Nine hundred thousand shillings.

That’s how much home currency Tony Ombogo of Kenya, Africa, needed to pay for his first year of school at a Christian college in the United States. Because of his status as an international student, he had to have all that money in hand before the U.S. would issue his visa.

Assuming Tony worked seven days a week and saved every bit from his 27-shilling-a-day job as a telephone technician, it would be about 91 years before he could start his freshman year.

To compound the problem, financial aid monies most American students take for granted were unavailable for Tony. He explains "As an international student, I cannot receive any assistance for my first year. I do not even receive federal aid when I’m in school."

It looked as if Tony’s dream to become a medical missionary was destined to die. "I didn’t think it would happen" he admits.

But God had a different idea.

Tony’s father was determined to make it possible for Tony to pursue his dream at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Georgia. "My first year, I think my dad made that happen," Tony says proudly. His dad talked to friends, colleagues, and anyone who would listen. He called about 150 relatives and family friends, inviting them to come to a special reunion/fund-raiser for Tony.

On the appointed day, around 70 people showed up. Tony reports, "Everybody [brought] as much as they could and dropped it in a bucket. At the end of the day, we collected about 500,000 Kenya shillings."

Slowly but surely, the Ombogo family’s determination was paying off, and money began trickling in. On the day the fall semester began at Emmanuel Tony had his tuition money. He had scraped together funds for room and board. He even held his travel visa in hand.

But he didn’t have the 144,000 shillings needed to purchase a plane ticket to America. So while he languished at home in Africa, classes started without him.

That was when God revealed that He does indeed have a sense of humor. In spite of the fact that Tony was traveling to a Christian college, a Hindu businessman responded to a request by Tony’s father and agreed to provide the needed plane ticket. Tony arrived at Emmanuel College two weeks into the semester, and has stayed long enough to start his senior year this past fall.

Reflecting on his experience, Tony says, "If I’d looked at the money and decided, ‘OK. I can’t do this’... I’d still be in Kenya and I wouldn’t have had the opportunity that I’ve had here." He advises, "Just take that first step with what you have [and] allow God to direct towards your next step. Let your need be known to those that can help...and you will do it."

•••

"I could buy a great car for one year of college!"

That was all Beth Fette could think about when she discovered how much it would cost for her to attend Malone College in Canton, Ohio.

"I had gone to visit Malone [College] during my junior year of high school," Beth says. "I brought back material on Malone and read it with my parents and I was just shocked!"

Sitting in her living room, just one day removed from her campus visit, Beth was already thinking of giving up on Malone. Her parents had both graduated from Ohio State University, and Beth’s tuition there would be much more affordable. Still, Beth really wanted to learn in a Christian environment, and she wanted Malone to be that place.

During that living room conversation, Beth’s parents encouraged her with these words, "If this is truly what you’re interested in, if you think this is good, we’ll work with it. We’ll see what can be done."

And so began Beth’s grand adventure to find enough money to join the students at Malone College.

First, she began socking away as much money as possible from her two summer jobs. She recruited her family and close friends to begin praying regularly for her. She applied for—and received—a scholarship from her church.

And she met Chad Dennis.

Chad Dennis, Director of Admissions at Malone College, proved himself to be an immense help to Beth. Beth explains, "Chad’s desire was to open every door available to make it possible for me to go to Malone. He was looking for new scholarships I could apply for. He was encouraging me to get my papers in on time. He was calling me just to encourage me throughout my senior year, to remind me to send things in, and just to see how it was going."

Chad’s confidence was catching, and Beth’s hopes soared as she grew closer and closer to graduation.

Finally, in January of her high school senior year, Chad called with news about Beth’s completed financial aid package. Going line by line, he named a final figure and said, "Unless something drastically changes in the next few months, this is how much it will be for you to attend the college this first year."

Much to the delight of Beth and her family, that figure turned out to be comparable to what it would have cost for Beth to attend Ohio State. Beth says, "At that moment I realized ‘I’m actually going to go to school and I’m going to go to Malone and I’m going to have the money!’

Through that experience, Beth says she learned "It can work out for everyone. God will open doors. Just look around, talk to your parents, talk to your admissions counselor, your guidance counselor. Everyone wants to help an incoming freshman."

Apparently Beth’s younger sister learned that same lesson too. An incoming freshman this year, she recently joined Beth as a student on the campus of Malone College.

•••

Alison Ziegeweid had one motto when it came time to line up funds for attending Northwestern College in Roseville, Minnesota: Apply, apply and apply some more.

So, with her mother’s constant encouragement, she filled out as many scholarship, grant, and loan applications as she could. Then she waited for the miracle to happen.

Instead of waiting passively, however, she applied herself as well. She worked hard to maintain a solid grade point average in high school. (Perhaps that would gain an academic scholarship?) She practiced piano and bassoon up to 20 hours a week. (Perhaps that would yield a music department scholarship?) She competed in the local Miss America pageant. (Perhaps she could win a scholarship?) She tracked down community organizations that made money available for local students. (Perhaps one or more would give her a scholarship?)

Still she waited for the miracle to happen.

Alison remembers the longings she felt during that time, saying "I really wanted to go to a Bible school and I really wanted to go to Northwestern!"

Finally the day came for all her work to pay off. Together with her family, she sat down and looked at the results of all her effort, all her sweat and hard work. She’d earned an academic scholarship. She’d aced her audition and won a music department scholarship. She placed as the first runner-up in the Wisconsin state pageant, meaning more money for her schooling. She had grants and loans and local scholarships as well! Quickly Alison added up the numerous dollar figures...

