My name is Elijah Gamboa and I am part of the Orange County Church of Christ in the Los Angeles area. I was reached out to in 2017 by a few college disciples on campus, which led to me joining their Bible studies. Growing up, I never really had a sense of faith. As time went on, Scripture eventually shaped my heart, and I began to finally trust in God. I was then baptized at a retreat on October 29, 2017, which was the greatest decision I had ever made.
As a college graduate who studied Cinema & Television Arts, I felt that I didn’t really have a purpose. I had the passion, experience, and creative knowledge to be able to produce some amazing stories, but at the end of the day, those stories felt aimless. Deep down I desired much more: to make an impact on my life and the people around me, as well as those who would need it.
One day I randomly thought about producing a documentary. Having persevered through death on multiple occasions and through an abusive childhood, I wanted to inspire people to remain strong in their faith, to get back up at their lowest, and remind them that they’re not alone in these trials. From that point on, if felt like God took the reins and I was on autopilot, filming almost every moment my life in my ministry.
At first, the documentary was supposed to be merely about living in my twenties as well as the lives of my peers in our youth, but as time went on, I remembered that living in God’s Kingdom is my life, and that there’s no other way to tell the story other than glorifying him. I produced a feature film called In the Kingdom, which was showcased at a film festival. From that moment, I knew that telling God’s story was my purpose.
Eventually, it was on my heart to do more. There was still a fire burning within me, and I loved getting the creative juices flowing. Not long after, I came up with idea of producing a series that would span across my lifetime and called it Still in the Kingdom, which also had the first season showcased at another film festival.
Overall, every day I’m reminded that nothing else in this life will truly fulfill me unless God is involved. As someone who is still fighting through anxiety and depression, the gift of storytelling that he’s given me is one of the few things still pushing me forward, because it gives me a true purpose. Without God, I’d still be lost and miserable. Even though there are still hard times, he’s given me direction. For that, I am truly grateful.
