Life in the West Campus Ministry.
My Mission Matthew 28:18-20 "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'"
After studying the Bible for a few months, going through the "first principles" studies, I decided to become a disciple of Jesus and was baptized on May 27th 2000. I was only 14 at the time and in 8th grade and while I wouldn't encourage everyone to become a disciple at such a young, I certainly don't have any regrets.
I was a kingdom kid growing up (yup back in the day, Ask Natasha Montoya and Mario Fowler about those days), knowing all the songs and all the people at church. I really thought that I was alright when I was growing up, even though I was in all kinds of sin. My parents both left the church when I was about 10 or so and they were divorced shortly after. The divorce had a traumatic effect on me. I was very emotional at the time, easily cried, easily angered, easily depressed, etc. I got into several fights and was suspended from school I think about three times while in the 6th grade. It felt like I was in the principles office all the time and I hated it. Profanity was a part of every sentence that came from my mouth. Middle School is filled with bullies and punks, many of whom messed with me. I was so prideful I would fight anyone who threatened me, even this one tough girl. I was just as guilty as any of those bullies and I was so mean to some people. I remember two people in particular that I used to pick on. Sometimes, I wish I could find them and apologize.
Even though I was this crazy wild kid, I honestly thought I was ok. If people asked me whether I was a Christian, I would tell them that I was. And this exact situation just happened to occur in 7th grade. I remeber I tried making friends with this boy in my class (since I was pretty much a loner) and he was totally cool. He ended up being a Jehovah's Witness member and one day I just let out a mess of profanity in front of him and he asked me something that totally cut me, "You call yourself a Christian?" That really left an impact on me. My dad was coming to church at the time in the Riverside Singles and it definitely helped that I was around disciples so much. I began to really ask alot of questions about christianity and becoming a disciple.
Many things changed in my life and cut out the profanity. While I was still very prideful and getting into fights (I think I was suspended once in 7th grade as well. And not only that, but I mouthed off to the bus driver so much that I was kicked off the bus and had to walk home the whole last week of school. It makes me sad actually, looking back, I cant even remember how many times I would have to call my mom from school to tell her the newest bad thing I did.), I was starting to come around. One goal I set out for myself was to read the whole Bible in a year, and while I failed in the end, I kept up with it until August, reading most of the Old Testament. Eventually I joined the Riverside Teen Ministry when I was 13. I even made it out to The Matrix Teen Youth Rally (in Santa Monica ironically, I had no idea I would end up by there later in life).
Over the summer of 1999, my dad made a decision to move to Temecula where his new girlfriend Liz Robertson lived. The Temecula Teen Ministry was actually relatively developed. I believe they had like 12 members or so. I was just 13 at the time. It was kinda hard adjusting to the ministry because all the other teens were so much older and in many ways I really didn't feel welcomed. Over that fall, I was still very eager to study the Bible and the main thing preventing me was age. But I did a few character studies (I believe it was three) with Andrew Hallworth and Eddie Lye who were helping out with the teens in Temecula at the time.
At the turn of the year things had already gotten real serious between my dad and Liz and they were going to get married January 22th 2000. And amen, that was one of the most memorable moments of my life to be a part of that. I remember I did my first "first principle" study (Discipleship) with Nick Anderson at a Teen-Campus event on January 14th. I was very surprised to see that I really wasn't a christian and I was very excited and eager about becoming one. I dont think I did my next study until around March or so. The main holdup was that my parents decided that they wanted me to study with someone who was a friend of the family. So I would later study with Tim Montoya and Matt Rose. I remember the Light and Darkness Study being the most challenging for me, getting open about all my sin with my dad and my step-brother Wes right there in the study. After doing a few more studies, I would be baptized on May 27th 2000 at Phil and Sandy Bailey's House in Moreno Valley. I remember the sharing in their living room and all my family being there and so many disciples. My mom was even there and spoke about being happy to see me come through the studies and decide to become a disicple, which is just one of those things I will never forget. My dad was the one who baptized me. I remember being under water and coming out and then hugging my dad so tightly knowing that I was saved and had made it. Ill never forget that feeling I had.
I remember the Mission Impossible Youth Rally was the day after and I brought a friend of mine with me. To my surprise, being a disciple and living the life of a disciple did not get easier after baptism. I was in the Riverside Teens for the first year of my spiritual life. I remember when I was baptized I was just about to graduate 8th grade and I was so excited because I was going to be going to a high school where two other disciples would be. One of them was becoming a close friend and we would be hanging out so much and stuff at church. By the time my freshman year started we were hanging out alot but the two other brothers there at Valley View were just not doing too well. The one that was close to me, just up and left and the other moved to Las Vegas, leaving me at the end of my freshman year, all by myself.
I can't remember too much about how I was feeling at the time but I was insecure about the way things were. I was making more friends in Temecula by this time, since I was going down to their services almost every Sunday and I joined their ministry sometime around then, thinking somehow that would help me spiritually. My parents Dave and Liz were leading the Temecula Teen Ministry and the ministry was growing rapidly. I believe the ministry had around 16 disciples or so at one point. After some graduated, I really only had one friend left in the teens, Josh Jacobs. But after joining the Temecula Ministry, I really didn't have any accountability in my life so I would be just sitting in all this sin. The ministry out in Temecula really suffered to the point where eventually the teen ministry was just me and Josh Jacobs during my sophomore year of high school. This was totally my worst year as a disciple. Academically I was taking an AP class and two honors classes and so I would be forced to study all the time after church and during the week. That was when I basically did nothing but study. Any without getting open with my sin, my spiritual life really suffered. I really dont think I even prayed or had a quiet time hardly ever over that time.
