The Sanborn Family is currently Jason and Michelle Sanborn, along with their two cats, Licorice and Tigger, and their dog, Hazle. If you ask Jason, though, he will be the first to say that the cats belong to Michelle.
Jason was born on March 16, 1973, in Garden Grove, California. From 1979 until 1999, he lived with his parents and younger brother, Eric, in Ontario, California, graduating in 1991 from Chino High School, Chino, California.
Raised in a strong Christian home, Jason was brought up with strong values and a knowledge of Jesus Christ. In High School, and a little after, he drifted away from the Lord. He still had his morals, but always knew that something was missing from his life. That, in conjunction with an overactive thyroid, caused periods of depression, not to the point of suicidal tendencies, but enough to be serious in his own mind.
July 4, 1996 was a night Jason would never forget. He attended a Harvest Crusade event in Anaheim, California. There were many good bands and a powerful message by Evangelist Greg Laurie. That night, Jason went forward to rededicate his life to the Lord. It was at that moment that Jason’s life began to change for the better. As time went on, the Lord showed Himself faithful to Jason, time and time again, and Jason was pulled from a life of pessimism and depression into a life of confidant joy and peace.
Michelle was born on December 6, 1972, in Mission Viejo, California. She moved many times throughout Southern California, mainly the Orange County area. Michelle’s parents were divorced when she was 13 and she and her sister, Stacie, lived with their mother for six months before her mother passed away. Afterwards, they lived with their father. Michelle graduated in 1991 from Loara High School, Anaheim, California.
Raised in a Jewish home, Michelle had no knowledge of Jesus. Her family life was turbulant, which caused a lot of confusion and lack of direction in her life. Having no moral background to stand upon, and loosing her mother at a young age, helped contribute to a depression that started when she was around eight years old.
Michelle started attending church with her boyfriend in January, 1993. At that time, she began hearing more about Jesus Christ. On February 14, 1993, at a Salvation Army Church in Anaheim, California, Michelle heard something she never heard before, and recognized the call of God in her heart. On that morning, Michelle went into the back room and accepted Christ into her life.
Her life didn’t change overnight. While she accepted the Lord into her life, she didn’t yet know what it truly meant to follow the Lord. On March 13, 1994, she married her boyfriend, which intensified the turbulent times that she had been experiencing. After experiencing a period of both physical and mental abuse, Michelle left her husband on February 18, 1999 and went to live in a shelter. Once she had left her husband, that began a period of renewal in her life, where the Lord began to fully work in her life.
Both Michelle and Jason had moved to Riverside in 1999. At that time, neither of them knew each other. They even attended the same church, Harvest Christian Fellowship, in Riverside, yet due to the size of the church, they didn’t often cross paths.
In 2000, Michelle started working in the Children’s Ministry on Sunday Nights, singing and acting for the children. Jason had already been working as a teacher of four-year old children at that time. Jason saw her on stage, but didn’t think any more of it than anyone else he saw on stage. Michelle, though, had noticed Jason, and loved the way he had interacted with the children.
In April of 2000, Michelle and Jason were talking just before the worship was to begin. As they ended the conversation, Michelle suddenly asked Jason out for coffee at the church coffee shop after service. Taken aback by this, he agreed to meet her. Even Michelle was surprised by her question, and when she told the others in the children’s worship team that she had no money, they all gave her money so she could get a coffee drink.
Over the next few months, Jason and Michelle began dating. On July 8, 2001, Jason asked Michelle to marry him. He made the proposal official at a surprise birthday party for her on December 8 of the same year. The wedding was officially set for May 17, 2003. Due to financial reasons, and with the blessings of the pastor, Michelle and Jason pushed up their wedding date. On December 21, 2002, Michelle and Jason were married in Las Vegas, Nevada. Several friends and family members were available for the small ceremony. Even though the date was moved, Jason and Michelle still celebrated a renewal of their vows and reception on May 17, 2003 as planned.
The Lord continued to bless both Jason and Michelle through their relationship and into their marriage. Things haven’t always been easy, in fact, almost from the start of the marriage, they had to deal with medical problems that were mounting for Michelle. They had to learn to deal with things in their past that would want to come into their new life. They were even put into a situation, less than a year into their marriage, where they were asked to move away from friends and family to the Monterey Peninsula, over 300 miles to the north.
Things became more interesting in their lives soon after they moved to the Monterey Peninsula. Michelle became sick, and it was soon discovered that she had a pancreatic tumor. In July on 2004, she had a Whipple surgery, the most invasive abdominal surgery you can get. Shortly after recovering from that surgery, in November of 2004, she had another surgery, this one to remove her thyroid as a result of thyroid cancer. Since that time, they have been dealing with one health issue after another, mostly related to the whipple surgery.
Despite these challenges, the two continue to move forward in the Lord. They aren’t always where they need to be in their relationship with each other. They aren’t always where they need to be in the Lord. In their hearts, though, they both strive to follow the Lord, and draw closer to each other. Jason struggles in his role as Spiritual Leader, as Christ would have him to be. Michelle struggles with getting through life, with medical and emotional obstacles. Even with these struggles, they remain devoted to each other, and to the Lord.
