"Going in, I never truly was prepared for what we were to encounter," says the junior at Texas Christian University. "Sure, we had known the topic from the start, but even as much as I thought I was prepared for such an intense and emotional topic, I wasn't."

"Nothing prepares you for emotions that rock your body. Nothing can stop the tears that swell up in your eyes as you read about children asking police dogs to find their friends in the rubble, or as you listen to families grieve openly in front of a camera. We were pushed to the limit physically, emotionally and spiritually, at a time when we may not completely know who or what we are."

A truck bomb destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995, killing 168 people, injuring hundreds more, and traumatizing a community suddenly thrust into disaster recovery. Using this disaster, 39 undergraduate students - 23 DHE Leadership Fellows and 16 Phillips University Legacy Scholars - spent three days learning how they can more effectively help victims of disasters, both natural and human-made. They also learned that taking care of themselves during stressful times is just as important.

Both the DHE Leadership Fellows Program and Phillips University Legacy Scholars Program recognize potential leaders for the church, working to develop those leadership skills. After two years focusing on vocation and calling, this year's spotlight on crisis marked the first time the scholarship programs have focused on a particular aspect of leadership.

"The church and our communities need leaders who know how to react in a crisis, whether that is an act of terrorism or a death in the family," said Dennis Landon, president of the Division of Higher Education. "While one weekend in Oklahoma City hardly represents a comprehensive learning experience, it provided an opportunity for these students to learn how they can help during hard times."

Getting 39 boisterous, energetic college students to sit silently on a Saturday afternoon is a difficult task. But Diane Leonard did it - gripping students with the story of how she coped with the loss of her husband, Don, in the 1995 bombing at the Oklahoma City federal building and the way her life has changed since then.

Since the death of her husband, a Secret Service agent, Diane has lobbied Congress on behalf of victims' rights legislation and volunteered to test the constitutionality of that legislation during the trials of the two men convicted of committing the attack. On a personal level, Diane admits her demeanor has changed, becoming much more vocal and willing to press the limits of the legal system.

Leonard's speech, which drew a standing ovation from the awe-struck audience, became the subject of hours of discussion that evening and the next morning.

"Diane Leonard spoke with impressive stability and sincerity for having experienced such an atrocity," said Phillips Scholar Nathaniel Carroll from Drury University. "Her mission to turn a negative experience such as hers into positive action deserves commendation. I particularly appreciated her open spirit and honest delivery of her struggles with forgiveness and remorse."

Valerie Steffen, Drury University: “As I continue through this year and the following years, I know there will be times when I, and those around me, will be faced with traumatic experiences. It is my hope that I will then recall the experiences of last weekend, and be a better leader because of the knowledge that I gained there.”

Sara Blackwood, Texas Christian University: “As leaders now and in the future, for the church and the nation, I know that we needed to experience this weekend. I personally have begun to question all that I stand for, what I think, feel and care about most. I was pushed out of my comfort zone and now must learn from what I was presented with until I create a new, broader comfort zone. I am not the same person I was when I arrived, and I would never go back to that former version of me.”

Emily McIntyre, Hampton University: “Throughout life, certain experiences change our lives, who we are, and how we think. Visiting the museum and enduring each moment with the group, all the guest speakers and prayers has changed my life.”

Steve Mason, Drake University: “When I got back to my church in Des Moines this Sunday, I told them all about how the future of church leadership was covered if there were people like all of the Fellows throughout the country.”

Ralph Wesley, Delaware State University: “As always, I learn something everyday of the conference -- even from the small talk we have amongst each other. I learn things that I, or any person for that matter, can portray in their everyday lives.”

"I am still struggling with my beliefs, including how my faith fits into those beliefs, about the death penalty and our government's corrections," said Alison Williams, a junior at Indiana University from Indianapolis. "Visiting the memorial museum forced me to look for God in places of tragedy, in the faces and events of the Oklahoma City bombing."

Additional speakers at the conference included: