by Nancy Tsay

There is absolutely nothing I could do or say to adequately express God’s goodness and faithfulness to me throughout these past four years. Although I entered college as a new believer and was externally passionate about the things of God, I was not diligent in studying His Word or growing in my faith. As a naïve freshman, I pursued selfglorification by trying to do well academically with the mindset that I would fail if I didn’t chase after a high-powered career. But in His great sovereignty and wisdom, my college life turned out to be quite the opposite, as God took me through several trials and tests of faith throughout college.

During my sophomore year, I was rushed to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with an afflicting illness and thus began many years of extensive treatment, coupled with regular commutes back home to visit a specialist. The Lord used this physical infirmity to really humble me and taught me one of the greatest lessons I have sealed tightly to my heart—I can do nothing on my own strength, but only by His grace and mighty hand. In my foolish pride, I shamefully lacked trust in God and often doubted His goodness throughout these difficult times. With the shocking news of a friend from high school committing suicide, the death of my aunt, incessant persecution from my apartment mates, the painful ending of friendships, unsympathetic professors and academic struggles from being absent for treatment—my unbelief increased. Despite how I blatantly ignored God’s constant care for me, He graciously guided me through these hardships and even revealed how much higher His ways are than mine through each trial. Through these experiences, His sovereignty became more real to me and I realized absolutely nothing is too big for such a mighty Savior!

Although I was unfaithful to Him in so many ways and allowed my unbelief to hinder my walk with Him many times, the Lord was so compassionate, kind, and patient with me. During my junior year of college, He graciously led me to LBC, where I became a member shortly thereafter. I am so grateful for the leadership’s serious commitment to God and the accurate teaching of His Word. I am also grateful for the accountability I have found in so many sisters! Throughout college, I never saw the importance of the local church and served very actively in numerous ministries in an on-campus fellowship. I focused too much on doing things for Him, instead of with Him (I pulled a “Martha”). Again, God showed me a different plan—once again, revealing His unchanging faithfulness! I eventually stepped down from serving there, which was a very difficult, but humbling decision.

Acknowledging that I am finite and still needed to become more immersed in His Word, I began meeting regularly with my small group leader, started accountability with different sisters, and constantly sought out the wise biblical counsel of many of the older married women. What a change from the girl who once thought she could do everything on her own, who had such a prideful attitude that she thought she was above the need for accountability, and who would have never imagined herself being involved in or loving a church so much! I have been greatly encouraged and blessed by the lives of all of you at Lighthouse and praise God that I have the great privilege of being able to call you all my family. You have taught me a lot and have helped to provide me with the accountability and encouragement I needed to even serve in a ministry, disciple others, seek accountability and be consistent in many areas of my life.

In retrospect, I praise God for how He used difficulties (which were blessings, too!) to strengthen my faith and to reveal His glory. I can now confidently say that I have assurance that our precious Lord never puts our good at the expense of His glory or the other way around—they are synonymous! After all, He who promised is faithful and I hold unswervingly to the hope that I profess in knowing this great truth. As Psalm 42 says, “Hope in the Lord!” Looking back, I can’t affirm enough how much He truly loves us. I am so happy to sing praises to Him and to say that He is my sole worth, my complete joy, my great hope. To this day, I often have to pinch myself because I am so overwhelmed that the God of the universe would care for me enough to be so intimately involved in every detail of my life, closing doors appropriately and constantly opening up new ones for me. Because of Him, I have a wonderful job right out of college, where I have a great opportunity to share the Gospel and serve others in a whole new capacity! I owe all my college years to God and I pray that all glory would be rightfully given to our Savior! Shine the light y’all!

by Jennifer Lee

I came into college a brand new Christian. I had just heard the gospel, put my faith in God, and He was working in me. I also started learning some of the harder doctrines, and I thought I knew it all. Freshman year was the year of oblivion. I had no idea how stupid and prideful I reallywas. I struggled with seeing my utter depravity. But I didn’t ‘feel’ it. I knew how sinful I was, but I didn’t feel miserable over it, and I prayed that God would show me my sinfulness. He hasn’t stopped answering.

