---

ESCONDIDO, 92029 by Beth Lueders Karen Ljosdal's faith sets her apart from her television contemporaries.              "Donna just told her mom she wants to get a nose job. It's a crisis! Can you talk?"       So goes a phone conversation between Kelly and Brenda during an episode of America's top teen show, "Beverly Hills, 90210."       But 100 miles south of the posh hills of Beverly, in the coastal hills of Escondido, two other California girls also tie up the phone lines.       "Lord, I pray for a chance to talk with Erin about You today." It's 6:45 a.m., and seniors Karen Ljosdal (JOS dul) and Leah Green toss aside their curling irons and mascara to devote 15 minutes together, talking with God.       Escondido (which means "hidden" in Spanish) is known as the Hidden Valley, but there's one thing in this citrus-ripe valley that's not hidden: 18-year-old Karen and her unyielding belief in God. This teen's real-life drama could be known as "Escondido, 92029."       From her locker-side talks with classmates in gangs to her counseling a friend through a suicide attempt, Karen is rather gutsy about her faith. Avoiding the Barbie-doll look, Karen opts for Levi's 501® jeans and Nikes®. A striking 5-5 brunette, the product of Peruvian-Norwegian ancestry, she would probably blend in with the rest of the 1,862-student body at San Pasqual High School. But her stand for Christ has brought her to the forefront.       In her junior-high years Karen grabbed an early start on the statistic that more than one-third of American high school students are heavy drinkers of alcohol (1991 report by the Centers for Disease Control). "At 13 I started drinking," she admits. "A couple of times I got stoned. I was into the junior-high wild life, and I lied to my parents so well they didn't even know."       Pounded by gossip and weary of trying to feel accepted by peers, Karen slid into a secret life of drinking. A budding alcoholic, Karen was close to becoming a more serious statistic when she attended a weight-lifting demonstration by a group of Christian athletes her freshman year. That evening she placed her faith in Jesus Christ. Soon she made friends with students involved in Student Venture, Campus Crusade for Christ's ministry to teenagers.       Student Venture staff member Sue Pikoraitis has walked Karen through the ups and downs of being a leader amid classmates preoccupied with Guess® jeans, leather jackets, call waiting and designer surfboards.       "People often look at kids who were once wild or who get average grades and then discount them as leaders," says Sue. "But Karen is an example of what God can do in a life."       With Sue's encouragement and prayers behind her, Karen gradually let go of her habit of drinking and following her "wild life" friends. "By my sophomore year I finally drew the line and said, 'I'm doing everything for God now,'" Karen recalls.       Although three years ago Karen set up a boundary for her moral standards, she has never stopped trying to help her friends draw those lines too. Fourteen of her non-Christian friends top her nightly prayer list. "I'm going to pray for these friends until I die," she stresses. Praying before bed and with Leah each morning before school has fortified Karen against the verbal assaults of her peers.       To many at San Pasqual, Karen, Leah and fellow seniors Cheril, Liz and Jill are known as the "God Squad." "We're known as Christians who will stand up for our faith," Karen says. "I'd rather be known for that than as the 'life of the party.'"       These high-energy teens, all in love with each other's best friend, Jesus Christ, are frequently challenged to defend their belief in Him. "In class if a teacher says something to cut God down, or if he talks on abortion, my hand's up, and I'm like, 'Wait a second!'" Karen says. "But I'm not a loud mouth."       Karen and the "God Squad" girls wish that more Christian guys at San Pasqual would speak up for their faith too. "We didn't even think Christian guys existed until our sophomore year, when we went to the Getaway [a Student Venture conference]," Karen admits with a giggle. 'And we were, 'Wow! There are Christian guys, and they're cute too?       Of course these close-knit seniors plop on each other's beds to talk about nail polish, boys and the prom, but their talk also includes prayer, Bible study and witnessing. Witnessing, for Karen, has included being singled out by the school principal during a group yearbook photo session. The seniors were allowed to pose creatively and hold up signs with personal slogans. Karen's sign said: "Prayer Changes Things." With students cheering her on, Karen marched past the "Budweiser, the King of Beers" and "Amy and Brian Forever" signs to explain her freedom of speech rights to the principal. Her sign stayed up.       Although Karen is often unapologetically bold about her faith, she does get disheartened by the jeers of others. "A lot of people at school are waiting for the Christians to mess up so they can rip on us. People say, 'Oh did you pray today, Karen?' or they call me a 'Jesus Freak.'"       Until recently, Karen's older sister, Rachelle, was also bothered by Karen's convictions. "We used to get in some fights because I was jealous she knew more about the Bible," Rachelle admits. "Last year I rededicated my life to Christ, and she's been like a total influence."       While some students march to the sound of swells breaking 3 to 4 feet at Del Mar Beach, Karen marches to the sound of ringing up oranges and avocados at Major Market's register No. 4. Squeezing in 25 hours a week at the local gourmet grocery, she struggles to keep a balanced pace.       Even with her exhausting schedule, you might catch Karen on Tuesday afternoons not at the Peach Pit, but at Carl's Jr., munching on criss cut fries and passing on spiritual pointers to sophomores Elleen Horwath and Hannah Pallsco.       Hannah: "I want to be a good witness to my friends, but often I feel uncomfortable and scared."       Karen: "Just take it slow if you're trying to talk to them about God. And total prayer; maybe you can keep each other accountable to pray for your friends."       Eileen: 'Karen, you're like my idol in Student Venture. What's the secret?"       Karen: "Spending time with God before anything else. The difference He can make in your life is outrageous."       Elleen: "Could we meet just with you to get really deep into our Bibles? You can still study for your SATs, but we've got to use you up before you go."       "What do I want to be known as when I leave San Pasqual? A nice person?" Karen reflects. "No. I want people to know me as a Christian who loves God and who showed love toward them. One day a Christian guy told me he got drunk the night before, then he asked, 'What do you think of me?' I told him, 'It's not what I think of you, it's what God thinks.' This guy's actions made me sad, yet it's like, if you're going to take a stand for God, then don't do it half way."       Karen is a determined teen taking more than a half-hearted stand for God, as her full-page testimonial in the 1992 yearbook proves:       "... The most important thing I can leave behind to you is to let you know God loves you and wants a personal relationship with you. He is that friend that loves you (John 3:16), has an awesome plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11) and will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5)."       "I don't want to be a Christian who is just in her comfort zone," Karen declares. "You can't worry about your reputation; you need to take a stand for what you believe in and not worry about what people will think."       What are people thinking about Karen Ljosdal? Perhaps they wished that 'Escondido, 92029" starring Christian teens did exist. Or at least that Brenda, Kelly and the gang of "90210" had a classmate like her.