Malia Rogers is a 19-year-old sophomore here at GCU. This coffee-loving hipster is currently a Life Leader, and will continue to be next year. Malia felt God prompting her to become a life leader last year, and continues to show that passion for following him in her everyday life. With her vivacious and bubbly attitude toward life, God has used Malia to mentor to freshmen girls living on the sixth floor of Acacia Hall this past year. Not only has God been working through her to guide other people, but He has also been at work in her own spiritual life.
Q: What do you enjoy about being a Life Leader?
A: “I love the relationships that you make fairly naturally with the people on your hall. I love being that person that when everyone is away from home they know they can come talk to. And the relationships you build with people based on who they are and what they need.”
Q: What has been the most challenging thing for you as a Life Leader?
A: “One of the most challenging things is when you aren’t emotionally there or when you don’t feel like having life group, and you don’t feel prepared. I think it’s trusting that God’s gonna say what He wants to say because it is never your words. The hardest thing is to surrender, yes, I have a plan, but ultimately what God wants to happen is going to happen anyway.”
Q: How has being a Life Leader affected your relationship with God?
A: “It has definitely benefitted. My quiet time has always been a priority, but it’s never been a necessity and through being a Life Leader it’s become so much more of a necessity. You are constantly pouring into all of these other people, and you don’t have an endless strength for that, so I think that I can definitely tell when I haven’t been in check with that or when I haven’t been diligently planning and praying. It (life group) has definitely made it stronger because my relationship with God has been more of a necessity than it has ever been, and life leading has brought that to light.”
Q: How have you seen God working in your ministry?
A: “I’ve had a really awesome hall, but I think the biggest thing is having people who weren’t Christians come to life group and now they are Christians, as well as having people that have always been Christians but just kind of seeing them further that relationship. That’s just been awesome to watch. And the relationships outside, it really is crazy how close you can become in just five months of living with each other or just meeting once a week and the friendships that have developed from that as well.”
Q: Are you nervous about anything in the next coming year as a Life Leader?
A: “I am super nervous about not being on a freshmen hall because freshmen come in and they’ve left their moms and they need people, so they gravitate toward you a little more. With the upperclassman, a lot of them probably already have small groups that they go to. I think that it is not about the numbers but then I think “Oh what if nobody shows up?” I feel like that is just easier with freshmen because they need it in a different way. I’m always nervous about being with people that are possibly older than me because that sometimes can be intimidating. But, I think I am a little less nervous too because I already have a year out of the way so I have some of those experiences as well.”
Q: Did God lay anything on your heart in the process of becoming a Life Leader?
A: “This year, reapplying, just from the get-go I couldn’t imagine not doing it, and I have always felt called to ministry. Having a form where I could do that here, on-campus in my dorm room is crazy and super awesome. Also, my head life leader has been super awesome about encouraging me in that as well.”
Q: What is your life motto?
A: “It is well.”