Sophomore year, He rocked me. While we were going through the Sermon on the Mount in flocks He showed me the wickedness that resides in my heart, that I was so much like the Pharisees. Junior year, He broke me. He showed me through the sins of others, and the trial that came from them, the ugliness of my sin. He comforted me in my pain and showed me that He is Abba. Senior year, He humbled me. He showed me that I truly am but a creature, knowing so little and doing even less. He showed me the foolishness of my tongue, and led me to His Word to correct me.

Through it all, I would grow desperate over my sin, but then He would remind me of His grace. Having seen the great ugliness of my sin, I grew to understand just a little better how great His love and grace really is. He helped me understand first my humble state, then showed me that in my humble state, He gets all the glory. By using one as weak as me to do things for His kingdom, He manifests His power; my prayer has been that I would decrease, and He would increase (starting from within my heart). “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” 2 Cor. 12:9 He is my strength, my guide, my Savior, my God, my Abba, and I can sing with the Psalmist, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:25-26

Favorite food: Korean.

Favorite Bible character: Hey! I’m like him… Peter. He was the apostle with the foot-shaped mouth, and I relate to him a lot, but God chose to use Him to display His glory. He showed that He could use the stupidest people to do mighty things and that gives me hope. =P

Most memorable moment: I will remember a lot of the stupid things I’ve said and done (I wish I could reduce it to a moment, but that’s impossible).

What will you miss: I will miss having a flexible schedule.

What are you looking forward to: Getting to know my family.

by Josh Smith

When I first went off to college, one of the things I was worried about was how I was going to grow spiritually. For most of high school I had been in a Bible study with my friend’s dad. He was the one who really guided me through those years and helped me grow in appreciation of Truth and how to seek for it. I was afraid that in coming down to San Diego for school I might not be able to find a similar community to be a part of. Initially, my fears weren’t unfounded. As I visited church after church in San Diego, I became disheartened in searching for a place where I could really grow in all aspects of my walk. Either the church was too geared for the “college crowd,” too big, or had teaching that wasn’t challenging enough. After a couple years, I started to get disheartened.

Around that time, Ryan McAdams told me about Lighthouse and invited me to visit. Initially, I couldn’t distinguish any big differences between Lighthouse and any other church. But after attending Sunday Service for a couple months, I started to notice that Lighthouse wasn’t like the other churches in the area. Besides being a lot smaller, I found a community with a strong appreciation for God’s Word. With this strong emphasis on truth the community also had a genuine love for others; something that almost seemed mutually exclusive in other communities.

Coupled with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Lighthouse has really helped mature me and given me strength throughout my college years. Though I became a member much later in my college career than I should have, the church has been a big part of my four years in San Diego. The attitude of what it means to live a Christian life is something that I will always carry with me. This year, I was finally able to give back some of the teaching I received by leading a Bible study in the book of Hebrews.

After college, I plan to put my English/ Management Science major to good use and work on a ranch for a few months building a greenhouse. I don’t know my specific plans after that, but more than likely I will be moving back down to San Diego.

Favorite Food: Pizza, as I am still in 6th grade.

Favorite Bible Character: Peter; not many guys have walked on water, or written a book of the Bible for that matter.

Most Memorable College Moment: Tough to say. There are a few.

Miss Most About College: Easy social life

Look Forward to in Graduate Life: Being able to sleep; no midterms.

by Susan Hong

I still remember the first time I attended LBC. It was the last church on my list of churches to visit and I was praying earnestly that this church would be the one! It had been spiritually exhausting to be churchhopping and I longed for a church that I could become firmly rooted in. God did answer my prayer and I was able to stay and grow as a member. I found myself looking forward to every message and Bible study, and even when I left for a year to study abroad in Korea, I was still thinking of LBC, how I could apply the things I learned as a children’s staff teacher in my church in Korea, to a potential position as children’s staff at LBC.

