Becoming Believers—Students Share How Coming to UMHB Helped Them Find Their Faith

August 28, 2024

By Christi Mays
Not every student who ends up at UMHB comes as a believer in Christ. There are students from both ends of the belief spectrum—and everywhere in between. Some have never set foot in a church and have no idea how to look up a Bible verse until they walk into their first Old Testament class. Others seem so mature in their walk with Jesus that it's hard to believe they're only in their teens. There are also students, like 2023 alumnus Isaiah Johnson, who came to UMHB with more questions than answers about their futures and faith but leave changed, healed and saved.

FROM FOOTBALL TO FAITH

One Sunday morning, when Isaiah Johnson was 7 or 8 years old, his mom took him to church and told him to give his life to Christ and get baptized. The preacher dipped the youngster under the baptismal water, the congregation cheered, and the family went home to celebrate.

Years later, Isaiah found himself celebrating on the football field, where the defensive tackle helped UMHB bring home the 2018 NCAA DIII National Championship title. Isaiah loved every second of playing football here and earning his massive NCAA Championship ring, but his time at UMHB gained him something he treasures far more. On Sept. 30, 2022, #66 Isaiah Johnson became much more than a warrior on the football field; he became a warrior for Christ.

COMING TO JESUS

Isaiah realized he had been living a lie since his baptism as a child. He knew he had simply "gone through the motions" that day, and even though he had been a prayerful man up to that point, he wasn't saved, and he wasn't living for Jesus.

Looking back now, Isaiah, with a huge smile lighting up his face, just shakes his head when he recalls the journey God laid out for him that led to UMHB and that "miraculous" day on Sept. 30, 2022—the day he (actually) gave his life to Christ.

"I was so lost," Isaiah said, remembering the months leading up to that fateful day. Isaiah recalls his dilemma after graduating with his associate's degree from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, where he played defensive tackle for two years. He wanted to continue his football career but decided going into the Air Force was a better decision financially. His brother-in-law laughed at the thought and said, "Isaiah, you're not going to the Air Force. You're gonna go play football."

He was torn and remembers getting on his knees and praying long hours that night for God to help him. God answered his prayer the next day when UMHB Coach Steven Thrash, a Northeastern alumnus, called Isaiah and told him that if he came to Belton, he would win a national championship.

Taking a leap of faith, Isaiah scraped together money for a plane ticket to Texas and hasn't looked back since.

WALKING WITH CHRIST

"From that point on, my journey restarted with Christ," he said, but it took a lot of long nights before he figured this out. "I was so lost, I would find myself waking up in the middle of the night crying."

As a starting defensive tackle for UMHB, Isaiah, who was #97 that year, became part of the legendary team that brought home the 2018 national championship trophy.

For his senior season at UMHB, Isaiah wanted to switch his football number to #66, which was the number he wore for the Northside Eagles when he helped lead the team to the Georgia High School Association 5A State Championship his senior year of high school. Even though it wasn't a typical number for a defensive lineman, Isaiah was thrilled to wear the number again for his senior year of college. One afternoon, strolling through campus,

he passed 1974 alumnus Bobby Johnson and the pair struck up a conversation.

"He sat me down and said, 'Isaiah, you've done so much for UMHB. Now, let's do something for you. What's your relationship with Christ?'"

"Um, I think it's pretty good," Isaiah responded. "Then, Mr. Bobby asked me the famous question that still sits fresh on my mind to this day, 'Isaiah, if you were to die today, where would you go?' And I just kind of froze."

"'I think I'll go to Heaven,'" Isaiah said. "Then, he asked me if I'd like to give my life to Christ to ensure I'd go to Heaven. He told me to go home, pray on it, and talk to my family."

Excited to share the conversation, Isaiah told his girlfriend, MaryAlice Hernandez, who works as the catering manager for Sodexo at UMHB, and she was amazed as well.

On Sept. 30, 2022, Bobby invited Isaiah to talk with him and UMHB President Dr. Randy O'Rear and Dr. Steve Theodore, chief operating officer and senior vice president for Administration. The trio led Isaiah to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

"It changed me. It changed me to this day. I am a warrior for Christ."

