Our journey began as we met way too early in the morning, at the gravel parking lot at Bethel Church. One by one, students made their way into twenty-nine buses, preparing to embark on an eleven hour trip down to Los Angeles. I hopped on my yellow striped bus excited and expectant of what the Lord had in store for me on this trip.
I had always known that evangelism and talking to strangers has never really been something I am comfortable doing, so coming into this trip I carried a lot of nervousness and fear of what was in store for me. The Lord in his beautiful faithfulness came and met me right where I needed. He gave me the strength to overcome any nerve or fear holding me back from the miraculous encounters He had planned for me to be a part of.
As we hit the streets, my heart and mind focused on Psalm 28:7
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.”
Through His love and compassion inside of me, I saw people experience the purity and power of Gods love in extravagant ways. People who had never heard the name of Jesus invited Him into their hearts. People who carried so much pain and bitterness, from the church, completely changed in seconds due to the lavish power of God’s love. This love is the most powerful force. No one can stop the Lord almighty, and His extraordinary love for each one of us. His love never fails, it never gives up. It is relentlessly pursuing each one of our hearts in a unique way. I experienced this on Azusa now, and will forever be changed.
“I was undone not by the miracles that happened, but by the love that was exchanged between Him and His children” – Tyler Bolt, BSSM Student
“At first I was very scared but then every time I would step out, even if it was just talking to a random person, it would get easier and easier.” – Bethany Rinehart, BSSM Student
“We came together as a community of believers. What denomination we were didn’t define who we were. Our only mission was to worship our king.” – Bobby Krakowski, BSSM Student
“I learned that circumstances don’t define who God is. What I see doesn’t dictate the unseen. Though I was sick for part of the trip, I saw God still heal people while I was not feeling well. What I am experiencing cannot hold me back rom pressing into seeing Him manifest who He says He is” – Austin Johnson, BSSM Student
