Praying aloud in the hostel during the hours before dawn was a spiritual discipline valued by many of the young Christians who came to train for the ministry. It was a cool time of day that gave opportunity for personal prayer and fellowship with God. To these students, praying out loud so that others could hear showed that they were earnest about their faith. The problem was that it did not take into consideration the needs of other students in the hostel. Inevitably, the practice caused conflict and led to intense debate. Eventually, the matter was resolved when the college issued a new rule. Out of consideration for others, those who wanted to pray out loud were asked to do so further down the road, away from the hostels.
