From Campus to Kingdom: Revival at the University of Wisconsin

It was the fall of 2024, and Navigator students at the University of Wisconsin were eagerly awaiting a new class of freshman to arrive on campus. They’d been praying for the past 40 days leading up to the freshman kickoff, asking the Lord to prepare and soften the hearts of new students to the gospel.

Little did they know, but God would answer their prayers in an incredible way.

Over the last school year, Navigators at the University of Wisconsin have experienced a surge of fruitful ministry — simply through the momentum of students leading other students to Christ.

“There’s this generational disciplemaking happening,” Navigator Brian VanZante says. “These students — it’s on their heart to not just convert people and leave them, but to help them grow to a place where they can help others.”

This was the case for two students, Eli and Alyssa. Having grown in their faith through discipleship throughout their college experiences, they both took up the call this past year to pass on what they’ve learned to incoming freshmen. From hosting Bible studies to meeting weekly in discipleship, Eli and Alyssa have watched the Lord transform the lives of those they lead.

Eli’s story

Eli first got plugged in with The Navigators as a freshman when he showed up to an outreach event. Immediately, he was struck by the intentionality of the leaders in the ministry. “I joined a Bible study, and it just blew me away,” he remembers. “I never expected to find a group like that in college.”

As Eli started to get more involved, he was discipled by an upperclassman named Parker. Parker walked Eli through different books of the Bible, helping him memorize Scripture and navigate whatever Eli was going through in life at the time.

“There was this unique aspect of sharing lives and someone pouring into me individually that I had never experienced before,” Eli remembers. “It was a huge blessing to me, and it inspired me to want to do the same for others.”

As Eli neared the end of his college experience, he started praying a specific prayer in the months leading up to his senior year: “God, don’t just make this a year where I enjoy college. Can you do something with my life? Can you help me have a permanent effect on campus?”

The first week of the fall semester, Eli was playing volleyball at a Navigators event when a new student, Joseph, came up to him. Joseph, who had already signed up for Eli’s Bible study, asked Eli, “You’re going to be my Bible study leader, right? So should we start reading the Bible together?”

Eli was taken aback — he had never seen that kind of initiative before. Eli agreed, and before their official Bible study even started, he and Joseph started reading the Bible together every morning. At the time, Joseph said that he had an interest in the gospel, but wasn’t entirely sure about God. However, soon after, he gave his life to Christ. Eli later had the opportunity to baptize Joseph in front of the whole ministry.

During that time, Eli also met another new freshman named Caden. Eli asked Caden to meet up, and before they met, Eli felt the Holy Spirit telling him that Caden was ready to hear the gospel — he was low hanging fruit ready to be picked. Eli shared The Bridge to Life illustration with Caden, and right then and there, Caden accepted Christ. Eli continued to disciple him throughout the rest of the year.

However, the chain of discipleship didn’t stop there. Later in the semester, Joseph shared his faith with a classmate, Paul, leading him to Christ and discipling him the rest of the year. Over this past summer, Joseph served at Eagle Lake Camps in Colorado, and has led a few campers to Christ as well. Similarly, Caden shared the gospel with his family, and now his parents are going to church with him.

“My prayer was 2 Timothy 2:2, which talks about entrusting what you’ve learned to faithful men,” Eli says. “I wanted to entrust the teaching of Christ that I received to them, so that they could pass it along and teach it to others. That was my prayer for Joseph and Caden — and God has been answering it.”

Alyssa’s story

Though Alyssa was raised Catholic, she didn’t really know Jesus as her Lord and Savior. In high school, she sought worldly fulfillment, looking to partying and feeling like she had to prove herself by meeting the expectations laid out in front of her. However, through her involvement with a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) group at her high school, she started to seek the Lord, even though she wasn’t quite sure what she was looking for.

“I didn’t have Jesus then, but I can see the ways He intentionally put things into my life to flourish and know His name,” Alyssa remembers.

When Alyssa arrived at University of Wisconsin as a freshman, she had never heard of The Navigators. She started to slip into the party scene on campus, but felt empty and thought that it might be good to join a campus ministry to make friends. When she discovered The Navigators, she was drawn in by how caring the students were.

“They kept being so intentional with me, showing the love of Christ to me so I could get to know Him,” she says. “I just really wanted a friend to talk to, and I’ve never been sought out in that way before. The world never did that for me.”

Later that semester, Alyssa had fully given her life to Christ. She started being discipled by a leader named Ali, who walked with her through the highs and lows of life while also shepherding her heart towards Christ.

“She met me exactly where I was at,” Alyssa recalls. “She wasn’t pushing me too hard or letting me wander too far without following along. She was stewarding me well.”

Over the next couple of years, Alyssa started to get more involved, leading Bible studies and even attending a Summer Training Program (STP) in Colorado Springs, where she led kids at Eagle Lake Camp. 

As she went into her junior year of college, Alyssa was intentionally praying for the Lord to help her connect and disciple other students on campus.

The Lord answered her prayer. Over her junior year, Alyssa has gotten to disciple multiple women, guiding them the way that Ali once led her. Beyond that, in a Bible study she leads, three women have given their lives to Christ! She’s watched as they’ve grown confident in their faith, becoming disciplemakers and leaders themselves.

“When I meet with someone, I want to give them the tools they need to be more successful and steward the gifts that God’s given them,” Alyssa says. “It’s been so inspiring to see these women who were very much in worldly ways — like I once was — turning towards Jesus and professing their faith.”

Now a senior, Alyssa continues to passionately pursue hearts for Christ on campus — a calling that will stick with her long after graduation. “Wherever I go, The Navigators will always have a place in my heart,” she says. “They’ve taught me core truths about God’s Word and what my soul really needs.”

Laborers for a Lifetime

Alyssa and Eli’s stories are just a small picture of the work God is doing on campus at the University of Wisconsin. As this new generation of believing underclassmen continue to grow, they will only fuel the momentum of passionate disciplemakers in years to come.

“We can attribute the fruit of this year to God working in these freshmen’s hearts before they even arrive on campus,” Brian says. “The prayers of these students are powerful, and they are asking for the souls of their classmates. We are seeing students who are going to be laborers of Christ for a lifetime, not just four years of college.”

Discipleship Tip:

Eli and Alyssa both prayed for the Lord to move in the lives of students and provide them with discipleship opportunities before the school year even began. Like them, you can start your discipleship journey by praying for the Lord to guide you and your relationships. Take some time this week and pray for the Lord to open doors for you to share your faith with someone new!