by Sarah Hu

“Sarah, remember that God did not give you a spirit of timidity but of power, love and discipline.” That was the last thing my youth pastor told me the summer before I headed off to begin my freshmen year at UCSD. This reference to 2 Timothy 1:7 really struck a chord because I had always been categorized as “the shy one” or “the quiet one.” I was timid with my words and my actions, always being very cautious never to offend anyone or seem ignorant.

Freshman year started on the ultimate low. I lived off campus with two girls much older than I was. I rarely came into contact with freshmen outside of my classes, so I was left to check out churches and fellowships on my own. The first fellowship I checked out was AACF. I chose to stay there since checking out fellowships was too socially draining. The first quarter was extremely difficult. For days I would often go to class andcome back having not talked to anyone the entire time. Within AACF, I still had not found fellowship within the body, and because I did not know many people, I became inconsistent with church attendance. I was extremely frustrated. I couldn’t understand why God had called me to be at UCSD only to end up so miserable. By the end of fall quarter I had given up hope, becoming very introverted, hardly ever gaining the courage to go out to AACF or call for a ride to church. Very much in human form, realizing that I had nothing to hold on to or depend on, I turned to God. Even though my heart and my intentions for turning to Him were in desparation, God was ever so strong and gracious. The rest of the school year gradually got better. I was granted on campus housing for the quarter and pretty much began the entire college experience from that point. I admit that although I was getting more involved within AACF I was still struggling in finding a solid church where I could gain knowledge and cultivate my walk.

Near the end of my sophomore year my Bible study leader, Mel Cheng, invited me to check out Lighthouse Bible Church with her that Sunday. My first few months of coming out to Lighthouse that summer were pretty much cut and run. I timed it so I was just late enough to miss the awkward greeting times and run out as fast as I could after service. My introvertedness continued to hinder me from applying what I was being taught each Sunday. Once again God was gracious and continued to introduce loving people at Lighthouse into my life. So much so, that even during the very short times that I was there, I still felt the kindness and friendliness of church members. As time passed God began challenging me by reminding me of what my youth pastor had told me two years before. As I was growing in knowledge I could not hide behind my shell and still proclaim the Gospel to others. I realized that I could not sit back and always expect people to approach me all the time. God had given me His strength and His love so that I may use my time as a collegian to grow in Him, love others and prepare for a future that honors Him.

So many aspects of Lighthouse – the teaching, the people and the resulting actions of living Christcentered lives – have challenged me so much in the past two years. Being timid as a believer in Christ is NOT a quality that will bring much glory to God, encourage other members of the body or help me mature in the faith. Looking back at where I was, I’m so appreciative of the family that Lighthouse has provided through Flocks, small groups and now college life (thanks Peter and Jinny Lil, Eileen and Bev!!) and I am truly able to see the sovereignty of God in the past four years.

Favorite Food: Chipotle steak burrito bol with extra rice. Spicy too. Yum…

Favorite Verse: Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Christ is faithful to His divine character and will never stop being Lord and Savior to those who love him.

What is your most memorable moment in college: There have been lots of good moments – it’s too hard to choose. Sorry that’s not a juicy answer.

What will you miss most about college: Free time at random hours of the day

What do you look forward to the most about graduate life: Maybe joining the singles ministry.

by Becky Areekul

If I had to give a testimony of God’s faithfulness to me during my college years, it would definitely be Lighthouse Bible Church. For me to proceed any further I believe it would be best if I explain a little about my background. I come from a non-Christian family. Not only were they unbelievers, but they were Buddhists worshipping spirits and inanimate objects. So I was raised with familiarity to these things. But if this was the extent of what I was exposed to, I think that I would not have experience God’s faithfulness through Lighthouse in the ways that I did. Because I come from an unregenerate family and a futile religion, I grew up witnessing infidelity, vengeance, wrath, and debauchery of all kinds. There was nothing conventional about my family circumstances. In order for any person to emerge from these circumstances and still be functional, one would need to be either calloused or hopeless. I became both. In His great mercy, the Lord saved me during my freshman year of high school. After I came to know God, it felt as if I was emancipated from that darkened lifestyle. Emancipated, but yet marred, I was still hopeless, not in God but in man and myself. To me there was no such thing as a faithful family, no such thing as a faithful husband, faithful wife, faithful friend, or a faithful pastor. Why? Because my past experiences still told me that no person, including myself, can be faithful to anything or anyone.

But upon coming to Lighthouse and having the privilege to be part of the family, I witnessed faithfulness for the first time in my life. And that faithfulness was first, and foremost, to God. I witnessed a people running hard, laboring to the point of exhaustion for God and His people. I witnessed a people rightfully serving a King whom they professed to be worthy—the Lord of Lords. I witnessed faithful families and faithful people; not because they were perfect, but because they yearn and strive to live for the God that has saved them from condemnation and adopted them to be His children. This chipped away the callouses surrounding my heart and instilled new hope in me. Now I see more clearly and understand that it is absolutely possible to live according to His righteousness and to be a faithful person through Christ who strengthens us.

