Tonight I met Shannon down on the field when her friend, David, got my attention and told me that she had just made a first-time commitment to Jesus after hearing the gospel message given by Pastor Greg Laurie.

When I asked Shannon how she met David, Shannon explained that she’s been living, homeless, in a trailer behind David’s machine shop. Shannon made a living as a commercial fisherwoman on the fishing boats in San Pedro. Unfortunately, the big commercial ships have overtaken much of the fishing industry, misplacing the smaller, privately owned fishing boats. Because of that, Shannon lost her job and has been unable pay rent. So she found herself living in a trailer behind David’sshop. David and his brothers in Christ from Calvary Chapel South Bay have been praying for Shannon for quite some time.  They were thrilled when Shannon accepted the invitation to come to the Harvest Crusade. They were even more excited when they saw her make her way down to the field to give her life to Christ.

None of us knows how long we have on this earth, so the sooner we submit our lives to the Savior the better. You see, Shannon also shared with me that she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer a month ago. As terrible as that news was to Shannon, she has the hope of heaven now and today is the first day of a brand new life for her.

We don’t know what the Lord has in store for Shannon, but Jesus is now her Savior, her Lord, her God, and He will be her comforter—the One who will never leave her nor forsake her, no matter what.

Tears were flowing. Some were down on their knees. The field, again, packed with people. The final night of the 26th Socal Harvest was nothing short of a miracle.

Tomas and his whole family experienced that miracle tonight. At the last moment, the very end of the invitation, Tomas felt an undeniable pull on his heart from God. It came just as he saw his oldest son stand up and begin to walk down to the field. His son, Tomas Jr., did not look back. He went straight down, in obedience, knowing it was what God was telling him to do. Tomas Sr. followed, then his wife and daughter. The family admitted to being far from God. Life had brought them many struggles. In a recent series of events, one being the near death yet miraculous healing of a family member, Tomas Sr. knew he had to lead his family in a different direction. He knew they needed a stronger relationship with Christ. He wanted to be a good example for them, but was not sure what to do next.

Today, the final night of the Harvest Crusade, Tomas Jr. asked if the family would go. They saw many obstacles in their way, but Tomas Jr. kept asking. They jumped through the hoops the day threw at them, stood in line in the heat, and made it in to the stadium. No one knew how the night would end.

“Who would have known that my own son would inspire me with the courage to come down to the field tonight and give my life to Christ,” Tomas Sr. questioned. “Now I know, with God’s help, I can lead this family the way I am supposed to.”

The family held each other on the field and cried together. It was a beautiful moment. The cord that held them all together was Christ. The courage to give it all to Him, together, came from a young teen who could not deny the call from the Lord to surrender.

Meet 2-1/2 year old Chloe, daughter of Claudio and Roxana Marinestu. Originally from Romania, Claudio and Roxana moved to the United States six years ago. Neither Claudio nor his wife, Roxana, had a relationship with the Lord when they moved here. Claudio happened to be listening to K-Wave when he heard an ad about Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and decided to take his wife. The rest is history and Claudio has been serving as a Harvest Crusade Usher since 2011.

Last night, when the stadium was completely filled, including Claudio’s section, he decided to let Chloe play a role to keep a smile on the faces of the people he had to turn away. Truly, the joy of the Lord is the strength of this family.

Meet Dustin and Stephanie Kelley. This happily married couple has faithfully served at the Harvest Crusades for the last five years. They work all three nights and in several areas. Dustin and Stephanie are both decision follow-up counselors. As Captains on the field, they make sure Bibles are passed out, that people have counselors to pray with them, and that all needs are met out on that field. They both love to pray with new believers and those who recommit their lives to Christ. “It is a great opportunity to tell them that this year they are here accepting Christ and now they can share Christ,” Dustin explained.

With such expression and a joyous smile, Stephanie talked about the privilege of praying with others—someone’s daughter, or sister, someone who has been prayed for and was invited here, and has now accepted the Lord.”

Both Dustin and Stephanie can also be found late after the event is over in the Card Sorting Room, where all the professions of faith are sorted and organized. “I love working with the other church representatives in here, getting everyone assigned to a church and letters ready to be mailed,” Stephanie said.

When asked what message they had for the blog readers tonight, Dustin replied, “You can’t fully understand Christianity until you are willing to be used by God. It’s easy to serve. The opportunities are out there. You can do something that really matters and makes a difference, and it can be simple. These opportunities have given me more love for my faith.”

Lori and her entire family are all serving at the crusade in one way, shape, or form.

Lori’s daughter, Krysta (18), is part of the Harvest Orange County SWAT (Students with a Testimony) team. They’ve been handing out Harvest Crusade invitations at various public venues for the past month or so.

Lori’s son, Wayde (14), and youngest daughter, Kyra (11), are greeters at the crusade. Today they’re greeting visitors and handing out Harvest Crusade programs at Gate 1. Lori and her husband, David, both serve as Harvest Crusade follow-up counselors.

Lori said, “We all truly understand the value of every aspect of this ministry, being able to experience it from so many different perspectives that we get to share with each other. Everyone has a different story when we gather together and we are always in awe of what God does, and that He lets us be a part of it—separate and yet together!”

How amazing is our God that He uses entire families for His glory?

Pray that families would be touched with the message of the gospel given by Pastor Greg Laurie at this, the 2015 SoCal Harvest.