I was also able to learn much through teaching the children’s ministry from the start of this school year. I truly respected the fact that LBC’s emphasis on the truthful presentation of God’s Word did not only apply to the adults of the congregation, but extended even to the children. Indeed, the future of the church was in good hands.

In terms of my spiritual growth, it is far too much to recount all in a single paragraph, but God has revealed Himself to be tremendously real in my life as He took me through the ruthless training of building up my character in the form of humility and love. Even today, I still struggle with the ability to extend the kind of love that God exhibits towards me, but with the assurance that God is indeed doing His good work in me, I put my character, no matter how debased it might be at present, in the hands of God, who alone has the power to change me into His image.

At this point of graduation, I am nervous and troubled by the uncertainty of all that is to come, but this stage seems to be yet another point of training as God teaches me to depend wholly on Him as He leads the way. Thank you for the members and staffs and pastors of LBC who have taught me and helped me and encouraged me more than can ever be expressed in gratitude.

Favorite Food: pizza, lasagna.

Who is your favorite Bible character: King David, hands down. Because his heart was so persistently focused wholly on God.

What is your most memorable moment in college: late night Cotixan’s runs.

by Ryan Chan

I came into college excited to see change and passion realized in my Christian life. My last year of high school was very much characterized by the jaded feeling of playing church, and going through the motions. And so, I looked at college as a new opportunity and environment to grow. At that time, I don’t think I could have ever imagined the extent to which my intellect, faith, trust, and character would be challenged.

Now that I am able to look back, I can truly see how far I have come, most notably in areas of intellect and character. What? Intellect? The typical response to that might be “you fat head,” but for me, I can really see how it is that God used a selfcentered desire for knowledge to ultimately grow my understanding and reverence before Him. In high school, I was never a master of literature; finding the literary allusions, and analyzing rhetoric on my own was foreign to me. What I do remember though, is that while I was lost on my own, when the teachers would go over narratives and argumentative essays, my world would be opened up to the use of diction, connotation, and sentence structure, and how all these aspects really combine to portray the authorial intent. The beauty of the Christian realm is that with scripture, we are taught and fed on such a consistent basis and our analyzing and study does not result in a D or C grade. I love that Scripture uses grammar and our inherent understanding of literary devices to better enable us to understand the intent of God; it really leaves us awestruck to read mere words, and catch a glimpse of God’s love, grace, and promises.

Moving on to my character, my trek began as I came into college as a naïve and immature boy who thought that he had Christianity all figured out. With the luxury of deciding to attend LBC, there were amazing men, like P. John, P. Patrick, John Lim, Hansol An, and John Chung who showed me so much not only about the living out of the characteristics of godly men, but also the realities of life, and the struggles that we have to deal with both intra-personally and interpersonally. From them, I’ve learned that the Christian life is not, and will not be easy; we will face trials because we live in a fallen world. As strange as this sounds, one thing I am really grateful for, is that these men are all individuals. Each is simply not a drone or copy of some Christian-mold, but rather an individual with a unique dynamic and personality; we need to be who we are.

God is faithful with us and long-suffering towards us. How sweet is that?

Favorite Food: Pasta and cow.

Favorite Verse: Romans 5:6-8. I am always blown away and left in awe by the extent of Christ’s sacrifice. There are so few people we would be willing to lay down our lives for, yet Christ lays down His life for us, the undeserving.

Most Memorable Moment: Winning the pirate’s booty (treasure) at College Life Car Rally because we had maps.

What You’ll Miss Most: The freedom we have to study, to play, and to grow.

What You’re Looking Forward To: Growing in maturity, becoming independent, and life.

by Cindy Chu

Unlike most of my friends, I did not grow up in a Christian home. My parents were (perhaps they still are) nominally Buddhist and rigid in their traditional ways. The “Christians” I knew in high school did everything that even the worldly moral person would not do – they abused alcohol, smoked weed, used profanity, etc. They often bragged about going to church with a hangover. Their actions negated anything they said about heaven and hell. I thought, “If you think you’re going to heaven then I clearly am, too.”

