When Morgan Koca set foot on Creighton’s campus, the goal and purpose for college was clear in her mind. She was going to run track the best she could to fulfill her scholarship requirements and get a degree so she could teach. That first semester, however, did not meet her expectations. Her love for why she was there began to wane and she considered transferring to another college. After Christmas break, with no change in her heart, her parents asked her to consider one more semester to finish out her freshman year. Looking back, Morgan now sees that God had a bigger plan, a better plan, and one that changed her goal and purpose not just for college, but for her entire life.
Preparing for the second semester to end, Morgan ran into a friend on campus and was invited to a college group, the Salt Company (Salt). She never heard of it and decided to attend that Thursday. That first visit and for the remainder of the semester, Morgan found truth and instant community. She also received clarity.
“I had this clarity and once I did, I knew I had to stay at Creighton,” Morgan described. “My sophomore year I was all in and stepped into leadership at Salt. Stepping into their leadership circle and stepping out was transformative. Before I was a leader, I wanted to get involved and I did, but learning how to lead and leading others really changed my perspective of my purpose and what that could be on campus.”
Being a leader at Salt, God showed Morgan new purpose. He revealed to her that everything she is involved with, every conversation she has, and every person she meets daily is an opportunity.
“It was a completely different perspective,” Morgan shared. “I saw that being on the cross-country team isn’t about myself and running well. Instead, it’s that my team is a mission field and to use my gifts to give God glory. Everything revolves around him. Also, I learned the importance of discipleship. I saw that when you pour into someone’s life, intentionally and loving them as God loves us, God uses that in powerful ways.”
Morgan noticed when she took the time and poured herself into Jesus, His word, and in a leading role, she saw her campus and the people on her track team and in class from a different perspective. As she prayed for the girls in her City Group, prepared with her co-lead, she began to see God work so tangibly on our campus and in her.
“It was so evident!” Morgan proclaimed. “The Salt leadership training and stepping out to lead really had a huge impact on my faith. I saw tangible evidence that God is alive and is pursuing his people. When we started our city group, there were four girls including the two leaders. It’s not about numbers, but we just prayed that God would use that time. At the end of semester, 15 girls were in our dorm room, packed in, reading the God’s word.”
Also at the beginning of her sophomore year, Morgan saw evidence of God’s faithfulness in her own walk. She prayed for Godly friendships, and she prayed for confidence to share her faith. God answered that with opportunities and prompts to share the Gospel and with people she didn’t expect.
“I feel like the community and the relationships I gained from these past years in Salt leadership were awesome,” Morgan confessed. “I met a lot of people at Citylight and Salt, that I didn’t know before and would have never met. We had Salt leadership trainings once a month and we would sit with different people. I got to hear new stories and that just created a glimpse of good Christian community. All the Salt leaders were amazing. Seeing their hearts was a huge blessing. It was and will be impactful as I move into adulthood. I want to mimic it in my life now.”
One opportunity God gave to Morgan was completely unexpected this past year. With new confidence and truth, Morgan saw a teammate come to the Lord.
“A few years ago, when I started to pray over the team,” Morgan said with glee, “I asked the Lord “who can I share the gospel to on the team? To speak truth into, to invite and to disciple?” One Salt leader and I were reading through the Bible and asked me to pray over someone on the team and invite them to church. We drew names on the team, and I got a freshman named Saige. I was nervous to ask her. I knew she was agnostic and I didn’t know where she was at. I invited her on runs with me and on those runs, the Lord gave me an opportunity to share my faith. During the run, we talked the entire time. Fast forward, this past semester I baptized her, and now she is running faithfully for the Lord. God is so much bigger than me.”
This May, Morgan graduated from Creighton with her teaching degree and recently left for a short-term global assignment in Europe. This fall she will be in Kansas teaching fourth grade. Looking back the past three years, Morgan is thankful for Salt and for Citylight.
“The ways the Salt team poured into me and invested in me were amazing,” Morgan confessed. “I didn’t see much in me, but they did. They pointed me consistently back to God’s word. Without their yes and time and dedication, I would not be where I am at today with my walk with the Lord.”
Morgan concluded with this:
“To the students that are still in Salt, I would say cherish the mundane and normal moments of college and at Salt. Be with your friends and hang out with your City Group even if doesn’t sound exciting for that night. Cherish those moments because they will be gone. When you look back at all the lasts, and you will, you’ll wish you didn’t take it for granted. The normal is sweet.”
“Also, would you please pray for me? For our global trip. Pray for confidence, courage, and boldness to share Jesus. To love one another on the team and the Lord. To be comfortable in the uncomfortable and to trust. And as I prepare for this fall, I don’t know my student’s names, but I am praying over their hearts and opportunities to show them God’s love through loving them and through a community they will have in my classroom. Ultimately, my identity is not a teacher, but as a child of God.”
Through Salt and its leadership training, God changed Morgan’s heart and plan for her life into something bigger and better.