Tuesday, 07 December 2010 12:35

Jason L.

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Jason l. Jason l. KGF

When I was 5, my parents divorced leaving my brother and me split between two homes causing a lot of stress. I acted out in  school, got into fights, stole, and ran away from home on numerous occasions. I did this throughout my childhood because I had a sense I did not belong and was angry at the world.

My mother remarried in 1995 and my brother and I started attending church and going to a Christian elementary school. I found it hard to fit in because of my troubled childhood. Many kids in this school grew up in this type of church/school community. I learned a lot of good Christian teachings at this school, but I did not actually understand the personal relationship aspect of Christianity.

In 1998 I went to “Camp Bob” and that was when I first heard about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I don’t remember the speaker, but I remember thinking this guy is for real and passionate about what he is saying. When he asked if there was anyone who wanted to make the choice to serve Jesus, I stood up. I immediately felt overwhelmed with emotion; it felt like there was a ton of bricks taken off my chest. People laid hands on me, prayed for me and agreed in prayer with me.

The next year was hard for me. It was a battle to live the way I wanted to and I still needed help in dealing with the issues I had from living the way I had for so long. I was not getting along well with my parents at home so I moved to my dad’s house in London, Ontario. While living there I found myself getting into trouble again. I started attending a trade school that had a lot of gang activity and I got involved. After that I was kicked out of my dad’s house for poor choices that I was continuing to make and ended up on the street in a downward spiral of gang activity. It was in November of 2002 that I finally realized that I did not want to be where I was in life anymore.

I went to Teen Challenge and began serving Jesus with my whole heart. I found out what it was to be a follower of Christ and started dealing with my baggage. I allowed God to work in my heart and transform me. I had a great network there to spur me on as a Christ follower and find out who I was in Christ. I graduated from Teen Challenge in January 2003. I moved to Kelowna in October 2007 to once again work for Teen Challenge.  This is when I met my wife Serena and we were married on December 6, 2008. On November 16, 2010, we had a beautiful baby boy named Kaden Joel Legg. 

I am currently working at the Kelowna Gospel Mission as a day coordinator.  It is there that I am continuing to learn about myself and others and have had great opportunity to share my life story with others.  God has given me great opportunities in life to learn more about him and the plan he has for me in the future.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”             -Hebrews 12:1,2

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Mike Penninga

Mike Penninga is first a foremost a son of God, a husband of Michelle, a father of 3, and a pretty good tennis player. A grad of Trinity Western University and ACTS seminary with a background in broadcast journalism, Mike has a passion for sharing the life changing news of Jesus Christ in understandable and captivating ways. He has been the lead pastor at KGF since March 2009.

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