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This fall, Cedarville welcomed its largest freshman class to date, including transfer students from around the world. Every year, about an eighth of those transfers come from Word of Life Bible Institute, an accredited Bible program with 19 campuses worldwide. 

Grace Anderson, a sophomore majoring in Spanish and biblical studies from Goshen, Indiana, transferred from the Word of Life campus in Argentina. Katherine Dunham, a junior majoring in professional writing and information design from Cedarville, Ohio, arrived from the Schroon Lake, New York, campus. 

Cedarville鈥檚 student body of 7,265 is almost 20 times the size of the student body at a Word of Life campus, and classes cover a wider range of topics. Additionally, because of the sole biblical emphasis at Word of Life, all students follow a similar class schedule. Cedarville offers more than 175 academic programs, so students follow highly individualized workloads, routines, and academic concentrations. 

Anderson described her year in Argentina as tightly scheduled, with mandatory activities from 6:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. She completed two to three classes per month and taught English as a second language to local children. On weekends, she traveled up to six hours to serve in a ministry called 鈥淪how Infantil," 鈥� Spanish for 鈥淭he Children鈥檚 Show,鈥� sharing the gospel with children through theater performances. 

Dunham had a very different schedule, but her days were also intense. At the New York campus, students completed one class per week with daily five-hour lectures. For her ministry, Dunham played on the Word of Life volleyball team. After each game, they would ask the opposing team if they could pray for them and share the gospel 鈥� standing strong for their faith whether the teams welcomed the offer or pushed back on the spiritual influence. 

If she wasn鈥檛 in class or at volleyball practice, Dunham had a Bible study or service assignment. All Word of Life campuses require students to work in order to lower tuition costs. Dunham served food to fellow students twice a week. 

Both Anderson and Dunham participated in a weeklong missions trip during their time at Word of Life. Anderson traveled to Chile to lead Vacation Bible School and engage in open-air evangelism. Dunham went to New York City, where street outreach sometimes took unexpected turns. 

鈥淥ne of my friends got chased for an hour by a lady calling her a witch and spraying her with hairspray,鈥� said Dunham. 

In both joys and challenges, Dunham said her year at Word of Life grew her spiritually. 

鈥淚 would say I was a Christian before,鈥� said Dunham, 鈥渂ut I didn't understand what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus and make him the center of my life. Word of Life changed that.鈥� 

Anderson echoed the sentiment.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;

鈥淚t challenges you to be someone who鈥檚 in the bible daily for spiritual nutrients," said Anderson. 

Anderson suggested the creation of a Sting Group specifically for Word of Life transfers or transfers in general. Sting Groups are small mentoring groups designed to help incoming students build community and navigate the transition to Cedarville. With Cedarville鈥檚 official partnership with Word of Life Bible Institute, such support may be increasingly important as a way to facilitate these students鈥� transition to a new environment. 

Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian鈥痠nstitution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,265 students, it ranks among Ohio's largest private universities and is recognized by鈥疶he Wall Street Journal鈥痑s being among the nation鈥檚 top three evangelical universities. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at鈥�cedarville.edu.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;