Christina Semeria

A Spark in the Dark

On April 27, 2016, nineteen-year-old Christina Tini Semeria went to pray off campus with her four best friends before studying for finals. On their return to the University of Georgia campus, the driver lost control of the car. Tini and her three best friends went to be with Jesus, hand-in-hand, together that night.

During her time on Earth, Christinas heartbeat and passion was to reach the least, the lost, the last, the hopeless and the unseen, and she voluntarily gave of her time and talent in many ways to reach marginalized people. She wanted everyone to know that they were recognized, known and loved unconditionally by a God who sees them, no matter where they had been or what they had done. Here are some of the many things that Tini accomplished during her meaningful nineteen years of life:

She and two of her friends began a student-led ministry in high school called Ignite Milton, with the purpose of leading people to Christ and making sure everyone felt like they belonged. This ministry eventually grew to over 200 students meeting each week.

During high school and college, Tini served a week-long summer mission trip with Carolina Cross Connection, which works with youth leaders, churches, and parents to raise compassionate, servant-hearted, next-generation leaders (CarolinaCrossConnection.org). They combine the spiritual connection of a camp experience with the life-changing opportunities that week-long service trips offer.

Tini served at Young Life as a horse wrangler during the summer in order to lead others to experience the best week of their life at camp and to help build their relationship with Jesus.

She served during Youth Give Back Days including the MUST Ministries Summer Lunch Program as well as serving the homeless in downtown Atlanta.

At UGA, Tini was in AXO sorority, which participated in many philanthropy events:
- UGA Greek Grind 2015 - AXO raised over $89,000 for Prevent Child Abuse America.
- Barefoot on the Lawn - All money raised was donated to a local cause supporting the sororitys national philanthropy, Domestic Violence Awareness.
- Project Safe - A non-profit organization that works to stop domestic violence through educational programs, crisis intervention, and more.

She was on the leadership team for UGA Heroes, which is the only organization in GA that exists to provide quality-of-life care to kids infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

In the summer following the accident (2016), Tini was set to serve as a horse wrangler on staff at WinShape. She attended WinShape for six summers and wanted to give back.

Finally, Tini was an organ donor. She knew that if something ever happened to her, she would want to give life to others. Through the LifeLink organization, Christina was able to volunteer her organs, allowing her to give the ultimate gift of life to others.

Tinis personality was undeniable. She was fearless, bold, faithful, gentle spirited, and gifted with words and music. She was a woman of great influence and a compassionate heart that beat hard and fast for God. She was little but LOUD. Tini loved her friends, ALL of them. She crossed all lines, always seeking out the underdog, the lost, or the lonely. The day before her death, she was overheard by one of her friends inside a Starbucks, befriending a homeless man, chatting with him at length. That story; her uplifting blog, Spark in the Dark; as well as her original song, Be Still; can be found on her website, ChristinaSemeria.org by clicking the blog and Facebook links in the top, right-hand corner of her homepage.

In closing, it seems most fitting to impart some of Tinis own words, a quote she included in her Spark in the Dark blog entry, in hopes that her life will inspire you, the reader, to reach out and volunteer your talent or your time to be in service of others:

Youre here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. Were going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you dont think Im going to hide you under a bucket, do you? Im putting you on a light stand - shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, youll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. Matthew 5: 14-16 (MSG)

If you are interested in learning more about volunteering at some of the organizations that Tini was passionate about, please visit the following websites:

LifeLink LifeLinkFoundation.org

Passion Conferences 268Generation.com

Young Life NorthFulton.YoungLife.org

WinShape Foundation.WinShape.org