A couple of weeks later, MaryAlice also gave her life to Christ. Bobby Johnson had the honor of marrying the couple on May 27, 2023, and then baptized both on Nov. 12, 2023. Bobby still disciples Isaiah weekly, and the young family attends church every Sunday with their baby boy, Isaias Johnson.

Isaiah no longer wakes up crying in the middle of the night. He has a peace.

"Without Christ, there is no structure. You just live in pure fallacy."

Even though he wasn't saved before that incredible September day, Isaiah says there were so many moments in his life that God showed Himself—like the time shortly after he chose the #66 as his new football number. He had no idea the significance of that until one day someone told him there are 66 chapters in the Book of Isaiah in the Bible, and he was floored.

"It's in subtle moments like this when suddenly God steps in and shows you His love."

SEEING THE LIGHT

Jackson Tingley and his four siblings competed at a high level in sports throughout their teenage years. With their weekends filled with traveling to endless sporting events, the family stopped attending church when Jackson was little.

"Being in sports, we kind of got away from God," he said. "Sports did teach me to be a great person, morally and ethically, and I feel like I was surrounding myself with good people."

Friends invited him to church activities, and he attended Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Young Life.

"I didn't know anything about Christianity. It was just fun to be with my friends doing fun stuff. So, I thought I was a Christian since I was doing Christian things," Jackson said.

When it came time for college, he had the opportunity to play Division I football at Stephen F. Austin University but chose to play at UMHB instead. "I knew I didn't want to play in the NFL, so I wanted to go somewhere I could make an impact. Little did I know that the real purpose for me coming here was coming to Christ," he said.

During his freshman year at UMHB, Jackson still devoted all his time to football, postponed looking for a church home and dreaded going to weekly Chapel services. At the same time though, he slowly started noticing the football players he hung out with were different.

"I realized they really looked like they have a purpose in their lives," he said. Then he met Macy Sabrsula (who is now his fiancé) and noticed she was different as well—like they all "had a light in them," and he learned their "light" came from their love for the Lord.

"I realized there's a much bigger picture here than just sports—something much more fulfilling and impactful. I realized that this was what I had been chasing the whole time. I realized my purpose and that I'd never be able to fulfill it through sports. I witnessed this through them—their excitement, their love and their desire to learn and grow toward Christ. It was a whole different kind of love. This is what I've been missing out on the whole time!"

The summer after his freshman year, Jackson gave his life to Christ and was baptized.

Afterward, one of his best friends and fellow team member, Ryan Redding, gave Jackson his first Bible inscribed with words of encouragement and important verses highlighted for the new believer.

"I was still so unsure of everything, and I felt like I didn't know anything. However, one thing I did know was that I wanted to publicly profess my faith and show everybody that I have a new purpose in life. That's when I realized that was why I came to UMHB. I didn't come here for sports. I came here because I was supposed to find my purpose. It's changed my life, and I haven't looked back."

Jackson acknowledges that his walk with Christ—or any Christian’s walk—will never be perfect.

"It took me a while to realize that. I think a lot of people think that you have to be perfect," he said.

Even though he says he still has much to learn, he has already seen how dedicating his life to Christ has changed its trajectory.

"There's nothing else in this life that's as fulfilling as Christ, and when I realized that, I felt like it took so much pressure off. I just have to follow the path God set for me, and everything will be alright. Sometimes, I'll stray off the path, but He's going to direct me right back to it."

UMHB WELCOMES ALL

Dean of Spiritual Life and University Chaplain Jason Palmer says Jackson's story of coming to Christ while at UMHB is not uncommon and is a beautiful reflection of UMHB's spiritual influence on students, along with the partnership of local churches.

“Jackson has become a remarkable spiritual leader during his time at UMHB and is on track to demonstrate servanthood in his future endeavors and his upcoming marriage,” he said.

UMHB welcomes all students, no matter where they may be in their walk with God, he added.

But why do non-believers choose to come to a Christian school? Some students say it feels safe. Some come to play sports. Jason says for many, it’s the combination of our programs and love of Christ.

“I've seen the reputation of our academic programs, with particular distinction to our health science curriculums, draw students into an academic endeavor here that is often complemented by a spiritual journey that we take them on because we have an identity that we won't compromise on. And, we try to do it in a winsome way that draws them into a love relationship with Christ,” he says. “I welcome students coming to UMHB who are not currently Christ's followers because we believe that when they are around those who genuinely know Christ, that the love of Christ will be a beautifully contagious experience for them where they get to see Jesus and they get to know that He loves them also. That's beautiful.”

