We started the morning off bright and early with a delicious and hearty breakfast. Not only was the breakfast good but it was so refreshing to start the day with fellow believers in Christ. After breakfast, we went to a church meeting in Northridge. Today I felt like I experienced the verse Ephesians 5:19, “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and palming with your heart to the Lord.” I was so cherished by the hymns and testimonies of the believers. We met so many community church members in Northridge and UCLA students who came to join us. Even though there were a lot of new faces I felt at home because of our shared faith and love for the Lord Jesus. It seemed as if everyone was overflowing with Christ. I’m excited to meet more believers on the rest of the trip!
The rest of the day we spent traveling and hiking in Malibu which was gorgeous. It was very chilly and windy but the views were worth it! Afterward, we returned to Northridge for a delicious dinner. We heard some sweet and encouraging testimonies of how people stayed Christians for so long and we also shared our own experiences as Christians. As I was listening to others' experiences I had an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all that the Lord has done in my life. :)
—Selah-Marie G.
“And when He had said this, He breathed into them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.” - John 20:22
The wind was HUGE. Looking good in photos was so hard. :(
Anyway, we began the day with some brekkie with our the family we were staying with, Jay and Mia. Bacon was so yummy tummy… They shared how they got saved, and I was so touched by how much the brother yearned for the Word of God.
After that, we drove in our van to Lord’s Table with saints in Northridge and some saints from UCLA and Santa Clarita joined us for blending. It was so sweet! All the children of God singing and praising the Lord for the building up of His Church! <3 I felt so connected with all the other brothers and sisters during our worship to the Father. Thank you, Lord, for the Body!
—Grace L.
In the evening, some sisters and I enjoyed some sweet fellowship with our hospitality hosts in Northridge! Over some delicious Italian cuisine, we talked about everything from Chick-fil-A gallon jugs of lemonade to an in depth mapping-out of the game of rugby. Most memorably, we ended the night by going around to share our testimonies with one another (along with enjoying some amazing homemade thin mint ice cream :)).
I really appreciated hearing about everyone’s experiences in pursuing the Lord. Some very memorable highlights from testimonies include one sister meeting the club during tabling—being drawn by their “shining faces,” a brother being recovered through the encouragement of companions that reminded him of his consecrations, and the Lord becoming real to a sister through personal and intimate prayers. While the Lord has brought each of us through very different experiences, a commonality in what kept us all going on in our Christian walk was having patterns in other saints and also companions with whom we could run the Christian race. Although our spring break trip has just begun, I have already thoroughly enjoyed my corporate pursuit with the other students and saints through singing, praying, and getting into the Word, and can understand how our hospitality says that “we can find family wherever we go” in the saints. The church really is the corporate expression of Christ as the Body! May the Lord continue to bless this trip with more blending and encouragement to build us up together as His expression!
—Shirley B.