Jacob was standing outside of a McDonald’s in the heart of Surfer’s Paradise with four of his mates during their Schoolies celebrations.

Although he had Christian parents, Jacob wasn’t living for God and had snuck out of home to be there. He didn’t know that this night would become a catalyst to bring him back to God.

Blake was at Schoolies too, but for different reasons.

Earlier in the year he had attended YFC’s Jesus School. For Blake it was a transformative experience.

He shares, “It was life changing to see a community of people that understood the Gospel and were living it out with their whole lives.”

“I’ve become more and more overcome by His love… I can’t help but share that wherever I go.”

The new joy and confidence Blake had encountered in Jesus at the school grew his desire to share it with others. So when he heard about the Schoolies for Jesus outreach Blake knew he had to be there.

“Finishing school was such a pivotal time in my own faith where I decided to fully live for Jesus and so I wanted to provide Schoolies with the same opportunity that I had,” remarks Blake.

At Schoolies, Blake and another friend pushed through fear to begin boldly sharing Jesus with their peers. They ended up starting a conversation with a group of boys outside Macca’s.

Blake recalls, “Most of the group were engaged and enjoying hearing what we had to share, however one young man at the back was looking on very skeptically. As the group moved on I felt a nudge in my heart to ask him if he wanted to stay and chat. He did.”

The young man was Jacob who had lots of questions for Blake. As they talked Jacob mentioned that he had sun damage to his vision and Blake offered to pray for it.

After the prayer Jacob began to look around in apparent shock! He grabbed the nearest piece of paper with writing on it to check his vision. He couldn’t believe he could see perfectly!

That night Jacob and four of his friends gave their lives to Jesus and in the following days Blake was able to continue walking Jacob through the Gospel and connect him into a church family.

Today, several years on from that night, Jacob continues to pursue Jesus with his life, thankful for this turning point moment at Schoolies. Blake remains in touch with Jacob and serves with Youth for Christ as an Ambassador.

“For me being a part of YFC and events like the Jesus School and Schoolies for Jesus has grown my faith in many ways,” says Blake.

“It has helped me overcome fear and has pushed me closer to Jesus. And as I’ve become closer to Him I’ve become more and more overcome by His love for those around me. I can’t help but share that wherever I go.”