GETTING BAPTIZED (AGAIN)

When Shelbie Meyer was in the fifth or sixth grade, she watched several of her family members making the decision to get baptized, and she thought she needed to be baptized as well.

"I didn't want to be the only one left out," she said, so she was baptized along with them. Shelbie said she did all the "churchy" things she thought Christians were supposed to do, and when she got to college, one of the first things she did was set out to find a church.

However, from the first day she stepped onto campus, she noticed that the atmosphere and people at UMHB were different. "The world has a general, generic view of the way they think Christians should act, which I was used to, but the people at UMHB were different," Shelbie said.

She loved going to Chapel services and got involved in serving at her new church. After just a few months, she realized something had changed in her. She realized she hadn't been saved that day at her church back home. She wanted to ask Jesus into her life and profess her love for Him again, but this time, she was sure she was doing it for the right reasons.

"I hit that point where I actually knew why I'm doing this," said Shelbie, who is now a junior in exercise and sport science. "And now my life is definitely better!"

JESUS BY HER SIDE

Alone is a feeling Emily Crocker never has to experience again. Since she found Christ during her freshman year at UMHB, she now sees God in everything.

"He's not just in the Bible. He's everywhere. He's in the people I'm around, and I feel His presence constantly."

There was a time when she didn't.

"I was in such a dark place, and I just felt so alone," Emily said. "I didn't really have very many friends, and the ones I did have drove me to get caught up in the drama, and that pushed me into being really anxious and depressed. I felt so alone, and when things would happen, I blamed God, like it was His fault."

Emily believed there was a God, but she didn't grow up going to church regularly and didn't know much about Him. She's thankful all of that changed after coming to UMHB, where she found God everywhere—in church, her classes and Revival.

Emily looks back now and can see how God laid out a plan for her to come to UMHB. It all started on the many trips she took with her parents from Cedar Park to Waco to visit her grandparents—passing the green highway sign on I35 for the turnoff to the "University of Mary Hardin-Baylor." One afternoon during her senior year, Emily's mom, who had gone to Baylor University, announced they were going to stop for a visit to check out UMHB. Emily protested. She knew nothing about this "little school in Belton" and wasn't interested in stopping. But her mom insisted, and the second they arrived on campus, Emily liked what she saw.

"This is my school," she announced. "This is where I'm supposed to be!"

When she arrived, she and her roommates went "church hopping," and she soon landed at Vista Community Church, which she attended every Sunday. She also fell in love with her Old Testament classes.

"All the stories were so interesting, and I wanted to learn more," she realized. She and her roommates often met with UMHB Chaplain Jason Palmer to bombard him with their questions about scripture and get suggestions on reading passages. "It was overwhelming. I kept thinking, 'Wow, this is amazing! Where has this been my entire life?'" she said. "It really opened my eyes to see the world completely differently."

After attending church regularly during her first semester and then experiencing UMHB Revival her second semester, she knew there was no going back.

"I thought it was so amazing. There was no way I could go back to how I was before. This is going to be how I'm living now. I have to have this relationship! It was just eye-opening to realize I'm not alone."

Her moment of conviction came one morning while sitting in church when she finally realized everyone goes through hardships, but she didn't have to be alone during hers. With tears pouring down her face, she knew she was "finally not alone."

"'I can grow from these hard times and be strong from this with the help of Christ,'" she remembers thinking.

On a Sunday soon after, Chaplain Palmer baptized Emily during a morning service at her church.

She realized admitting she needed Christ in her life wasn't something to be ashamed of and wanted to share her love for Him with everyone.

Emily, now a junior exercise and sport science major, is thankful her mom convinced her to detour off I35 that day to check out the campus where she now has good friends and enjoys the activities and traditions, especially Easter Pageant which brings up overwhelming feelings about how she felt about God.

"I can never be in the Easter Pageant. I can't. I've already been there where the crowd is yelling and cursing at Jesus and saying all these terrible things to Him while He is on the cross. I've already said all of those things, and I can never go back and do that again."

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