This year’s student-led Week of Worship hosted 11 students who spoke throughout the week at daily CommUnity, vespers, and a Sabbath service. The theme was, “Tell us Your Story, Tell us Your Hope,” and it challenged students to share the stories that were close to their heart, times when they found strength or hope or growth in God. Because, while sometimes those experiences aren’t easy or fun at the time, He doesn’t make us go through them alone.
Every winter quarter the Associated Students of Walla Walla University (ASWWU) put on a special WoW, where students get to gather in their connection to God and hear from their peers, who are bold enough to be vulnerable and share their stories.
Maddie Condon started off the week with “Don’t Lose Your Heart.” On Tuesday, Ashley Davila followed her up with “Hope in Connection.” Davila began her college career as an education major but later felt a conviction to switch to theology. Though she does not like public speaking, she said she felt that same conviction when she discovered she had been nominated to speak for WoW.
Davila hopes that those who heard her speak understand the importance of community. “Over the past year, I have often heard that people are complicated, that many feel lonely or betrayed, and they have valid reasons for feeling that way. However, if we want to live like Jesus, we must be part of a community, even when that means dealing with the negative aspects that come with it. Why? Because the good outweighs the bad. We are called to remain committed to community no matter how we may feel—just as Jesus did, and he died for it.”
Throughout the week, speakers like Hannah Lausevic, Asher Warren, Ian Cummings, and others shared personal stories of heartache of being lost and of finding strength. Speeches like “Being Renewed,” “To Win You Have to Lose,” and “Christianity Costs,” allowed listening students to connect to each message through shared experiences and understandings.
During the University Church’s Sabbath morning service, Lindsey Monterroso, ASWWU’s spiritual vice president, brought this WoW to a close with “Unrequited Longing.” Throughout the experience, she learned that the Holy Spirit's intentionality is beyond measure.
“I hope those who attended know that Christ is walking with us through our longing and through our mourning, and that He can relate to us. That there is a deep closeness that is found when we allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts in the midst of our longing. There is hope in knowing that our home is not on this Earth, but in Heaven alongside Jesus,” said Monterroso.
To learn about more spiritual opportunities at WWU, visit wallawalla.edu/chaplain, and to keep up with what ASWWU has planned, follow them on Instagram @ASWWU.
Posted Feb 16, 2026.
