"What are the direct results of the fact that God is our Shepherd?" - so began the training for small group leaders at the Formacion conference, which took place at the end of July in Poland. This year's theme was "Rooted." Over the course of five days, nearly 50 student leaders from different student movements in Europe were brought together in small groups and went through training together related to the roots that every Christian should have and that lead to a fruitful life in the kingdom of God. Each day was devoted to a different root of the tree of the Christian life - the root of knowing God, knowing self, calling and community and alongside this the trunk which represented skills, the crown of the tree which symbolized mission and the fruit which is the natural result of a good root system were also looked at. The keynote speaker for the conference was Craig Warrens, who was tasked with taking the participants through key moments in David's life, as well as speaking about their connection to Christ and to us today. Two of the BCSU's student leaders in Sofia and three other BCSU staff members who helped in various ministries participated in the event. In addition to Bible expositions and discussions, students had the opportunity to learn teamwork, identify and discern their strengths and skills, spend extended time reflecting on the Word they hear, and consider their role on campus.

Unlike before, this conference does not end after these five training-filled days, but will continue over the next ten months, where participants will meet online in their small groups, have mentors, and receive more training, support, and opportunities to apply what they have learned. We look forward to seeing the fruit of this process and pray that God's kingdom will grow.

Here is what one of the Bulgarian students - Katrin Petkova, 2nd year, Chemistry major at Sofia University shared:

" Only 5 days doesn't seem like a lot of time, but God knows how to use every second to the fullest. I had the opportunity to meet and make friends with other Christian students. God used these days to show me more about the importance of service and trust and taught me that He is always in complete control. I left the conference filled with enthusiasm to put what I learned into practice and improve something on my campus."