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Gael and his grandma are blessed by the La Voz pantry
The two of them visit each week for supplies Earlier this year, Gael and his grandma, Maria, were walking home from school and passed by the pantry at La Voz Sylmar Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Maria saw a few people waiting in the parking lot and decided to inquire about the line. She was told that…
After 3 days without food, Oscar finds pantry, church
He now volunteers and is part of the Oasis congregation Oscar came to the pantry at Oasis Foursquare Church around the end of September 2022. Before he arrived, he had gone three full days without food. Oscar didn’t have a job, had been hurt, and had no family around him. He started congregating at Oasis,…
‘Life is more beautiful this side of recovery’
A year of sobriety brings peace “I grew up thinking I wasn’t really part of my family,” Javier said, when asked about his childhood. “I didn’t think my stepdad loved me, because I wasn’t his, but my siblings were. I felt like I didn’t belong.” By 13, Javier was using drugs. By 17, Javier was…
Trevor overcomes addiction, becomes house manager at Mission
He’s also working on his college degree Moe was loose again. The 500-pound black bear had made it past two electric fence barriers to escape and now the staff at the zoo was attempting to get him safely back to where he belonged. Trevor and others on ATVs had corralled Moe near the gate and…
Meet RMA VC Chaplain Reed Gibson
In 2022, Reed Gibson joined the RMA Ventura County team as a chaplain. After 20 years as an engineer, Reed decided to focus more on his heart for ministry and community. Reed uses his prior experience as a youth pastor to now “live his dream” of full-time ministry. He’s also excited to share his love…
Susan is planning to ‘take God with her’
In 2003, Susan and her then-9-year-old daughter, Paula, were thrilled with the opportunity to move in with Susan’s son in Oxnard. Susan loved that she would be closer to her older children, and she was excited to explore an area she’d never been before. However, shortly after relocating, her son’s landlord told them they could…
Maria plans to help others after graduation
She was living on the streets before her arrival “It wasn’t a really good childhood,” Maria recalled. After relocating from Mexico to Santa Maria at the age of 7, Maria and her family – 10 people in total – lived in a single hotel room for 10 years. Maria’s mom and dad worked in the…
Program gives Dean time to regroup, focus on scripture
He encourages others to find God Dean knows it’s a “blessing” for him to still be alive. While intoxicated, Dean crashed into a car and broke his neck. However, because the other driver was on his cellphone at the time, Dean “got out of it.” A couple years later, under the influence, Dean went over…
Program helps Nadine find her ‘new beginning’
ENGLISH SPANISH Nadine, now 39, started smoking meth with friends at 17. When she had her first son, Brennan, at 19, she was clean during her pregnancy but relapsed a couple years later. This cycle continued when she had two more sons, Abel and Joshua. By the time her youngest was 4, Nadine was back…
After relapse, Ryan asks for help, enters sister mission
Ryan grew up playing sports, but also with a rare disease, which causes deterioration of the bones in the knees. “It’s like osteoporosis in kids,” he said. “They don’t know how to treat it or really how to manage it.” Ryan had more than a dozen knee surgeries throughout his late teens and 20s. With…
3 years post-graduation and cancer-free, ‘Life is good,’ Brian says
Entering the program on his own accord was crucial to his success Brian got his cancer diagnosis in June of last year. After troubling results on a routine screen, further tests showed that he had prostate cancer. “My heart sank when I got the news in the doctor’s office,” he recalled, “but as soon as…
Nonprofit grows from Lighthouse volunteerism
HER Life Journey continues to bless women While Elena Rosas, a successful hairstylist in Ventura County, was thriving in her industry and growing her business, she remained unfulfilled, and began praying to God to reveal her true purpose. She wanted to find ways to use the talent and gifts the Lord had given her, and…
