Nancy Alcorn didn’t just stand on the sidelines and watch troubled girls throw their lives away. She built them a refuge.

MERCY MINISTRIES’ HOME FOR TROUBLED YOUNG WOMEN IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, BECOMES A HOUSE OF VICTORY ON GRADUATION DAY. STAFF MEMBERS, FRIENDS AND FAMILY GATHER TO CELEBRATE WITH THOSE WHO HAVE SUCCESSFULLY MADE IT THROUGH THE CHRIST-CENTERED REHABILITATION PROGRAM.

On this particular day, three graduates share testimonies that reveal God’s ability to change lives from the inside out. Their faces radiate joy, peace and freedom. No longer are they slaves to spiritual battles that once threatened to destroy them.

“When I walked in these doors, I wanted to die,” says 29-year-old graduate Kari Jones. “I believed I would never be whole, but God has set me free completely.”

Jones had battled an eating disorder since she was 13. Secular treatment programs didn’t work; and by the time she checked into Mercy, she was also drinking heavily and sleeping in her car.

As the ceremony progresses, Jones and the two other graduates, Jennifer Blann and Charlotte Brown, receive uplifting words of affirmation from family members, friends and Mercy counselors.

Finally, Mercy founder Nancy Alcorn stands up to speak. “My pet peeve is how the world tells us, ‘Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic; once you have an eating disorder, you’ll always have an eating disorder,'” says the 50-year-old blonde, who founded Mercy Ministries in 1983.

She emphasizes Christ’s transforming power and says Mercy’s mission is “to go to the world’s trash can and dig out the treasure.”

Coaching Women for Life

A native Tennessean and huge sports fan, Alcorn has reached out to troubled young women since college. A serious knee injury kept her from playing sports on a collegiate level; however, for five years she coached young women in the “game of life” as an athletic director for Tennessee’s correctional facility for juvenile delinquent girls.

As time passed, Alcorn became frustrated with the system. She wasn’t seeing changes and thought she might see more results if she worked with younger children, so she asked for and received a transfer into the State Department of Human Services. She supervised foster-care placements in the Nashville area and then began to work with the Emergency Child Protective Services Unit, investigating charges of abuse and neglect.

Alcorn heard about Teen Challenge while working at Child Protective Services and began to do volunteer work for the organization. She saw how God’s Word transformed people and renewed their minds, and the positive results gave her a sense of hope that she hadn’t felt in a long time. In 1980, Alcorn accepted a full-time position to serve as the director of women for Nashville Teen Challenge.

In 1982, some close friends of hers moved to Monroe, Louisiana. Alcorn went to visit them and discovered that the area had a huge need for a place like Teen Challenge. When she went back to Nashville, she couldn’t stop thinking about the need.

Finally, she took her vision to the board of Teen Challenge. They liked the idea of establishing a home in Monroe and including an outreach to pregnant teens–but it wasn’t part of their plan.

With Teen Challenge’s blessing and a $1,000 contribution from the organization, she left Tennessee on January 15, 1983, to launch a home in Monroe on her own. Initially, the impact of her decision overwhelmed her. “I was inundated with fear–I cried all the way through church my first Sunday there,” she says.

Her fear was quickly replaced with indescribable peace. “I believe God dropped into my heart a gift of faith because from that point on, it never occurred to me that it wasn’t going to work. It was just a matter of not quitting–of finding a way to do what everybody said couldn’t be done.”

Alcorn says God told her that if she followed three principles, He would always meet her ministry needs: (1) Give at least 10 percent of all incoming contributions to other ministries; (2) Take the women in free of charge so they would know her love for them was pure; and (3) Avoid state or federal funding.

Alcorn never worried about finding women in need. The more places she spoke about her vision, the more people began to line up for help.

Money trickled in, and Mercy Ministries was finally able to open its first home. Young women came into the program from all over Louisiana and other states. The biblical philosophy she had learned at Teen Challenge was unfolding before her eyes: The power of Christ can change a life.

In time, Alcorn wanted to expand and provide a home for unwed mothers. An official from the governor’s office in Louisiana called and asked if she was interested in state funding. Although Mercy had a backlog of unwed mothers in need of help, she turned down the opportunity because she knew government funding could change the whole scope of the program.

But God saw the need and providentially seated Alcorn next to a wealthy businessman on an airplane flight. She told him about her ministry, and when they landed, he asked her for a brochure.

