God works in mysterious ways to guide people to salvation, and He worked through Laney Donahue, sophomore applied theology and digital media communication double major, to help her find her place in the world and spread the Gospel through her studies.
Donahue and her family grew up in church but were not fully involved. The disconnect of not being completely engaged with a local church and following the full teachings of the Lord was reflected in the fact that Donahue attended Vacation Bible School, where she experienced Christian influence.
“I had attended VBS, which was like a day care one summer, and I had a lot of friends who were involved in a local church. And so I always had Christian influence in my life,” Donahue said.
Through VBS, Donahue continuously heard about the Lord and His teachings without fully understanding who the Lord truly was.
While she was in middle school, Donahue faced challenges and hurdles to overcome.
“I started to struggle with friendships, and it kinda just felt like my world was crumbling around me, and I started to struggle with mental health, and in that one day, I just kind of decided, there has to be something greater than this,” Donahue said.
With newfound courage, Donahue sought the truth that would change her path. She reached out to a friend to inquire more about Jesus.
“I reached out to one of my friends and just kinda asked. ‘I know you go to church, like what’s that about? I’m interested in learning more,” Donahue said.
During the pandemic, Donahue continued to learn more about Christ and His teachings through online sermons. After the pandemic, she was invited to a youth group where she witnessed the impact Jesus had on other people’s lives through their testimonies. Through the youth group, Donahue found the love that God had to offer.
“I just started to wrestle with the fact that God loves us so infinitely and there’s nothing we could do to deserve that,” Donahue said.
This realization and her impression of the local church led Donahue to profess Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and eventually get baptized. She then became fully involved in her church by serving.
After high school graduation, Donahue chose to attend California Baptist University and join the Bachelor of Applied Theology program. She used what she learned to find better ways to serve her church, know God and love Him more deeply.
“I have dedicated my life to sharing the love of Christ in the same way that my friends and the people I encountered shared it with me and how I witnessed the power of Christ,” Donahue said.
Donahue overcame many challenges, and through them, she found the true love that God offered to not just her but to everyone.
After college, Donahue aims to pursue church planting and urban ministry. She plans to use her experience in communications to serve the church while listening to the Lord and whatever He has planned for her.
Ultimately, God gave Donahue the courage to pursue her faith and transformed her from someone who knew little about the Lord to someone fully devoted to spreading the love of Christ.
