by Grace Wu

Editor’s Note: This week, the Youth affinity group brings us an interview with one of their members: Kristen.

1. How has youth group changed since you came in as an 8th grader and now as a senior in high school?

I officially became a part of the youth group in the summer of 2006, about to enter the 8th grade. At that time there were 3 middle school students, and 3 high school students. Now there are 5 middle school and 5 high school students. It’s still a relatively small group, but I’ve come to appreciate the intimacy that we have and how we all know each other pretty well.

I’m so thankful that throughout my years in youth group, amidst various changes, the staff have remained consistently the best staff ever! They are so patient and willing to do anything to serve us and point us to Christ. The only thing that has changed about the staff is the staff to youth ratio. There was a time when the ratio was 1:1! Even though there was a surplus of staff, the fact that they still wanted to remain in youth group and help us grow in our understanding of the Gospel spoke volumes to me. All the current youth staffers have been so encouraging and its been my joy to learn from their wisdom.

We used to have Wednesday night Bible study called WWF (not to be confused with the wresting group) which stood for Wednesday Workout Fellowship. During these times we went through the book of Proverbs, and learned about the way of the wise and the fool. Later on we switched our Bible studies to Friday night, and then began studying the book of Luke. I’m so glad that we are studying the life of Christ and seeing for ourselves who He claimed to be and how He deserves our worship.

All in all, youth group has not changed much in terms of the staff’s commitment to teach us the word of God and how our lives should change as a result of true salvation. And for that I’m thankful.

2. How have YOU changed since you came in as an 8th grader and now as a senior in high school?

When I first came to LBC I was not a Christian. That is the biggest difference between me back then and me now. Through the ministry of the youth staff as well as older Christians who showed me the love of Christ, I saw the Gospel being lived out. I had the head knowledge that I was a sinner, but I truly didn’t see my hopelessness in my depraved state until early high school. This was a miracle in itself and definitely the work of God, because I had grown up so prideful and judgmental towards others, looking down on everyone. Also during this time my dad wasn’t doing too well physically, so I was put in a position where I had the choice to give my life to Christ and depend on His strength or continue in my self-dependent ways. By the grace of God, I believed that I could only be saved through Christ’s sacrifice, and He gave me the desire to live for His glory.

Something that God has really changed in my heart is to fear Him more than I fear people. This is something that is still an on-going process, but I definitely see His work in this area. When the youth group studied the attributes of God during Sunday school, my eyes were opened to see how majestic and big God really is and that He is so much more mightier than any force or human being. I have the privilege of calling the God of the universe my Father, and I have the promise that nothing can separate me from the love of God. What am I to fear? Every week my heart is consistently saturated with the Gospel and the glory of Jesus Christ, and this fills my mind leaving very little space for my worries and anxieties to expand.

Because I have grown up going to church, many biblical ordinances were just habits to me. But now that I’m a Christian I’ve learned over the years the reasons why I should do the things that I do, like something as simple as serving at church. So to an outsider I may look the same in terms of the external lifestyle that I lived back then, but my life is completely different because now I’ve been washed by the blood of Christ and God gives me the ability to serve Him in a God-honoring way.

Also a big difference from the 2006 me and the 2010 me is that I see life with an eternal perspective. This past summer youth retreat the theme was Heaven. I was challenged to always set my mind on the things above (Col 3:23) and to look forward to the day when I will worship the Lord with no encumbrances. It is still a temptation to worry about the things of this world (such as grades and choosing a college), but ultimately I know that everything will work out for the good to those who love God.

3. What is one thing you want the people at LBC who don’t know the youth group well to know about Lumos?

The youth group desires to get to know the rest of the church body! I think it is somewhat easier for the upperclassmen of high school to converse with the older people at church, but I remember being in middle school and how intimidated I was to approach someone who was a lot older than me. The youth staff tells us to not be shy in getting to know people of other affinity groups, but I think it is still a little scary to do so, especially for the younger youth. I have been personally blessed by the kindness of older LBC members who graciously gave their time and energy to spend time with me, and I would love for the other youth members to be blessed by this as well. I’m definitely not saying that this isn’t taking place already, but I’m merely affirming your efforts in doing so. Thank you for your serving hearts and desire to pass down the greatness of God to us!

4. How are college applications coming along?

They’re going well. I’m only applying to a few colleges so its not too strenuous. The UC and CSU apps are due November 30, but my goal is to turn it in before Thanksgiving. As a Christian, the process of applying is not as stressful because I know that ultimately God is sovereign over where I get accepted or rejected. But that should not be a reason for me to be lazy in writing those essays, since God calls me to work heartily and be good stewards of the blessing of education.

5. How have you been able to shine the light at your high school?

I’ve been so humbled by how God has used me as well as the Christians at my school. For me personally, I’ve always been afraid of talking to my peers about God because I didn’t want them to dislike me. But its been so neat to see how God has been filling my heart with the fear of Him and placing various opportunities to share the Gospel with classmates. Earlier this year my English teacher gave us an assignment called a Self-Discovery project where we had to share with the class who we are (to help us brainstorm ideas of what to write in college essays). Another Christian in my class and I shared the Gospel through our testimonies. I was so nervous and fearful of how it would all turn out, but God gave me peace and the words to speak. I trusted that no matter how eloquent or inarticulate the presentation was, God was the one to change my classmates’ hearts, so all glory goes to Him. As I said before, I’m so humbled by how God would choose to save me and use me to do something that I would NEVER have done before prior to salvation.

Also LBC sponsors an on campus Bible study at Torrey Pines High School called TP Bible Study. Every Wednesday during lunch, either Cesar or Roger comes to teach us God’s word. In the past years Pastor JR has come and spoken, as well as other men from LBC. This semester Cesar is going through 1 John, which has going great! The book talks about what true salvation is and how to discern if you are truly a Believer or not. Praise God for His Gospel being preached at my high school!

6. What was your most memorable youth activity?

Hm, that’s a hard question. We’ve had so many fun and interesting activities! To name a few, we’ve had Christmas parties, a mini-golf night, a photo scavenger hunt, ping-pong & Foosball tournament, FWiiS night (which stands for Friends, Wii, and Snacks), ice skating, youth retreats, a bring-your-own-utensil dinner, movie nights, bowling outings, an attempted bowling activity that turned into a game night at the arcade (Jenna, if your reading this, you know =D ), joint college-youth and singles-youth activities, and many many more!

But my most memorable “youth activity” isn’t really an activity, but more of a memory. I will always remember when Roger proposed to Grace during the “Sunday school lesson.” None of us were expecting for that to happen, even though Josh Liu was there videotaping the “sermon” as part of an “assignment” for a class at seminary. That day is unforgettable!

7. What is your favorite subject at school? Least favorite?

My favorite subject is Math! I love how there is only one answer to a problem! My least favorite subject would have to be the class that I spend the most time in: English.