Thank you pastors, elders and the faithful women of this church. You all have been God’s instruments and part of His faithfulness to me through my time in college. God used all of you to show a broken, marred, and hopeless girl what it is to be a child of God, to have hope again in God and in each other— both now and in the life to come. I am beginning to understand why God places so much emphasis on the nuclear family. I’ve always heard that a family faithful to God and His design is one of the greatest testimonies we can have for His Kingdom, but never understood why until now. These testimonies that I’ve witnessed in our church have given me hope, strength and peace. Thank you, Pastor John, for laboring so hard as our shepherd. Out of all the people I read and hear (Macarthur, Spurgeon, Lloyd-Jones, etc.) I’m most excited to hear from you every Sunday. Thank you, Angela, for personally showing me the significance of faithfully executing the role of a wife and mother and how that makes a direct impact on the Kingdom of God. And thank you, Lighthouse family, for spurring me on to laboring to the point of exhaustion for our great King for He is worthy.

Favorite Food: Korean, Japanese, Thai

What is your favorite Bible verse, and why: Psalm 16:5. It reminds me that ALL I have, whether circumstances or materials things, are all from the Lord.

What is your most memorable moment in college: When I reconciled with Jenn Lee, late night studying Mammalian Physiology with Anna Jung Kim.

What will you miss most about college: Flexibility with time.

What do you look forward to the most about graduate life: Moving on to the next stage of life and enjoying Gods will in that season.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Honestly, it is with mixed feelings that the college ministry celebrates another graduating class. Of course we are proud of the students who have worked hard for the past four years to come to this crowning moment of their education. We are happy for the families that get to see their sons and daughters walk across the university stage to receive their wellearned diplomas. But it is bittersweet to have this group of graduates move out of College Life and into the singles ministry. Of course, one of the great joys of being part of a church family is that they are not all necessarily gone — it just means they will be meeting at a different location on Friday nights. But with the memories that we have been able to share through their college careers, it will be sad to see them move on. No one will forget the time Bach Nguyen brought a live crab to our college Christmas gift exchange because the theme was to bring something edible. Or who could forget Jennifer Lee’s, “many yackle” pronunciation of “maniacal”? These memories and many more will live on through the years in College Life.

A few weeks ago, we had the collegians over at Jin and Grace Lee’s house for our annual senior breakfast. It was a sweet time of fellowship as the staff prepared a delicious meal. Seeing as this was probably going to be my last opportunity to address the seniors as a group before they graduated, I thought about what I wanted to encourage them with in order to prepare them best spiritually for life after college. The theme for the year at LBC being “Building the Body,” I turned to Ephesians 4. There Paul speaks about how the body would be built up as pastors and teachers equip the saints for the work of ministry, and that the end result would be that the body would grow into the fullness of Christ (vs. 11-13). But I directed their attention to the following context where Paul instructs the church as to how this building up would be accomplished. Instead of being tossed here and there by waves and every wind of doctrine, the growth in Christ was to be accomplished by speaking the truth in love. What better word could I give the seniors to prepare them for graduation besides this?

I encouraged the graduates to maintain a high, uncompromising commitment to the truth of God’s Word. This is vital in the “real world” because there are so many external forces (many that are more intense than those in college) that tempt us to compromise. Some of these forces are blatant, while others are much more subtle. In the work environment, there are new sorts of tests that come into a person’s life. Most, if not all, of the seniors have never had a full-time salary, and as single adults, a great test will come with how they choose to use what God has entrusted to them. For others, there will be the arduous task of job hunting where they will be told to embellish their resumes and lie in their interviews. These individuals will soon be making life-affecting choices such as where they will settle down and whom they will marry. These significant decisions, if not governed by the clear principles in God’s Word, can be made, even subtly, by selfish ambition and sinful motives. It is imperative that as gra uates, they adhere to an uncompromising commitment to God’s truth and seek to grow in respect to that as they practically live out its principles.

I would encourage the church to get to know these graduates. They are a remarkable group, and the amount they have grown these past four years has been tremendous. I count it an extreme privilege and blessing to have shepherded these individuals and watched them progress in faith. Many of them have endured some already trying times, and I am sure they will face many more equally difficult trials. They will need our support and prayers through this significant time of transition. Praise God for the love and support of the church family here at Lighthouse where college group is not an isolated bubble! It is exciting to think these seniors will be joining Single Life and will be sitting under the tutelage of that amazing staff. Even as a few of these collegians move away after graduation, it is comforting to know from the pattern of their lives that they will eventually settle in churches where they can grow, serve, and continue to show their devotion to the truth of God’s Word.

To the graduates: the college staff loves you and is sad to see you leave College Life, but we are encouraged because you have shown a strong desire for God’s Word and have demonstrated from your lives constant growth. May the Lord cause you to walk together in faith so that you mature as individuals even more into the fullness of Christ our head.