“Nothing is certain except God, and God’s Word” – Sarah’s story

On the exact day Sarah decided she would like to start studying theology full-time, three members of her family were involved in a horrific car accident. Her whole world turned upside down as she took time off work to care for them. God used the situation to remind her of the eternal nature of His Word.

“You have no idea what the future is going to look like, no idea what the next few minutes or hours will look like,” Sarah explains. “Nothing is certain except God, and God’s Word. In the end it reinforced my desire to do theological study. I know that no matter where I go or what I do with the rest of my life, this is foundational and it’s going to last.”

Having grown up in a Christian home, Sarah doesn’t have any memories of a time in her life without Jesus as her Lord and Saviour.

“I don’t have a particular moment that I remember trusting Jesus’ sacrifice to rescue me from my rebelliousness,” she says. “But I think it’s like Timothy in the Bible—knowing God’s Word as I grew up made me wise for salvation through faith in Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15). In this process, God’s been kind to work gradually on my stubborn heart over many years!”

Sarah was a Primary School teacher for several years before she began an internship at her church one day a week. It was while undertaking this internship that Sarah began seriously considering studying the Bible full-time.

“It was just so good to dig into the Bible to take the time to work alongside a mentor and other people who were also studying,” Sarah says. “I really, really enjoyed it.”

Sarah then had to answer the question: which Bible college? Before her family’s accident, she had considered going east to study, but now knew she wanted to remain in Perth. So which college in Perth? 

Sarah says, “I chose Trinity because in my church I had the opportunity to meet many Trinity graduates. What struck me about them was how they trusted God so deeply and knew the Bible so well; yet they were also humble in their knowledge and kind in their communication with others. Through chatting with them, hearing their sermons and checking out the Trinity website it became clear to me that Trinity really values the Bible and Bible-based teaching is what I would receive at Trinity. So I thought, ‘Sign me up!’”

Sarah has just finished her second year of study, and she’s absolutely loved it so far.

“The content is biblical, clear and helpful for life and ministry,” Sarah shares. “The staff are kind, professional, genuine and always willing to take time for students. Community at College is also good, with student meals, study groups, pastoral care groups, and chats in the library offering opportunities to dig deeper into content, life and ministry with other students. It’s such an honour and an encouragement to be able to share our joys and struggles in these areas and pray for and with each other throughout the year.”

It hasn’t always been easy. Sarah says it’s often difficult to decide which questions to focus on when there is so much meaningful information to consume.

“Many people at Trinity before me have described this as drinking from a fire hydrant,” Sarah explains. “Now I see what they mean!”

Sarah finds it hard to summarise all that God has been teaching her over the past two years.

“God’s been building a biblical framework in my mind,” she explains. “All the miscellaneous and semi-structured experiences and understandings I have after so many years reading the Bible, hearing sermons, knowing other Christians and sharing the gospel with unbelievers are becoming more ordered and I can see how these connect to each other. For example, I’ve learned how many different (and weird!) Bible stories fit into God’s salvation story, why different bits of literature are in there, and how we can use these faithfully to share the gospel, equip believers to do the same and love God more deeply.”

Sarah isn’t sure yet where her theological study will take her after graduation—but she isn’t worried.

“I know that time spent in God’s Word is never wasted, and he’s preparing me for ministry of some kind through the knowledge and skills I’m gaining at Trinity,” she says. “So for now I’m praying, preparing and trusting God with my future.”

In the meantime, Sarah continues to enjoy the gift of this season.

“Trinity is a place where you can dig into God’s Word, learn rich and deep theological truths, be encouraged and challenged by other believers, and deepen your love for God and for the lost.”