A month later the man called and said he hadn’t been able to forget about Mercy Ministries. He explained that his mother had been raped and conceived him. If there hadn’t been a place for her to go, he would have been aborted.

He went on to ask her how much money she needed for the new home. When she told him she needed $150,000, he instantly said, “You’ve got it.” He gave the money anonymously, with no strings attached.

In addition to financial help, Mercy received volunteer help from people such as Sam Carr, pastor of Word of Life Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, and his wife, Becky, who helped place Mercy Ministries’ first 60 babies in adoptive families.

A board member for Mercy Ministries, Carr says the main reason he got involved was because of the positive results. He believes every pastor, at one time or another, needs a place like Mercy Ministries for a troubled parishioner. “Obviously, Nancy doesn’t take in women based on who or what church is supporting her; but if you are involved with a ministry like hers, I believe God will open the doors when you have a need.”

A Christ-Centered Model

In 1990, Alcorn felt God was calling her back to Nashville to establish a home. She moved and, for the next five years, traveled extensively to help raise funds for a facility to house 40 women. Her dream became a reality in November 1995 when a $2 million facility was completed–debt-free. The neighboring ministry headquarters building was finished in June 2001.

Unlike state-run facilities, Mercy Home is warm and inviting. “We want to make the home really nice because when we tell the girls they are valuable and precious, we need to back it up with what we provide for them,” she says.

Although Mercy Ministries does not receive government funds, it is licensed by the government and has to follow certain protocol. There is always a waiting list, and Mercy places a priority on women who are pregnant or in a life-threatening situation.

After her 13th suicide attempt, Tonya Williams entered the program in 1996. The difference between Mercy Ministries and other treatment facilities, she says, is that the staff views the Word of God as a higher standard.

Williams, whose brother, Grant Williams, is a football player for the St. Louis Rams, says her parents spent more than $400,000 at numerous treatment facilities. At Mercy, she felt safe for the first time to receive and worship God, and gradually started to build trust.

Today, Williams says she is set free and wants to help other women facing battles. Though once told she would never be able to hold down a job or function in the real world, she is now an artist and business owner, and feels compelled to share what God has done for her.

Part of Mercy Ministries’ effectiveness is related to its counseling model. Sherry Douglas, executive director of programs for Mercy Ministries, says the model consists of three key areas:

TERRORIST ACTIVITY CLAIMED THE LIFE OF HER HUSBAND AND ROBBED HER OF JOY FOR A SEASON. TODAY, CHERYL MCGUINNESS IS HELPING OTHER WOMEN FIND HOPE IN GOD.

On September 10, 2001, Cheryl McGuinness celebrated her husband’s 42nd birthday. Little did she know it would be their last evening together in their Portsmouth, New Hampshire, home. And little did she know how drastically her family’s life would change in just one day.

A former Top Gun fighter pilot flying F-14s, Tom McGuinness was a pilot for American Airlines. On September 11, he was scheduled to co-pilot Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles. He never made it past New York.

Cheryl had taken their two teenage children to Portsmouth Christian Academy that morning. When she returned, she sat down with her Bible and a cup of coffee. Her moments of quiet reflection turned to desperation as phone calls from friends began to pour in. “A plane has been hijacked,” a friend told her. It was possibly Tom’s plane.

People began to congregate at the McGuinness home to pray with Cheryl. Later, the chief pilot from American Airlines arrived at her house and gave her the official word. Flight 11 had been hijacked and deliberately flown into the World Trade Center by terrorists.

Cheryl dreaded telling Jennifer, now 18, and Tommy, now 16. By the time she arrived at their school, they had heard general reports about the devastation, and the look on Cheryl’s face revealed the rest of the story. She simply told them, “Jesus called Daddy home” and reassured them that God would take care of them.

HOPE AMID TRAGEDY
During the last couple of years, God has helped Cheryl rebuild her life. “It feels like my life fell to pieces and was turned into ashes,” she says, “but from the ashes, I am seeing that God is making something beautiful. He is showing me the truth of Romans 8:28–that He works all things for the good of those who love Him.”

Cheryl has formed a ministry called Beauty Beyond the Ashes. Her central message is that there is hope in the midst of tragedy for those who have a relationship with Jesus.

