Sarah and Christian

“I want to be open to the Lord’s leading” – Sarah, 19 year old college student

Although Sarah dreams of being an actress someday, you wouldn’t know it from her quiet and calm demeanor. In fact, she shares how she wishes she were a little bit more bold in sharing her faith, especially with family and friends. “I tend to observe more, I don’t talk very much, I don’t want to be too pushy,” Sarah said. Her faith in God is strong, but could be stronger. She’s been a Christian most of her life, but due to some difficult family problems she’s experienced recently, she admits she was mad at God and worried a lot. Thankfully she didn’t run from Him, but instead chose to grow closer to Him.

She started reading her Bible more, doing bible studies with her boyfriend Christian, listening to what God was telling her. She is content with her life but doesn’t want to take anything for granted. Sarah is thankful for her boyfriend Christian who helps to keep her accountable, especially when envisioning a career in Hollywood where she will be surrounded by worldly influences. “I want to keep away from doing anything that would compromise my walk with God; elements of the industry that go against His Word, I realize I need to keep my faith strong in order to do that.” When she looks back she realizes just how much she has learned from her mistakes, and wants to use all that she has learned to move forward. Her advice for anyone coming to the crusade that doesn’t know the Lord? “Be open, just like you’d be with friends or family, your weaknesses will be opportunities for God to show His strength in your life.”

“I’m here to learn something new, to be surrounded by others who love God, and I’m a huge Andy Mineo fan!” – Christian, 19 year old college student

Christian brought Sarah to the 2017 SoCal Harvest Crusade tonight. They’ve been dating for about nine months, and he takes their relationship very seriously. Christian was raised in a single parent household by his father, and didn’t know what it was to have a personal relationship with the Lord until his dad married his stepmom. She took him to church and taught him about Jesus.

One Sunday, he was so impacted by the story of David and Goliath that it brought him to tears. He realized he could be imperfect to have faith in and serve a perfect God, and at 10 years old he accepted Christ. As he got older, he wanted to grow his relationship with the Lord, so he decided to go to a Christian College for that specific reason. “I wanted to be around godly minded people. I didn’t like the person I used to be, and being at this college and studying architecture will allow me to grow closer to God and to help others.” With his architecture degree Christian has plans of building homes to help the homeless and the veterans.

His advice for those who are coming this weekend? “Get ready for a great experience! Don’t think about anything, just feel God’s presence and know that there are people that love you!”