust God and yourself.”