“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.

“To Him we give all the glory. It’s nothing that we did. There’s nothing in the oil, it’s not magic—it’s the power of the blood of Jesus.”

When Terri learned she would need to undergo thyroid surgery, all she could do was pray. Her husband, Mark, had already been diagnosed with cancer, and it was a battle they were still fighting. With their faith in God, Terri and Mark went to the Elder Prayer Room at Mariners to receive prayer from the Shepherding Elders. There, they met Bill and his wife, who listened together to Terri and Mark’s stories and prayed over both of them, asking God for His healing. 

The day of the surgery, Terri offered a prayer of surrender as she was being wheeled into the room, and she heard Jesus telling her that He would heal her. After she left the surgery, the doctors told her that she didn’t need any more treatments—she was cancer free! Terri celebrated the miraculous healing with Mark, experiencing both the joy of her miracle and the sorrow of her husband’s continued battle with cancer. Even though Mark’s healing wasn’t immediate, Terri continues to have faith in God as the Mighty Healer—whether He brings restoration in this life or in Heaven with Him.

Watch and see how God displayed His miraculous, healing power in Terri’s life through the power of prayer!

“I remember I had a huge hole inside me. I was asking God for the things that I wanted, and I was not including God in my plans.”

Growing up in Juárez, Mexico, Jose had a distant relationship with God. Though he attended church each Sunday, from Monday through Friday he would live for himself, without thinking about God. When Jose moved to Arizona for graduate school, he struggled with the shock of being in a new country. Even after finding a career in California, he continued to face feelings of loneliness and longed for deeper fulfillment. 

Jose searched for churches near him and attended a service at Mariners Church. In the parking lot one weekend, he ran into Pastor Eric, who invited him to join the upcoming session of Rooted. Jose agreed, and through the 10-week, small group experience, he said “I Believe.” He saw how being in community with the men in his Rooted group not only gave him a sense of belonging, but helped him draw closer to Jesus.

Watch and see how God used Rooted to connect Jose in community and transform the way he lived!

“To go from where I was at to where I am now—I did get rescued. I’m free!”

Lilian had always loved music. Growing up in Spain, she had a close relationship with Jesus, attending church and singing in her church choir. When she moved to America, however, everything changed: Lilian faced bullying at school and family issues at home, causing her to feel alone. She drifted away from God and began pursuing her career and love of music above all else. Although she found great success, Lilian felt empty and unfulfilled.

Then, in 2021, Lilian lost both her parents and her marriage. In the wake of these losses, Lilian’s friend invited her to attend Mariners, where she experienced a total renewal of her relationship with Jesus and surrendered fully to Him. She even began serving on the Mariners Worship Team, joyfully using her gift of music for His glory. Lilian saw that Jesus had never left her side for a moment, even when she had walked away.

Watch and see how God drew Lilian back to Him and transformed her life forever!

“Out of that trauma came a voice louder than I’ve ever heard: ‘I’m with you. I will never forsake you.”’ 

In early 2020, Steven lost his only son to a heroin overdose. The pain from his son’s passing was immense, but amid the grief, he felt God drawing closer to him than ever,  providing comfort and healing. 

Steven trusted that God’s work was not done in his life, even as he relied on Him for day-to-day strength. Sure enough, God began calling him to speak into the lives of others who had lost children, serving and comforting them. Steven saw how God wanted to work through him to reach and minister to God’s brokenhearted in a transformative, powerful way.

Watch and see how God comforted Steven in a time of grief and gave him fresh hope and purpose in His Kingdom!

“I knew how God wanted me to live, I knew the standards that God had for us, but I wasn’t living that in my secret double-life.”

After being exposed to pornography at a young age, Jes began seeking it out and eventually developed an addiction. Though she attended church and knew that God had a different plan for her life, the instant gratification of pornography seemed impossible to escape. It was harming her relationship with her husband and keeping her trapped in a cycle of guilt, anxiety, and depression.

When Jes began growing in understanding about Jesus’ deep love for her, the peace that she had been desperately seeking began to fill her life. She got involved with Remedy, a Care and Recovery program at Mariners Church, and found a community of women where she could be open about her struggles. She saw how God had never rejected or abandoned her, and that He wanted her to experience the gift of sex in the beautiful context He had designed.

Watch and see how Jes learned to find peace in God and started her journey of embracing freedom in Jesus!

“Somebody said a long time ago that there are no atheists in war—and I see this more and more in how my people are responding to the gospel and to truth.”

Viktoria was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and moved to Los Angeles in 2000. There, she met a Ukrainian couple who shared the gospel with her and led led her to Jesus. Years later, a friend connected her with Mariners Church and the partnership Mariners Outreach had with Ukrainian churches and organizations.

When the war in Ukraine began in February of 2022, Viktoria was heartbroken at the news, but she held on tightly to God. Even though she feared for her home country, she trusted that He would provide through the pain and hardship. Viktoria began working alongside Mariners to supply clothes and food to Ukrainian refugees arriving in southern California, and she prayed continually for protection over the soldiers on the frontlines. 

As the war continued, Viktoria began to hear stories from their church partners in Ukraine—stories about soldiers who miraculously survived in life-threatening situations, and about Scripture being posted publicly on billboards in Ukrainian cities. Even in the middle of a war, Viktoria saw her country experiencing God afresh and drawing closer to Him.

Watch and see how God used Viktoria for good and brought hope and transformation amidst dark circumstances!

“One morning I was reading the Bible and the Holy Spirit really convicted my heart, ‘You don’t believe this.’ And I just stopped and said, ‘You’re right God—I don’t.’”

After accepting Jesus in her senior year of high school, Susan struggled to connect her new faith to Scripture. She questioned whether the whole Bible was truly God-breathed and wondered if some passages got in by mistake. While a few verses were important to her, other passages she chose to ignore. The questions that Susan had felt wrong to ask others, or even to ask God. If she questioned the Bible, did it mean she was questioning her faith?

One day when Susan was reading Scripture, she felt the Holy Spirit inviting her to be honest with her doubts. For the first time, Susan talked openly with God about her questions, and she prayed that He would confirm the truth of His Word. The Holy Spirit spoke into her heart. She began a journey of studying the reliability of Scripture, the historical evidence behind it, and how God divinely inspired it, leading her to the conviction that the Bible was truly God’s Word and that God’s story was her ultimate authority.

Watch and see how God invited Susan to bring her questions to Him and transformed her vision of His incredible Word!