Soon after Amer Chami accepted Christ, he shared his story at Mosaic for the first time publicly. That very night, two others embraced Christ by faith: A 19-year old student from Japan and an older man of African descent. Two nights later, a young woman from Austria, Angelika Rumpler, also gave her life to Christ in response to Amer’s witness. Here is just part of her story …

“Honestly, I had always considered myself a Christian, coming from a country with a vast majority of Catholics. I was baptized as a baby and went to church at least every Easter and Christmas. But it never came to my mind that you could actually have a personal relationship with God.

“My image of God was that He is a distant God, a punishing God, someone whose faith you had to earn. But then I came to Little Rock and things changed. I still remember the first time I came to Mosaic. Philip Lamar, who was the first person to join Mark’s staff, asked me if I wanted to go. Since I did not have anything else to do on a Sunday afternoon, I went along and I loved it. People were so passionate and enthusiastic about God, something I had never experienced before. You could feel that there was a difference.

“Over the next few months, God kept bringing so many wonderful people into my life, people who truly and deeply loved the Lord. They showed me that it is possible to have a personal relationship with God. They were a wonderful example for me, showing me what it truly means to be a Christian.

“Of course, I tried to run away from all that, thinking that if it works for you, fine; but it doesn’t have to work for me. But God didn’t leave me alone.

“So finally on December 18, 2001, at 2 a.m. in the morning, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. My life, definitely, has changed since then.” (Not long after this) I had to go back to Austria for a few months, a time I considered to be a testing of my faith. It was not an easy time. But (soon), I (was) back in Little Rock with my family at Mosaic.”

Over the next few years, Angelica continued to mature in her faith. She was a faithful volunteer in the children’s ministry at Mosaic and actively involved with young adults in reaching out to other internationals in Central Arkansas. One of her joys was seeing Stefania Cane, an Italian Ph.D. student, come to know the Lord in the summer of 2006. Angelica had met Stefania a year before and had befriended her.

Now living in Austria, Angelica continues to pursue the Lord and His plans for her life.