From a Faraway Mission Field to Cedarville

Vera Shegai: A story of God’s faithfulness as a father 

The house was dark, and fear made her run. At 8 years old, Vera would sprint up the stairs, heart pounding, shadows stretching behind her in twisted forms. One night, the fear became too much. She raced to her father and expressed her overwhelming feelings about the dark.

“Can you pray for me?” Vera said. He prayed, and something changed. 

“The moment he prayed for me,” Vera said, “I felt that fear literally taken off of me, and I’ve never been scared of the dark since.” 

Years later, she would worship behind covered windows in the Middle East, sleep through nights shadowed by war and walk through seasons of loneliness on the other side of the world. The lesson learned in the dark never left her – when fear comes, run to your Heavenly Father.

That moment of fear — and ultimately peace — belongs to Vera Shegai, a senior at Cedarville University studying international studies and political science. 

Born in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and raised across Central and South Asia, Shegai spent her childhood moving between countries.

She lived in a Middle Eastern country for seven years, then in Kazakhstan, before coming to the United States for college. As the daughter of missionaries, Shegai formed her faith across borders shaped by danger, uncertainty and God’s steady presence.

Daily life for Shegai looked different from what many students could imagine. It involved navigating new languages, living between cultures and learning early how to be observant and adaptable. 

Faith was integrated into everyday routines, present during community gatherings and a stable promise in moments of fear – driving her to the arms of her Heavenly Father in restful trust. 

As Shegai neared the end of high school in Kazakhstan, the idea of traveling overseas for college felt both distant and exciting. She had been homeschooled for years, but now she felt led to attend a school in America. She didn’t know why God would send her so far away from her family, but she anticipated the future of a Christian education. 

“I didn’t really see the point in going to a secular school if I’m planning to go to the mission field,” Shegai said.

Ministry played a critical role in Shegai’s life, and she wanted to leave the door open to that future calling by attending a Christian school. Applying to American universities, however, felt almost unrealistic and unachievable.

There were many unknowns that came with this process: How would her family pay for tuition? How would they complete the necessary applications? And would obtaining a visa be possible? 

By faith, Shegai applied anyway. Sitting on a bench in the streets of Almaty, Kazakhstan, scrolling through Cedarville University’s website, she discovered the international studies program and felt something click. 

“That just captured my heart,” Shegai said. “I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is exactly what I’d want to do.’”

As admissions staff followed up with Shegai via email and Zoom, doors began to open. Scholarships came through. A visa was approved. Even then, the fear remained. 

Moving to Ohio meant leaving her family and stepping into an unfamiliar world. But with each step forward, Shegai chose to trust that the same God who had sustained her across countries would be faithful in this new season of life.

When Shegai arrived at Cedarville, the spiritual freedom surprised her. People worshiped loudly, and the Bible could be read publicly without fear of interruption. 

“I really get to worship the Lord, raise my hands and sing as loud as I can and not fear that someone’s going to come in and stop me from worshiping,” Shegai said. 

Standing among hundreds of students with her hands raised, she sometimes found herself comparing the ways Christian faith was lived out in different parts of the world.

Back home, worship often required caution and quiet. At Cedarville, it only required a willing spirit. At first, the joy was overwhelming. But as weeks turned into semesters, Shegai had to face new challenges. 

Living far from family, sometimes without a roommate, Shegai felt the weight of loneliness in her quiet dorm room. In her classrooms and friendships, she felt the pressure to fit in and to be accepted. Faith was everywhere, which made it easy to assume it would sustain itself. Instead, Shegai learned that freedom could dull dependence. 

Growing up overseas, Shegai was often surrounded by a community of believers. Faith was practiced together, reinforced by shared risk and shared dependence on God. 

In a Middle Eastern country, especially, belief was not something people drifted into casually. It was costly and required the believer’s intentionality.

At Cedarville, her struggles were no longer fueled by danger or persecution, but from her own heart. However, God met her again and again through chapel messages, Discipleship Groups and friendships that pointed her back to Scripture.

God was teaching her not simply to survive difficult circumstances, but to know him personally and run to him during times of safety and comfort in America. She learned that faith had to be rooted in daily dependence on her Heavenly Father both in persecution and in safety. A Father she could run to and enjoy daily. “To this day, I can see how God has become the biggest and most beautiful picture of a father who’s guided me through those hard moments,” Shegai said. 

Meagan Henline is a sophomore Professional Writing and Information Design major. She enjoys spending time with her friends and family and hopes to be a published novelist one day.