This was also the time that I got into some of my worst fights with my mom. I remember just saying some mean things and getting into arguments with her so easily. I very seriously considered moving to Temecula (Thank God I didn't), I was just had so many problems at home and at Valley View that I really didnt want to be there. In hindsight, I made a great decision to stay at Valley View High School and with my mom. My grades and problems at home turned around.
[A little side note: In winter of 2002 around this time, I made a field trip to UCLA and went on the campus tour. I fell in love with the school and it was totally my dream school from then on. My academic mission was to do whatever it takes from then on so I could get in to UCLA. And there is no exageration to how much I desired and worked to go to UCLA. There were many challenges along the way and I had many doubts, but God would always have my back.]
Then in fall of 2002, my Dad and Step-Mom decided to move back to Moreno Valley so they could be closer to me and my brother's high school and so that I would be able to join the Riverside Teens again, which really was my home ministry. It was like the best thing for me to come back to Riverside. Rigo Macias was now leading the Riverside Teens and he would be my discipler. Rigo and I seemed to totally click right away and we built a good friendship. My junior year was by far my best year in high school. I was reading my Bible almost every day and praying. I also had two friends study the Bible. While neither became a disciple, it marked the first time in my life that I was really able to be evangelistic and reach out to friends. I was still very timid and shy at the time but I gradually began to mature and grow out of that. I remember being asked on my first date by Kelli Mines from San Bernardino, which was totally cool. Going to dates in the kingdom is so awesome; building each other up and encouraging one another. I also went on my first teen prom (I followed up by asking Kelli to go with me) to the Queen Mary, which was a blast.
By the time summer 2003 came, I was going on a HOPE Youth Corps trip to Washington D.C. Another very memorable event in my life, going to the inner-city and helping on some community service projects, building great friendships with disciples from all over the world and getting spiritually fed.
My senior year of high school was not as great spiritually. Rigo Macias had to step down from the teens and I was basically without a true discipler for the rest of the year (and the church was starting to de-emphasize discipling relationships). But we had some great hearted disciples come in after, including Kiel Strathman, Cliff Law and Alberto Alva. Looking back, it seemed like such a stressful year. I seemingly had so much to work on from senior projects, to college applications, to scholarship searches, to job searches, etc. God took a back seat in my life but AMEN God was there with me through the end. Later I would be accepted at UCLA (and every other school I applied to). I waited about 6 weeks before I send in my Statement of Intent to Register; with all the advice I was getting, I definitely wanted to make sure it was the right choice. My dad got in contact with Jonathan Perkins (JP) the campus minister of the West Region in Los Angeles and I made a trip out to visit the ministry and was completely settled on coming out to Westwood after that.
After what seemed like a long struggle over the last few months, I walked across the platform at Valley View High School and left with my diploma. I had this awesome graduation party at Mike and Jody May's house. Meanwhile in the summer months of 2004 I was over in Colorado but came back a few times to try to build some ties to the West Region. Moving in September to the dorms at UCLA I was now a part of the West Region where I things have been going awesome (maybe even the best times of my short life so far). I never really had a best friend in my whole life, but me and Tae Kim clicked from the retreat in August at Lake Nacimiento. We decided to be best friends and have been just trying to build up our friendship ever since. You know, its amzing how God seems to have plans for us all, well I definitely think God had a plan for me in this ministry. I mean things just clicked, I fit right into the campus ministry in the West Region and have built some of my best friendships here. Alot of disciples will tell you about how they struggled when transfering to another ministry, well this totally wasn't the case with me. I really believe its because Tae and Chris Vallejos took me in as a friend, as well as the many close sister friendships that I have in Monica Aguilar, Kristin Gergis and Caroline Diaz.
Optimism for 2005: Now sitting here in 2005, just having finished one quarter at UCLA, I feel like I know what I can accomplish and what is going to happen. I'm optimistic about where our campus ministry is going with a few people studying who are very close to baptism and I feel like alot of great things are going to happen at the dorms as me, Monica and Tae continue to build friendships and invite people out to church. We've been having Bible Talk every week at Tae's dorm, but that place is just too small as we are going to be having more and more visitors in the future. I'm trying to look into having Bible talks every week in the Hedrick 5 South Lounge. We'll im excited to see what God has planned for the ministry. Please pray for those studying and for the ministry to be unified as we head into this year. I want us to get that zeal for evangelism back, so we can turn our campuses upside-down!
Thanks for taking the time to read this story. I have no idea what prompted me to write this, but it feels so good to look back and reflect on things. I've now been a disciple for nearly 5 years this May and while in seems ways it seems like a long time ago, in other ways it doesn't. For those of you who aren't disciples, I would encourage you to study out the Bible to see what it means to be a disciple. Call me up, I would be more than happy to study the Bible out with you.
Fill free to email me at [email protected] for questions, comments, suggestions or whatever else you can think of.
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