Youth Rush Students Experience God on the Frontlines

Nineteen young people knocked on 100,000 doors in Western Washington this summer as part of the Youth Rush literature evangelism program. The student literature evangelists distributed 11,170 books and saw God at work each and every day during the 10-week program.

Here's one of the stories:

One day while canvassing, Laura Gren, a student from Damascus, Ore., decided to pull out her Bible and read while she waited for her team leader to pick her up and go to the next location.

A few minutes later, a car pulled up and a woman called out for directions to a certain street. Gren didn't know, but quickly took the opportunity to give the woman a Bible-study card.

As Gren began to walk away, the impression came to her, "Go further!" So she quickly turned around and canvassed the lady on several books. By God's grace, the lady picked up Steps to Christ and Angels Among Us.

Team leader Meschil Lafuente, from Fresno, Calif., saw Gren waiting, but traffic delayed her. She made other stops, and when she came back for Gren, the traffic was completely gone!

This experience as well as many others, say participants, taught canvassers God has people out there that are just waiting for someone to meet them and share the love of God.

The literature ministries program allows students to grow spiritually and find means to help them attend Adventist schools. This summer, student literature evangelists received a total of $90,358 in donations, representing $58,733 to help students attend Adventist academies and colleges.

"Youth Rush was a growing experience for me," says Zoe Watson, Auburn Adventist Academy student from Kent, Wash. "It put my faith in God to the test and also strengthened it. In the end, I came out with a more firm belief that Jesus is real ... I believe God used me in a big way this summer. I can now look back and say I'm happy I did it."

Featured in: November 2010