Ministry Testimony

For the Girls Surf Classic Competition was dreamt up to be an encouraging and inclusive space to share Christ’s love organically by providing a valuable event for the women’s surf community. The heart behind the event is to empower female surfers, create a strong, supportive local community in and out of the water, and ultimately host an event that not only showcases the talent of female surfers but also inspires the next generation of shredders. Making waves that last beyond the competition. I got to witness the body of Christ, including Christian surfers, Fellowship of Christian Athletes Surf, and Ride Nature, link arms and collaborate to host this surf competition. The Southern California surf culture is known to be incredibly intimidating, so it was radical to witness 80 athletes participate in this event and in some ways align their hearts to our mission. 

While the recap video brings this vision to life, a moment not captured in that video is when I got to pray with a handful of competitors before our heat (our turn to compete against one another). Our demographic of athletes was a mixed bag of believers and nonbelievers, beginners and seasoned athletes, even moms and groms (kid surfers). I was encouraged to see the diversity of women at this event, and the desire for inclusivity. Being mindful to engage every athlete before we competed against one another, I asked the girls how they found out about the event. A few girls were connected to one of the local ministries, and the others had heard about it on social media. Through the tone of the conversation, I gathered that half the girls knew the Lord and the other half had yet to know His love. There, I felt led by the Spirit to ask one of the believing girls if she would be willing to pray over us before our event. Before she started, another girl (who did not know the Lord) asked in a childlike excitement if we should all hold hands.

Although this seems like a small moment, it has encouraged me greatly! In the raw love and support the girls showed for one another, I witnessed the love of Jesus shining and inviting others in, and had full faith that seeds of the Gospel were being planted, not just in this moment but through a multitude of conversations all day. As our team debriefed and shared testimony after testimony, I was in awe of God’s hand and the zeal of the body of Christ to bring His kingdom come. As I reflect on this event, even now, I am feeling stirred up for what the Lord will do this year through For The Girls Surf Classic, as well as every one of our outreach efforts.