“Praise God that He has given me my identity, that I know that I am His daughter. And that no matter what, I have the Lord with me.”

After growing up in a challenging family, Lavonne craved real connection and community. When she was 19, she was introduced to Mormonism, and for 20 years, she raised her family in the Mormon faith. Though she had been seeking community, she started to resent God, feeling crushed by all the rules and believing she could never earn the love she desired.

When her daughter came and told her she couldn’t be a Mormon anymore, Lavonne cried out to God and asked Him what to do. In that moment, she felt Him draw close, calling her to read His Word and listen to His voice. Together, Lavonne and her family made the decision to try their local community church—and little by little, Lavonne began to be set free. Despite the challenges, and even after losing her house in a fire, she found peace in her unchanging identity as a loved child of God.

Watch and see how Lavonne experienced real grace and love as a daughter of Christ!

“I just remember feeling hurt and confused for so long, and the answers always seemed so far out of sight. So I started to pray.”

Johnny was raised in a Christian household, but as he got older, he started putting his heart in the wrong places. Resentment, hurt, anger, and confusion pulled him away from God, and though he went through the motions each day, he felt numb inside. With nowhere left to turn, Johnny started to pray and felt Jesus pulling him back to Him. 

Shortly after, Johnny got connected with Mariners. He went through Rooted, started volunteering at services, and got baptized, growing in his understanding God’s truth. Now, when faced with stress and hurt in seasons of life, Johnny feels a deeper sense of peace rooted in his identity in Jesus. 

Watch and see how Johnny surrendered to Jesus and experienced new life in Him!

“Through us, God can have an impact. If we just put one foot in front of the other and serve without questioning, we see God show up. We see lives changed.”

Matt had been a Christian for 30 years when he got involved with the Mariners Homelessness Ministry. Before he started serving, Matt would see people on the street holding a sign or sleeping on a park bench and respond in his heart with judgment. However, when he served for the first time and prayed for people experiencing housing insecurity, his view began to change.

Matt took a step of faith and decided to start serving with the Homelessness Ministry. Through the Mariners Hosted Here program at the Illumination Foundation, he continued interacting with and praying for those he was serving, and as he served, Matt saw God transform his heart. Where he had once felt judgment, he was now filled with Christ’s love, finding fresh joy in serving His people.

Watch and see how Matt experienced life change through God’s call to serve His people!

“This very man who I grew up fearing brought me to Christ. I am now able to forgive—and it’s been beautiful.”

Nicole grew up in a household with an angry father, fearing his unpredictable moods and outbursts. Her parents ended up getting divorced due to her father’s anger, and Nicole began living with her mother. Years later, she reconnected with her father and was shocked—the angry man she once knew now had an active relationship with Jesus and was totally transformed. As she watched him live with newfound peace and love, Nicole began to pursue Jesus.

She still struggled with unprocessed hurt from her childhood, and after getting involved in an unhealthy relationship, she turned to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain. Nicole had a drug-induced heart attack and afterward decided to get involved with counseling, alongside her father. Together, they learned to communicate without anger and found freedom in Jesus from the guilt and blame they had been carrying. For the first time, Nicole was able to fully forgive.

Watch and see how Nicole surrendered her life to God and found forgiveness and healing!

“Before I met Christ, it was a business. Since then, it’s a ministry.”

Before Dr. Pete met Jesus, his career as an obstetrician gynecologist was self-focused. He took pride in guaranteeing a perfect baby and a perfect family to his patients. But when he grew to understand the incredible love Christ showed him while he was still a sinner, he received Jesus into his life and began viewing his work as a ministry, rather than a business. He started inviting people to church, asking people about their faith, and praying over his patients in the midst of crisis.

Watch and see how Dr. Pete joyfully loves God’s people through his profession!

“I did tell the Lord that I will praise Him for the rest of the days of my life. ‘With this one arm, I will lift it up and give You glory, and give You praise that only You deserve…’”

In 2003, Ron learned that he had cancer in his hand. As the cancer spread and his kidneys began to fail, his doctors recommended removing his arm. Ron struggled with the decision and told the doctors he couldn’t let them do it. Then, one day, he felt God speaking to him, asking if Ron would still love and trust Him, even if he lost his arm. Overcome by emotion, Ron said he would and decided to go through with the removal.

Miraculously, when the doctors performed the surgery, they found that other than the cancer they removed in his arm, Ron was cancer-free! The cancer which had spread to the rest of his body was completely gone. Ron praised God, trusting that even when he couldn’t see God’s plan, he could rely on Him through whatever came to pass. Now, Ron serves at Mariners Oceanside as a Shepherding Elder, praying for others to experience healing and using his gifts for God’s Kingdom.

Watch and see how Ron’s decision to trust God led to a life of joy and service!

“My career has had many highlights, but when I look back, the fulfillment was short-lived. Things you hang on the wall, they don’t live with you—whereas a life with Jesus goes on forever.”

In 1987, Joe started working for NASA on the Space Program. In his career, he worked to find ways to make the impossible happen—but through it all, he didn’t feel the fulfillment of life or a sense of his deeper purpose. After retiring from his job, Joe went through a season of turmoil and anxiety. He began taking long walks down to the pier, and on every walk, he talked to God and listened for a reply.

One day, he was approached on the pier by four children. They asked to pray with Joe, and when they finished, they asked if he would like to receive Jesus into his heart. He said yes, and cried all the way back from the pier. Joe was overcome by emotion as he realized God had spoken to him! He got more involved at Mariners and went through Rooted, where he found community with a group of men and learned to pursue Jesus more and more.

Watch and see the incredible way God led Joe to Him and gave him new joy and purpose!

“You know, my biggest hope is that they continue to lean into Jesus, that they continue to make Him a central piece of their life…it brings me a lot of joy to see the fruit that’s happening in these kids’ lives.”

Alongside our Senior Pastor, Eric Geiger, Jeramy has been serving as a co-leader of Jacob and Aidan’s Life Group since the boys’ sophomore year of high school. Throughout their time together, Jeramy has seen the boys in their Life Group grow closer to God and to one another, pursuing Jesus side by side. Watch and see how God is working in this community of young men to build deep foundations of faith in their lives!

“There’s a desire to be in the community… to not find your joy in your career or these experiences, or even your relationships, but to base yourself in Jesus and follow Him.”

For much of his life, Ryan looked to his career for meaning and purpose. By pursuing achievement and success in his career, he believed his life would feel fulfilling. When Ryan and his wife had their first child, they began to think more about how they wanted to raise a family. Their desire for community led them to Mariners Tustin, where they began attending.

At Mariners Tustin, Ryan found a church home. Though initially hesitant to go through Rooted, he decided to sign up. There, he had a life-changing experience, and he ended up getting baptized and saying, “I Believe.” Rather than pursuing his career or relationships, Ryan realized he could find true joy in helping his community and pursuing the heart of Jesus.

Watch and see how God transformed Ryan’s life and called him to chase after His purpose!

As we honor the sacrifice of those who have given their lives to serve our nation on Memorial Day, we remember Joey. Growing up, Joey heard about the good news of Jesus from his parents. He was also a member of the 3/5 Battalion adopted by Mariners at Camp Pendleton, where he was brought into the care of our church family.

The night before Joey flew out to his area of operation in Afghanistan, he sent a text to his dad telling him that he was reading his Bible every day, talking with God, and that he had a relationship with Him. 10 days later, his parents received the news that Joey had passed. Through the unimaginable pain of losing a child, Joey’s parents leaned on God, knowing that their son’s eternal life was secure with Him in Heaven.

Watch and see how God revealed Himself to Joey and drew near to his parents in a miraculous way.