Interview Series: Kayla Stenzel.

Kayla Stenzel.

I am constantly amazed and inspired by Kayla. Kayla did a DTS in Kona while I did mine last year, and I was blessed to get to know and become friends with her. Kayla has such a joyful heart, and it's a joy that comes from confidence in the Lord. It is easy to tell when someone is confident in their relationship with Jesus and the love He has for them; they have a joy that no one can quite understand, they love people like others can't, and they have faith in the things that the world deems a lost cause. Kayla has all of these. She knows her worth and is able to bring that out in others. Seeing her completely give herself to the Lord and His plans for her has brought her to so many amazing encounters with God and with seeing His name glorified. She is willing to lay her plans down and follow the voice of the Lord, which is something a lot of people struggle with. I'm so thankful to have her in my life, and to be able to witness all that the Lord is doing in and through her!

Kayla's testimonies in this interview excite my heart so much. Hearing how her faith has grown over the past four years that she has been walking with Him is such a good reminder of what an amazing life with God we have waiting for us when we just say “yes” to Him! I hope you are all as encouraged as I am when you read this!

Interviewee:

Kayla Stenzel; age 18. Currently in: Santa Clarita, California.

How did you come to know the Lord?

I was a freshman going into my sophomore year of high school and my sister was bringing me to a lot of her church groups. It was the first time that Jesus had revealed himself to me, and it was through my sister.

So, I was experiencing God for about a year. Basically my sister and I never had a loving relationship because we were always fighting back and forth, (there was a lot of anger and frustration). And when she gave her life to Jesus I saw an immediate shift in the way she began loving and treating me; so immediately for the first time I experienced God's love through her. During my summer going into sophomore year I went to a summer camp at Hume Lake, in CA. During one of the chapels for the first time it felt like God was speaking directly to me by what the Pastor was saying. He talked about 1 Cor. 15:33, “don't be misled, bad company corrupts good character.”. And while my sister was disciplining me that year, I felt the main thing that he was trying to tell me was to step out of the friend group that I was in because the influence that they had on me was leading me to make poor decisions that were leading me away from the Lord's original plan for me. So that night after chapel ended I sat in the chapel for an extra hour sitting and repenting and writing down a list of ways that I could follow the Lord better (do's and don'ts); just trying to put my emotions into actions. That night I rededicated my whole life to the Lord. And there have obviously been things that have brought me closer and things that have brought me further, but God is faithful to the decision I made four years ago and has continually been bringing me closer, revealing himself, and giving me a zeal that will last a lifetime.

What was the turning point at which you realized the Lord's love for you?

It was 2013: summer camp at YWAM Kona. The very first night I had hurt my ankle and went back into my room with all my roommates and asked them to pray for it, not expecting God to really do anything. They prayed for it, and just as I thought, nothing happened. I broke down into tears and on the very first day of camp realized that the faith that I had in his love, that he would care about the little things, was so small. Then one of my leaders said, something along the lines of, 'God cares about the little things and the fact that your faith is as small as a mustard seed, God's going to grow that'. So I asked them to pray again and used my faith as small as a mustard seed, and all the pain left. That's when I knew that if God cares about something as small as the pain in my ankle, how much more vast can His love be.

Explain the feeling or emotion you get when you fully worship.

When I'm in full worship I'd say, there's this really strong peace that comes with just worshiping the Lord. Like, knowing in that moment that everything you're doing and everything you're singing has divine purpose. It's just peace. There's never a moment of fear or doubt when you're just in pure worship, because everything else just fades away.

What is the Lord doing in Santa Clartia, California?

He is raising up a generation of young people. My town is huge: city-like, but still considered a suburb. Mostly, people are all just 'church- goers'. Seventy percent of people go to church, but I'd say about ten percent of people love the Lord. But what I've noticed and from what God has put on my heart, He is using the younger ones and sustaining and building their faith to encourage the older generations and create a new spark in Santa Clarita. While I was in Kona, God put my church youth group on my heart. To go and to start a ministry that would take the young people out onto the street and just begin loving people through prayer or feeding the homeless or doing yard work for a stranger. And as I've been home, I've seen a dramatic shift in my younger sisters and the way God has been moving in their hearts. I've also seen it in the youth group and in another large youth group in my town. So, if I can see what God has spoken to me in the things that I'm a part of, where else is he moving that I don't see. And I have faith to believe that hes moving everywhere else in this city.

What is the Lord doing in your own life?

Since I've been home I've been reading a book called Culture of Revival. The book talks about how to maintain a lifelong Godly zeal. So, since I've been home I've been trying to figure out what to do next; but God over and over again has just been speaking 'rest in my presence, I will guide your foot steps and take you where you're supposed to go next. But just rest in my presence'. So over the past two months that has looked a lot like making Him my first priority, and sacrificing other daily things, to put Him as number one. And then on top of that serving the others around me as a demonstration of His love for me. And truly laying my life down to see His will be done.

What makes your heart come alive?

So a piece of my heart is in my generation and in seeing students my age have bold and fearless faith. But another part of my heart is so strongly in the nations, and to see the whole world have an opportunity to experience the true love of Jesus that I have experienced.