“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!

“I couldn’t be the person I wanted to be without Jesus. There was something I had missed my entire life—and this was what was missing. I stood up, and I said, ‘I Believe.’”

Growing up, John didn’t ever have a relationship with Jesus. He pursued his own interests, searching for satisfaction in his career and achievements. He was used to fixing his own problems, but as his life started spiraling further and further out of control, he realized he couldn’t do it alone. Out of desperation, John attended Mariners for the first time.

There, he met Robert, who lived down the street from John, and the two began to gather together as a Life Group. Through Robert, John learned about Jesus and accepted Him into his life for the first time. John’s Life Group began to grow, and together, the group went through Rooted and started serving together at Camp Pendleton. John experienced a fresh sense of hope and purpose, feeling called to show the young Marines and Sailors the love of Jesus.

Watch and see how God used John to serve in His Kingdom and transformed His outlook forever!

“…I was getting sicker. I was asking God a lot of questions, you know. ‘Are you there? Are you able to heal me? Why are you not healing me?’” 

From the time she was a young girl, Shoshana struggled with severe migraines and joint problems. As she grew older, the migraine attacks worsened, becoming frequent and all-consuming in her college years.  Eventually, Shoshana reached a tipping point in her health where the chronic pain was so extreme that no amount of medication was enough to mask it. She asked God to heal her, but felt alone and lost. Where was God when she needed Him most? 

In that dark moment, Shoshana heard God’s assurance that His plan for her was just beginning. 

Soon after, Shoshana began leading Living Waters, the chronic pain ministry at Mariners Church. She even felt called to reach out to others living in the midst of unfathomable pain, experiencing fresh purpose in her life. 

Watch and see how God used Shoshana to reach others for His glory!

“I had to come to terms with the fact that God was going to continue to provide for me… As long as I’m still here and still breathing, God has a plan for me.”

Living paycheck to paycheck, Pam and her husband always felt drawn to the abundant lifestyles they saw around them. However, the more they set their eyes on what others had, the more their solid financial rhythm began to fail. Eventually, Pam and her husband fell into debt. As the debt grew larger and their consolidation loan was denied for the first time, the couple got down on their knees and prayed. Amidst desperation and hopelessness, they asked God to use their dark situation for good.

The next day, Pam’s husband received a call offering him a new job with a signing bonus that would cover their exact amount of debt. Praising God’s grace and goodness, Pam and her husband began to see their finances in a brand new way. With the motto of “Go bless ‘em,” the two set out to spread the gift of generosity they had received to others around them.

Watch and see how God brought financial healing to Pam and her husband!

“I didn’t realize that pouring into one person will then have that person pour into the next person… It makes me step back and realize that your small actions have a huge ripple effect.”

As a kid growing up in Santa Ana, Santiago didn’t enjoy school and often hid to avoid tutoring and at Lighthouse Community Center on Minnie Street. However, one of the volunteers, Felipe, never gave up on Santiago—every week, he would knock on Santiago’s door and invite him to youth group and church, making sure he was included. 

Little by little, Santiago began attending the youth events at Lighthouse Community Center, drawn in by Felipe’s persistence. When Santiago was in high school, he confessed faith in Jesus while at summer camp with Felipe as his counselor. He even began serving as a camp counselor, continuing the legacy of care Felipe had invested in him. Now connected in community, Santiago graduated high school with the support of other LCC tutors, eventually receiving a Pathfinder scholarship to UC Irvine. 

Watch and see how God used Felipe to impact Santiago’s life and create an incredible legacy of transformation!

“Everything I did—it had to be perfect. It made me feel like God was just so far away.”

Growing up, Leireen always struggled with the pressure of perfectionism in her spiritual life. Hoping to earn God’s approval, she tried to follow all the rules—yet the more she tried, the more lost she felt. Her struggle felt impossible to escape, and God seemed more distant than ever.

One day, Leireen attended a Mariners service and saw a story about a woman who went through Remedy, a care and recovery program at Mariners Church. Leireen realized the feelings of shame and perfectionism she had been struggling with were seriously affecting her relationship with God. She decided to sign up for Remedy, and there, she found a space where she could safely process her hurt and grow in her understanding of God’s unconditional love.

Watch and see how God freed Leireen from her shame and completely transformed her relationship with Him!