It wasn’t until my freshman year in college that I was introduced to the name Jesus. I met believers who actually wanted to conform to the image of Christ. After going to AACF’s car rally and hearing countless conversations about God, Jesus, and the Christian life that’s entirely different from the ones I saw in high school, I asked my suitemate to tell me about God. In a broad nutshell, I started reading the Bible on my own, doing one-on-one Bible study with my suitemate, attending a local church and going out to more Bible studies. I tried to bury the curiosity, though, with fears of displeasing my mother. Of course, God was faithful and used my suitemate and people at the church I was attending at the time to pry at my stand-off-ishness. Eventually, verses like Romans 12:2, Revelation 3:20, and Matthew 10:37-38 rung in my head and struck a cord that made me repent.

In due course, God led me to Lighthouse. Lighthouse has challenged me to grow in my limited knowledge of God. Hearing the gospel message almost every week, getting plugged into a small group at Flocks/ FNS, and getting to know/just talking to amazing Godfearing older women such as Esther Yi and Christine Cho have been a tremendous blessing. In retrospect, God’s faithfulness was at work since the beginning of my college career.

Plans after graduation: Grad school at USD.

Favorite food: Steaks made by my daddio.

Favorite Bible character: Joseph, because he fled from temptation for the right reason, to not sin against God.

Memorable moment in college: Driving to Arizona for Sonic Burger, then finding out there’s one in Orange County.

What I’ll miss most: Limited responsibility.

What I look forward to: An excuse to sleep early without being teased, and living with Jen Shin next year.

by Simon Huang

College has been an amazing four years of my life due to God’s faithfulness to me. It was only four years ago when I was really frustrated at God. I was so upset that I had to go to a Junior College right after high school. Growing up where education almost seems more important than God, I felt as if I failed in life already. But it was during those two years at Junior College where I really understood God’s sovereignty and grace and just how consumed I was with the things of this world. James 1:2-3 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” I was very fortunate during those two years to really grow by the discipleship of my pastor, youth pastor, and deacon at my home church. Although I went to church all my life, it was then when I was really saved.

The past two years have also been amazing due to LBC. I was really confused why God really wanted me to go to UCSD rather than Davis since it was closer to home and my home church. I realized that God wanted me to go to LBC due to the great teaching and equipping of servants and leaders. Pastor John’s sermons on Romans 12:1-2 as well as the College Retreat with the theme of “No Compromise” have really challenged me in my own lifestyle and how short I fall (Romans 5:8). I have also been very fortunate to be discipled by John Yi and Dennis Su. They have really guided me in my walk and challenged me to grow despite the numerous excuses I give them. They have always given me biblical and honest advice. The one thing that still amazes me is how sacrificial they both are. Despite having families with young children and full-time jobs, they still go out of their way to meet with me. Their sacrifice has really shown me a taste of what it is to be a humble servant of God.

The future is still a big question mark to me. Although I would love to stay in San Diego, I’m just not sure. I actually finish school Fall 2007, but I’m still praying about where and if I should go on missions in the future. I’m still considering returning to South Africa for a few months. I do plan on looking for a job either here in San Diego or back at home in San Jose. But no matter where I go, I will serve God.

Favorite Food: All you can eat Korean BBQ.

Favorite Bible Character: Job, because of his incredible faith in God despite the tragic events that happened to him.

Favorite Verse: James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

Favorite Memory: There are a lot, but I’d have to say when I really committed myself to Christ my freshman year during Junior College.

What You’ll Miss the Most: Hanging out with people at random hours of the night/morning.

What You’re Looking Forward To: When I pop that special question (with the hopeful response of yes).

by Randy Tsuchiyama

College has been the ultimate testament of God’s faithfulness and sovereignty. When I got here, I wasn’t a Christian. Sure, I did a lot of “Christian” things but my heart was so selfish while doing those things. I think one aspect of my college life that this affected was where I wanted to go to church. I visited Lighthouse a couple of times my freshman year. It was unlike any church that I had previously been to. I felt pretty bad after leaving service. My understanding of what church should be was that I would feel all warm and fuzzy inside. My selfish desire to have my ears tickled made me leave Lighthouse and look for a church that would. After this, I was saved. I understood that I stood condemned before a holy God because of my sinfulness. I repented and was saved sometime during my freshman year. I am so thankful for God’s sovereign plan in saving me when He did because I would have been like the one in Matthew 7:21-23.

