Testimony of the Week: Patrick Gonzalvo

Patrick is a second year political science and economics major aspiring to be a lawyer. He enjoys movies (maybe minor), music, reading, and Arsenal Football Club.

I was raised in a Catholic household in the small island of Guam which is located in the Pacific Ocean. My parents and their parents have all been part of the Catholic Church for generations. Growing up they would bring my brother, sister, and I to the Catholic Church. The church focused on the idea that if you do good works you could go to heaven and that you can be absolved from your sins if you confess them to the priest. The only thing the priest would tell you to do was to recite a prayer a couple of times and you would be “forgiven” for the sins you committed.

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Testimony of the Week: Sherry Ho

After Sherry graduated UCLA in 2014, God sent her back home to the Bay and she is currently a member at Pillar Baptist Church. While the game plan is to start nursing school at Duke University next week, her heart hopes to be a stay-at-home wife and mom one day! She loves people (sometimes), whales, and sass. GO BRUINS!

“I have a great need for Christ, and I have a great Christ for my need.” C.H. Spurgeon

In my non-Christian home, I didn’t grow up hearing the gospel, memorizing verses, singing praise songs to Jesus. God was nowhere on my radar. Instead I learned that I could earn what I wanted and therefore I bought into the lie that if I was a relatively “good kid”, obedient, studious, and talented, I could get what I craved the most: man’s approval.

Testimony of the Week: Andrea Medrano

My name is Andrea (ahn-drrrre-ah), but you can call me Andrea (aun-dre-uh). I am a fourth year Psychology major hoping to pursue Dentistry. I love burritos, TYPING IN CAPS, and moderate exercise (to make up for the lack of vegetables in my diet). But above all, I love God.

My parent’s immigrated to the United States in 1979. By God’s grace, they were granted amnesty and obtained their citizenship through Ronald Reagan’s Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. And as such, they were given the opportunity to establish a permanent life for themselves and my siblings in the United States. I am so thankful for the many blessings that have followed since. In particular, I am thankful because it wasn’t until my parents immigrated to the United States that they first heard the Christian gospel.

Testimony of the Week: Jessica Lin

Jessica is a 3rd year Psychobiology major aspiring to be a science teacher. She enjoys waking up early in the morning, physical activity that doesn’t require hand-eye coordination, and peanut butter.

If you had the power to create the “perfect environment” to raise the “perfect Christian”- that would be my home. I was raised by loving parents who loved God, a part of a close-knit church with a plethora of community, with a sprinkle of Christian music wherever I went. And if you knew me growing up, I exuded happiness and contentment- I mean, I had no reason not to- family, friends, good grades, health- I had it all.

Testimony of the Week: Michael Chan

Michael Chan graduated from UCLA in 2014 and attended Grace On Campus for all 4 years of his undergraduate studies. He currently works as an engineer in the Bay Area and goes to church at Redeemer Bible Fellowship in Mountain View. In his free time he enjoys driving fast cars, cheering on Bay Area sports teams, and drinking a nice cup of coffee.

By God’s grace I was born into a Christian household with parents that took me to church every Sunday as a child. At an early age, I remember my Sunday School Teacher telling me that if I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior I would gain eternal life. Enamored with the idea of being able to live forever I ignorantly accepted. However, like any child I quickly forgot what I had just done and its impact. Throughout the rest of my childhood my sin manifested itself more and more. I became selfish and constantly lashed out in anger to my family and friends over little things.

Testimony of the Week: Ryan Javier

Ryan is a fifth year physiological sciences major who just finished his undergrad courses this quarter. He enjoys watching and playing most sports (especially basketball) and is down to just hang out.

I was raised in a Catholic believing family. Growing up, I even attended a Catholic elementary school. What I remember being taught there was that I would be saved and go to heaven if I was a good person, basically salvation by works. As a child, I believed what I was being taught, mainly because I didn’t really know any better and also because my parents believed it too.

Testimony of the Week: Naomi Hamada

Naomi is a second year chemical engineering major at UCLA. She loves running (kind of quickly), reading (kind of slowly), coffee (black), and hanging out with people (always)–let her know if you’re down to chat!

I was born into a Christian family, and spent my childhood going to church, memorizing Bible verses, and hearing Bible stories from my parents and Sunday school teachers.

When I was about five, my parents asked me if I wanted to invite Jesus to come into my heart. From what I’d heard at church, Jesus seemed like a pretty nice guy, so I said yes, and my parents and I prayed together. Afterwards, although I had little understanding of what that prayer actually meant, I assumed that I was a Christian. I certainly believed that there was a God–and that he was likely the God of the Bible–but beyond that, my understanding of Christianity was hazy. I didn’t understand what sin was or consider myself a sinner; I didn’t understand why Jesus needed to live in my heart, or really even what that meant. Because of this, I don’t believe I was actually saved at this point in my life.

Testimony of the Week: Matthew Wai

Matthew Wai is a pre-med Physiological Science major who also serves as the Focus Bible Study leader. He currently works at the UCLA rock climbing wall, loves to play tennis, and dances in his free time.

I had a pretty good life before I came to know Christ. I was a typical short Asian kid with glasses living in San Francisco (the best city in the world). I was going through life with little to worry about and absolutely no drama. I had a solid group of friends, an amazing family, and got along with everybody. The future looked bright because I had straight A’s and would most likely get into an excellent college. To top it off, I was always the glorified kid with the answers in Sunday school. You would not be able to accuse me of anything if you looked at my life from every angle, except one.

Testimony of the Week: Louise Koo

Louise is a 4^th year psychobiology major at UCLA. She loves to bake, listen to music, and have one-on-one conversations!

I grew up attending church in Glendale, but my memory of this church is very faint. I remember learning that Jesus loves me through Bible stories and songs, but I did not know what it truly meant to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Since the drive to Glendale was too far, my grandparents decided to look for another church that was closer to home. By God’s faithfulness, my third grade teacher, invited my family to Chinese Baptist Church of Orange County, which is a 20 min drive as opposed to 1 hour plus.

Testimony of the Week: Ryan Chin

Ryan is a third year Material Science and Engineering student at UCLA. Some of his hobbies include playing basketball and going snowboarding. Ryan enjoys hanging out with people, so don’t be shy to say hi! 

I was born and raised in a Christian family. I went to church weekly because my parents always encouraged me to go. Instead of understanding and questioning why I went to church, I just went and saw this as another activity, not realizing or appreciating the true purpose of church. Although growing up in a Christian family and going to church regularly may seem wonderful, I still struggled with my identity in the world or in God. Throughout my life, I assumed that I was already Christian since I had been attending church regularly. I had the theology and the verses down, but I did so for all the wrong reasons. I became prideful the more theology I knew and my actions outside of church did not reflect how a true Christian should act. Because of my pride, I did not take church seriously by dozing off and being distracted with my phone. My actions outside of church and within church were not godly. School and idols such as video games and friends, and not God, were viewed as priorities in my life. In my heart, I was self-centered in seeking to fill my desires with pride, friends, and school. I focused on the desires that only benefited me. I did not depend on God and a drive for academic success and worldly entertainment controlled my life.