...and found she still couldn’t afford to attend Northwestern College.

At that point Alison says she was ready to give up on the miracle. "I was so discouraged," she says. "I really thought that I couldn’t consider [Northwestern,] the school that I really wanted to go to." Alison thought she would have to take a year off school to try to earn more money for college.

But when Alison was ready to give up, her mother wasn’t. "She kept calling professors from this school and also financial aid representatives," says Alison, "letting them know how strongly I did want to attend [Northwestern]." She also filed an appeal to have the financial aid package re-examined.

A month later, school representatives called Alison’s mother with good news: Additional funds would be available; Alison would go to Northwestern College after all. The miracle had finally come.

"When you think that you’ve come to the end of your options, keep praying and keep looking," Alison now advises. "Don’t give up...Keep trusting in the Lord. If he wants you [there], He’s going to make it possible."

•••

"I knew I was going to finish high school and I was going to go to college...I wanted to so badly, but I just didn’t see how was I going to do it, where was the money going to come from."

Susan Lee is only 21 years old, but this sophomore student at Christian Heritage College in San Diego, California seems much older. Perhaps that’s because when she was 15 years old she effectively became an adult, staying in San Diego while the rest of her family moved to Los Angeles. Over the next three years she worked her way through high school, earning good grades and money to pay rent at the same time.

Upon graduation, attending a Christian college seemed out of reach financially. After all, Susan struggled to pay her regular bills, let alone college tuition and books! She took classes at a junior college, and finally dropped out of school altogether.

It was during that time she felt God prompting her not to give up on college just yet. Susan reveals, "I prayed, ‘Lord, I need you to make a huge change in my life’ because I’d gotten to a point where I was so directionless. I didn’t know what was going to happen to my life."

Over the next few weeks, Susan became reacquainted with old friends from her church, and made new friends who were attending Christian Heritage College. She laughs as she recalls, "All I heard about [from them] was this school!" Finally, she decided to visit the campus, "Just go in and get information." Even though she knew she couldn’t afford to pay for the tuition, she applied for admission anyway.

"I made the decision this is what I’m going to do. God has provided for me financially all my life and I knew he wouldn’t stop now. I knew he wasn’t going to let me be stranded."

Funny thing about God. Sometimes He really does work in mysterious ways. Not long after that decision, Susan got a call from an aunt she had lived with briefly in the past. "Susan," she said, "I got some mail for you a couple months ago."

When Susan went to pick it up, it was from the state of California. Seems when Ms. Lee had dropped out of school, she had an application for a Cal Grant pending. Now, two years later, they wanted to know if she still wanted the money—which was enough to cover more than half of her expenses at Christian Heritage.

From that point on, Susan became a regular visitor at the financial aid office of Christian Heritage College. She was determined to find a way to pay for this school. She grins, "I was very persistent. They saw me in that office every day. They were all, ‘Susan’s here. Oh, dear.’ But they were very good." And in the end, they were able to piece together enough money for Susan to return to school.

Even though she has more than two years left, Susan is excited about the new possibilities provided by Christian Heritage. Grinning, she states, "I can’t believe I’m going back to college!"

•••

Junior college student, Jim Gray was confused. Out and out, scratching-his-head-and-unable-to-make-sense-of-anything confused. The source of his dilemma? An overwhelming amount of financial aid paperwork.

"It seemed like every other day in the mail I was receiving something that I had to sign or for some kind of loan or what not," Jim says with feeling. "And with all the different loans and grants and scholarships that are available, it’s really confusing."

Although he was bewildered by the financial aid process, he felt certain about one thing: God was leading him to transfer out of junior college and continue his studies at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana.

He explains, "I’d planned on transferring to Syracuse University...and that all changed. Through prayer and conversation with God, I got the calling to go into youth ministry, and Anderson kept popping up. I felt that if God really wanted me to go there He was going to provide for me."

So, confused or not, Jim determined to tackle the maze of forms and applications being thrown in front of him. To do that he enlisted the aid of independent financial aid counselor, C.K. Dykstra. "There was a lot of frustration," Jim remembers, "knowing that money was there somewhere, but not knowing how to get to it through all the red tape and stuff. [C.K. Dykstra] helped me get through that."

Dykstra not only helped Jim fill out the forms line by line, he gave very pointed advice to help Jim make paying for school a priority.

Jim laughs when he recalls one conversation with Dykstra. "‘Don’t be spending!" he said to me. ‘Now’s not the time to blow the money you’re making. You need to save your money.’ That’s something I had a hard time with. [But now] I really wish I would have saved more money!"

Dykstra also encouraged Jim to be willing to work to help pay his own way—even if it meant scrubbing dorm toilets and cleaning classroom desks through the college work study program. (Which by the way, he did—earning him the nickname "Janitor Jim" from classmates!)

Financial aid forms out of the way, Jim knew he had to make the biggest investment he could toward school—an investment in prayer.

Jim reveals. "I prayed that if God wanted me [here] that he would make it possible."

Jim also recruited several youth leaders at his church to pray specifically for his school finances because, he says, "The financial part of it was the only thing that was going to hold me back." They held occasional prayer meetings at one couple’s house, spending the entire time asking God to provide money for Jim’s schooling.

Jim’s investments paid off when he sat down in the financial aid office of Anderson University to go over his aid package—and found it was enough.

Reflecting on that meeting, Jim smiles, "When I saw that financial aid package I was ecstatic about it. That was an answer to prayer."

Note: This article was originally printed in Campus Life magazine. Adaptations of a few of these stories--along with scores of others inspirational accounts--are now available in the book, True Stories of Answered Prayer.