God’s sovereignty was shown during my sophomore year when I began to look for a new church. Throughout freshman year, I was hopping around various churches and decided to settle on one that a lot of my friends were going to. However, I had a hard time worshipping there because of some doctrinal differences. I began to look for other churches. After hearing Pastor John come and speak at CCM, I began to question why I wasn’t at Lighthouse. After much prayer and talking to the leaders at the church I was going to, I decided to go back out to Lighthouse. This is when I really feel like my growth increased tremendously. I immediately fell in love with the church. The preaching was solid, the people were welcoming, and for the first time in my life, I really wanted to go to church. I quickly became a member and Lighthouse has become family. I love the church like I love my family. Lighthouse has helped me grow in my love for the Word. The Word of God is so precious to me now and because of that, I have grown in other areas as well. One lesson in particular that Lighthouse has taught me was through the Flock (Go Alpha) Bible Study of the “Sermon on the Mount”. One thing that really struck me was how drastically we need to deal with sin. That has really allowed me to deal seriously with the sins in my life that prevent me from constantly worshipping God. I really see the difference in terms of how much I have grown in Lighthouse and am so thankful for His faithfulness and sovereignty in all of this.

Favorite Food: Ribeye Steak from Donovan’s

Favorite Bible Character: Job, because the way that he views the things of this world, things that we define as comforts, in relation to God who blesses us with all those things and has the right to take them all away.

Most memorable moment in college: Being able to lead a small group and seeing how God grew them throughout the following year.

What I will miss most about college: The ability to hang out with people at random times.

What I look forward to the most about graduate life: Continuing to grow in spiritual maturity.

by Jen Shin

Whenever I go back home, my parents always ask me when I will be heading back down to SD. I don’t know why they ask because they know I’ll answer “Saturday night or early Sunday morning,” to which they jokingly respond, “Lighthouse isn’t the only church out there.” And though I wholeheartedly agree with that (even if they’re joking), I am so thankful that God has brought me to LBC and for has grown in me a tremendous love for this body.

I’m overwhelmed with God’s grace and faithfulness in how much He has changed me over the past four years. I came in freshman year, wanting to get plugged into a good church, but didn’t immediately commit myself to it (mostly because of silly pride issues in not wanting to ask people for rides). Growing and being challenged to live a more holy and pleasing life before God wasn’t something I came in desiring or even having much of a concern for. That quickly changed as I was consistently challenged with the truth of God’s Word through Pastor John’s and Pat’s preaching and the messages I have been hearing at CCM.

I have to say that since coming to college, especially to our church, a lot of my growth has been in understanding, living, and proclaiming the gospel. Though there are many truths that can be put to practice from Scripture, I’ve realized that nothing is apart from the sweet message of Christ. It really is the one message that we can never move on from. My hero and older brother in Christ, C.J. Mahaney, writes, “If there’s anything in life that we should be passionate about, it’s the gospel. And I don’t mean passionate only about sharing it with others. I mean passionate in thinking about it, dwelling on it, rejoicing in it, allowing it to color the way we look at the world.” To love, to serve, to strive after holiness, to persevere through and endure all that is here – God makes these all possible in my own life because of what He has done. What’s even greater is that the more I understand the gospel, the more I understand the true nature of God, to which I am even more thankful to be able to call Him Abba.

It hasn’t been easy, but I’m clinging to what I know is true – God’s character and the hope I have in the gospel of Christ.

