
Mark H.
Be strong and courageous, do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)
My Christian life was typical as a youth growing up in a Christian home. I believed in God, participated in the life of the church, and developed a basic understanding of Christian teachings.
At age 16, something happened to me that tested and strengthened my faith, and ultimately made God more real for me. Feeling confident and independent, I set off on a three-day trek near the Appalachian Trail in Maryland. Striding into the mountains that first evening, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being followed, but I pressed on and made camp for the night. I set up a hammock, covered with a tarp, as shelter and settled in as darkness fell. It was then that I heard footsteps crunching through the woods heading toward my improvised cocoon. Sensing evil and realizing how vulnerable I was suspended in the air and unable to see, I began to pray.

My prayer was simple. “God, let me live to see the light of day.” The sounds grew closer, approached and circled my camp, as my prayer became deeper; deeper and more focused. Repeating over and over in my mind, “God, let me live to see the light of day.”
I was surprised to see a light shining off my right shoulder. Was it the moon? No, there wasn’t a full moon that night. A flashlight, maybe? No, not when the light grew larger … brighter … and moved underneath the tarp. It flooded my space with light, and then completely enveloped me from head to toe. I could actually see this bright light expanding around my shelter, extending outward, thickening, and protecting me.
My prayer was simple. “God, let me live to see the light of day.
The sounds of footsteps soon faded in the opposite direction from which they came, and I fell into a restful sleep. I awoke at sunrise to a gloriously bright and new day and I knew that I was different. I felt calm, safe and secure.
I never did learn what threatened me that night in the woods, and I have since returned many times to hike and camp in the Appalachian Mountains. But now I travel throughout my days carrying the calm and secure truth that God is my protector.
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Brandon Robinson
I remember being in church and going up to the altar and crying. I was so tired of the life I was living. I needed help. I felt a sense of peace at that time and knew that if this Jesus thing can work for some of these other guys, then it can definitely work for me.
Beatrice Sakuda
I said to myself, “Why should anyone envy me and want to be in my shoes?”
Jessica Davis
God has led me to amazing places in my life, so let me explain how God led me from South Carolina to Kenya.
Stu Ross
We built the first church with great difficulty. We went back to the States and the board asked us to become mission staff with the Outreach Foundation. That was 25 years ago, just about, and we’ve gotten more involved with Kenya as days and years went on.
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I am a chef by profession. I’m happy because I do what I love. Now I work at Villadise Tours and Safaris, where I meet so many different people coming from far. Being helpful is just a blessing to other people.
Kathryn Lindsay
Then God started tugging on my heart. There was a church sermon series that was about taking your God-given dream off the shelf. I was like, “I don’t know what my dream is. God, if you have a dream for me you’re going to have to tell me what it is.”