A Testimony to God's Faithfulness

No Matter Our Situation in Life, We Can Trust the Lord

Last Sunday, we celebrated our 2022 graduates. One of the graduates, Natalie, shared with us how the Lord has worked in her life to teach her to trust in him. She helps remind us how the Lord uses our circumstances, other people, and the church to grow our faith. Even when situations change or aren’t what we expect, the Lord is faithful. And in his providence, he gives us the church—a community of believers committed to one another every step of the way. You can read Natalie’s testimony below.

Hi everyone! I’m Natalie. I graduated last week from Orange Lutheran highschool. I have been so blessed to be able to go to OLu, and during these past 4 years I have grown in many ways.

My highschool experience was pretty unique in that we were required to take theology classes and attend chapels. While it was cool that my faith was mixed with my academics, it was also difficult to find true Christians at my school. It was hard to tell which students loved the Lord and which ones only dealt with it because of the school. This conflict actually led me closer to the Lord and the Church. I have grown in my faith as I search for Christian friends who I can enjoy and relate with.

Highschool of course has been full of ups and downs that have tested my faith. COVID has taken up the majority of my highschool experience and has changed it dramatically from what others have experienced. Sometimes I am tempted to feel cheated out of my experience or even be frightened that I still feel like a freshman. But even through doing online school and classes with masks, I feel like the Lord used this experience to strengthen my faith. I have grown to rely on the Lord and to trust in him way more than ever before.

Now I’m also thankful for this church although to be clear this wasn’t the church I was looking for. I wasn’t even looking for a church; I was only 4 and my parents made me come.

But I’m so glad this is my church and I grew up here. If you can imagine Dylan and Christy were my babysitter. So was Deacon Dave. Some of my first memories are having pizza parties in children's ministry with Mrs. Davis. I have been personally impacted by so many people at this church whether it was Anna Christensens encouraging me in the lord, Lauren Maples helping me through spiritual and personal problems, or Melissa Goins listening to me ramble. My faith is encouraged daily by everyone and I would not be who I am today without this church.

Next year I will be attending Azusa Pacific University and will be studying to become a nurse. My love of science and love of helping others has drawn me to this major so I am very excited to see what my future will hold. While moving away is a new and scary experience, I am sure the Lord will go with me and is already there.

Something that everyone tells me is that the Lord has a plan and to trust in him for my future. And while I still struggle with anxiety, I am so thankful I have a lord who knows what is coming and will always be there for me. Thank you for preparing me for this new season of my life. Thank you for loving me because you love Jesus.