It was great to be able to be back at Faith Baptist Church in Canoga Park. Because of COVID, it has been six years since we were last there. It was great to work with the youth pastor, Matt Connors, once again, as well as Pastor Tim Rasmussen. We were encouraged with so many things, and it was a blessing to see many students responsive to the Lord.

The team went recruiting at the nearby high school on Tuesday morning. Abi, the Marine co-captain, invited a guy who seemed fairly interested in the event. He came the first night and got involved in the competitions. The young man listened intently to the preaching and responded during the invitation. Josiah, the Marine team captain, was able to counsel him and lead him to the Lord that night.

The local middle school was on the same block as the Christian school, so our team could stand on the church property and invite kids from the middle school as they were walking home. Annaleese, the Ranger co-captain, talked to a young man on Tuesday during the middle school dismissal. He couldn’t remember his phone number, but he was pumped about the event and promised he would come. Contacts like this aren’t usually very promising, but on Wednesday night, the young man showed up two hours before the event started. He threw himself into the competition. Come time for the preaching, he was glued in. The young man responded during the invitation, and Stephen, the Ranger team captain, led him to the Lord. This was his testimony:

“This week I did not expect to get invited to the Special Forces, and I’m really glad I joined cause the whole ‘God and Jesus thing’ actually was really unexpected. So I say why not come here every night. So God has helped me throughout this week. He paid for my sins, and I’m really glad for that. I know I will go to heaven.”

During the invitation on Friday, many young people responded, broken over their need for God. There were some students who got their salvation settled that day; others saw their need to depend on God to live the Christian life. Because of the large response, our team was not able to counsel every student, but it was encouraging to have staff and faculty members team up with us and counsel the young people. Friday was an encouraging day as our faith became sight!

Here are some more testimonies from the week:

“This week God has put it into my heart to confess a lot of things that have been going on for years…a part of this…is stuff that happened years ago, and it’s still affecting me now, and I think the services both on Tuesday and Wednesday hit me the hardest because it talked about stuff that is hidden…Hearing that really encouraged me to do the rest of the job. Now there is more that I do plan on telling to my mother who’s the most involved…But God has blessed me to…take these burdens away from me and set me free.”

“This week I made a decision to witness more to other people because I know there’s a God who loves me, but I pass people every day that…they don’t think anyone loves them, and they don’t know where they’re going when they die.”

“This week I’ve been concerned with whether I’d go to heaven or go to hell, and I did not know. And this week I was saved.” 

“I’ve been so caught up in like trying to do everything perfect in a way. Putting so much pressure on myself to be…this perfect student or perfect daughter…But I was reminded this week that our lives are not about ourselves…doesn’t matter what we do, we can’t do it in our own strength…and that was my problem. I keep thinking that I have to do it, and I have to get 100%, that I have to do everything right, you know. And it’s nothing about me, it’s 0% me and it’s 100% God, and I have to give Him that reverence and give Him my strength…well, my weakness so He can be my strength and give me His strength.”

As you can see, it was an encouraging week. We had a wonderful testimony service on Friday. It is always a blessing to hear what the Lord has been doing in hearts!