For 10 weeks this summer, young people across the Southern California Conference (SCC) territory traded the familiar comforts of summer for something very different. With bags of books over their shoulders, they walked into neighborhoods, approached strangers in parking lots, knocked on thousands of doors, and prayed with people they had never met. They did not know who would answer, what stories they would hear, or how God might use a simple conversation. They only knew they were willing to go.
This is Youth Rush
Youth Rush is more than a summer literature evangelism program. It is an opportunity for high school and college students to depend on God, step outside their comfort zones, and experience ministry firsthand. While they enter communities hoping to make an impact in the lives of others, many discover that God is transforming their own lives along the way.
This summer marked an exciting step forward for Youth Rush in SCC. With more than 40 students accepted into the program, Youth Rush expanded to two teams, allowing more young people to experience literature evangelism while reaching even more communities across Southern California. One team was based in the Whittier-Norwalk area, while another served from the Canoga Park-Camarillo area.
From neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles County to communities in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, students spent their days meeting people from different backgrounds and walks of life. But the goal was never simply to cover more territory or distribute more books. Behind every interaction was a person with a story. Students listened, encouraged, prayed, and looked for opportunities to point people to Christ. Sometimes, those opportunities came when they least expected them.
A Divine Appointment
For Thabita, one of those unexpected opportunities came in a parking lot. There, she met a man whose story reminded her that God can bring people together at just the right moment.
“He told me he had been involved in gangs and had spent time in jail, but after getting out, he felt God impressing him to walk a new path and live a clean life,” Thabita said. “He was so thankful and believed that God had given him a chance at a new life. He was especially looking forward to Jesus’ second coming.
“I was thankful for the encounter and was able to leave him with Steps to Christ and The Great Controversy, books that point people to Jesus,” Thabita continued. “I was also able to pray with him and share words of encouragement. He was so grateful and believed that God had sent me to be with him at that time.”
For Thabita, the encounter was a reminder that literature evangelism is about more than placing a book in someone’s hands. It is about being available for God to use, trusting that even an unexpected conversation in a parking lot can become a divine appointment.
The Students Are Changed, Too
But the people students meet along the way are not the only ones being impacted. Day after day, as students step outside their comfort zones, pray for strength, face rejection, and experience unexpected moments like Thabita’s, God is also doing a work in them.
Proverbs 11:25 says, “Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” For many students, those words become a reality over the course of the summer. As they give their time and energy to serve others, they begin to see their own faith deepen and their dependence on God grow.
Daniela described that transformation in her own experience:
“This summer was the best thing I could’ve done,” Daniela said. “Although I’ve had my seasons of doubt, anxiety, and uncertainty, the rewards of canvassing are much higher. I’ve learned the practical applications of the values of prayer, persistence, and positivity. I have been nurturing a strong faith and personal walk with God.”
For some students, that growth also comes through discovering a community of young people who share their desire to know and serve God. Before coming to Youth Rush, Isaac had been praying for exactly that.
“This is my first summer doing Youth Rush, and it’s been a fun and powerful experience,” Isaac said. “Before I came to this program, I felt like I was alone, like I was the only young person who wanted a relationship with God and wanted to serve Him.
“I was praying that God would give me friends who were like-minded and help me grow closer to Him,” Isaac added. “When I got here, I was honestly shocked to see how God answered that prayer. Now I’ve realized I’m not alone. There are other young people who love God like me. I have so many friends my age who love God just as much as I do and want to serve Him.”
Isaac’s experience highlights another important part of Youth Rush. Young peopleare not only given a place to serve, but a community where they can belong, grow in their faith, and discover that they are not alone in their desire to follow Jesus.
Seeds That Will Continue to Grow
Every book placed in someone’s hands, every prayer offered, every conversation, and every word of encouragement is a seed planted.
Students may not always see what happens after they walk away. They may never know when someone opens a book weeks or months later, remembers a prayer offered on their behalf, or begins searching for God because of a conversation that took place on an ordinary summer day. But that is the nature of planting seeds. We do our part and trust God with what comes next.
Ultimately, Youth Rush is not only about the number of books distributed, doors knocked, or cities reached. It is about people. It is about the person who needed encouragement at just the right moment, the student who discovered a deeper dependence on God, and the young person who realized they were not alone in their desire to follow Jesus.
For ten weeks, these young people were willing to go. They stepped outside their comfort zones, entered communities across Southern California, and trusted God to use them. The summer may have come to an end, but the seeds planted in communities and in the lives of these young people will continue to grow.
The mission continues.