It’s funny how much my “plans” have changed. I came in as a biochemistry major pursuing medicine and now I am working toward getting teaching credentials in English and Spanish. Really, it doesn’t even matter now what I will be doing career-wise. I’m just thankful that I get to be with my church family for at least another 1-2 years. =]

Favorite Food: Korean and my momma’s cooking

What is your favorite Bible verse and why: I have two. Psalm 19:14 because this is what I meditate on to remind myself of how I should honor God, especially in my crazy hectic thought life. Philippians 1:20 because I have the same eagerness and hope as the Apostle Paul when he wrote that he wanted his life to be characterized by boldness for the gospel so that Christ would be exalted in him whether by life or by death.

What is your most memorable moment in college: Being able to witness two very special people come to know Christ and change drastically. Praise God!

What will you miss most about college: College Life and FNS.

What do you look forward to the most about graduate life: Singles ministry! Not being called a grandma for sleeping early. And my new housemates – Cindy Chu and the Yi family! =]

by Back Nguyen

Favorite Food: I love sushi, rare steak, beef ribs, pastrami burgers at Milton’s, fish sticks, corndogs, kalbi, soondooboo, dducbookee, sandwiches at The Cheese Shop, deep dish pizza, Vietnamese sandwiches, pho, har gow and shiu mai, tacos in Mexico, Costco free samples, hot wings, fried chicken, persimmons, almonds, apple juice, blue cheese, gummy bears, Cinnabon, French crepes, hashbrowns, eggs, peaches, crab legs, lobster, fried roc cod with sweet corn sauce, Sam Woo’s, and protein shakes.

Favorite Bible Character: My favorite bible character is Habakkuk. This short minor prophet book of three chapters describes the life of the prophet Habakkuk. The first chapter describes Habakkuk complaining to God as he questions God’s authority and sovereignty. He doubts the power of God as events surrounding his life seem to be unexplainable. This chapter continually reminds me of my life before surrendering to Christ and the first years of my immature Christian life. Much like Habakkuk, I found myself persistently complaining about various hardships and adversities in my life. I would doubt God’s sovereignty. I placed blame on God for the things that didn’t make sense to me, not believing or trusting in the plan that He would form in my life. Chapter Two describes God’s answer to Habakkuk. God presents His absolute sovereignty and brings the prophet into a humble submission to his god. Chapter Three is Habakkuk’s prayer to God. He confesses his weakness and his dependence on the Lord. He commits his life unto God regardless of any circumstance or scenario that might present itself troublesome. Despite times of trials and sufferings Habakkuk comes to the realization that all is nothingness when compared to the overwhelming faithfulness and sovereignty of God. Favorite verse: Habakkuk 3:17-19. It continually reminds me to place my hope in the faithfulness of God and take faith in His plan, His timing, and His design. He has planned my life before the foundations of the world so who am I to complain or protest when God has full sovereignty over my life.

Most Memorable Moment: My most memorable moment about college life has been the times with my class. I love the uniqueness of each person in my class that I have gotten the privilege to befriend. Such individuals include Randy’s infectious laughter, Jenn Lee’s continual vocalization, Ed Yip’s (and I use this term very loosely) humor, Ryan Chan’s faithfulness, Jen Shin’s unspoken service, and Mike Chung’s curly hair. We all met freshmen year in CCM and at Lighthouse and, over the course of the past four years, I can honestly say that I have grown a special bond with each one of these people. I have completely enjoyed all the times we’ve shared, even though the majority of those times seemed to be us arguing and fighting. Thanks for putting up with me. Keep loving me; I know it’s hard.

What Will You Miss Most: I will miss all the childish acts and immaturities that I got away with during my college years. I know it might surprise all of you but I did countless juvenile things over the course of my college life. From tearing off my shirt and sporting a Mexican wrestling match and running down the theatre halls during a showing of “Nacho Libre”, to eating a 17×17 burger at In’N’Out, I have enjoyed the various moments of craziness that college had to offer. However, it is time for me to grow up. It’s time to be a man.

What Are You Looking Forward To: I look forward to dominating singles group. Prepare yourselves for the chaos and commotion that will ensue the moment I enter into single life. I’m coming for you, Pastor John, and you can’t stop me.