At a speaking engagement in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cheryl ministered to many families whose loved ones had been deployed. “Being a former military wife, I told them I could understand having a family member going overseas to fight in the war,” she says. She told the crowd that though trials in life cause pain, they also are a test of our commitment.

Cheryl says that as she shares her testimony, many people open up to her and ask for prayer. “We’re able to encourage one another,” she says. “I’m able to minister to them as they minister to me–the blessings are double.”

HEALING COMES WITH TIME
The McGuinness family had lived in Portsmouth for only a year when the 9/11 tragedy occurred. Their previous home was in the San Diego area, where they developed deep roots at Riverview Church, an Evangelical Free church pastored by Larry Grine. (Grine baptized the entire McGuinness family in the Pacific Ocean.)

After Tom’s death, Cheryl sent regular e-mails to Grine and his wife, Annie, who responded time and again with Scriptures, prayers and genuine love. “Emotionally, Cheryl was right at the edge for a long time,” Grine says. “What that led her to do was to cry out. Very few Christians weep on their knees and worship like that. That’s where Cheryl met the Lord.”

Although Cheryl was a “well-equipped” Christian before 9/11, Grine says her spiritual life has deepened significantly since then as she has learned to depend on God.

“Some days all I can do is groan to God on my knees,” Cheryl says. She clings to Isaiah 65:24: “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear” (NIV).

One of the biggest sources of Cheryl’s healing has been the body of Christ. As she speaks across the nation, people encourage her and tell her they are praying for her and her family. “What my heart sees is God’s hand and Him saying, ‘I told you. Just trust Me, and My servants will show you My love,'” she says.

Two of those servants are Lynne and John McAtee of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. After the attack on the World Trade Center, they saw a TV news story that described Cheryl’s faith and courage.

John was deeply moved and crafted an intricate wooden sculpture for her. Since then, their relationship has deepened.

Despite the tragedy, Lynne says Cheryl continually thanks the Lord for His faithfulness. “‘The joy of the Lord is my strength’ is a verse that perfectly describes her,” Lynne says.

Cheryl realizes she needs to forgive the evil that has been done to her and America. “That is what I’m working toward,” she says. “I’m not saying I have forgiven all that happened, but that is what we need to do–to have complete healing in our heart and experience the full love God wants us to have.”

CHALLENGES AS A SINGLE PARENT
Cheryl and Tom were raised Catholic and shared many of the same values. After they got married, they went to church regularly and were “good people,” Cheryl says. But they didn’t have a personal relationship with God.

Their life-changing spiritual encounter occurred about 10 years ago after joining a Bible study. “Tom noticed there was something about the men in the group,” Cheryl explains, “but he wasn’t quite sure what it was. The longer he went, the more he understood that it wasn’t just head knowledge. Everything he understood and studied moved from his head to his heart, and that is when he made Jesus His Lord.”

Cheryl followed in his footsteps. They began attending Riverview Church and became Bible study leaders.

According to Grine, Tom McGuinness was a true example of someone who was sold out for Christ. “He was living a crucified life, not for his own glory,” Grine says.

Since 9/11, Cheryl has learned firsthand that God is her true source of strength and her provider. She admits that she is stronger now and closer to God than ever before.

“What I’ve seen from Cheryl since the tragedy is a combination of vulnerability, brokenness and a bedrock of faith that is holding her together,” says Fred Cheney, who served as acting pastor at Bethany Church in Greenland, New Hampshire, during the attack on America. The McGuinness family began attending Bethany after they moved to Portsmouth.

After Tom’s death, one of the difficult adjustments for Cheryl and her children was simply learning how to live without him. Cheryl is now responsible for raising two teenagers plus the many tasks Tom handled–everything from paying bills to taking care of the cars.

Toby Stowe, an accountant based in Portsmouth, met Cheryl in February 2002 when she was referred to him for tax and financial advice. At that time, he says, her healing was just beginning.

Since then Stowe has worked with Cheryl, helping her develop her ministry. “I have witnessed her grow stronger day by day as she has trusted the Lord over and over again for many details of her ministry and life,” Stowe says. “Her walk has become more confident.”

CHERISHED MEMORIES
After 9/11, Cheryl felt strongly that she needed to show her children by example how the Lord was going to get them through the crisis. Today, the children are coping very well, she says. They often travel with her when she speaks and sometimes share with audiences how special memories of their father and conversations they had with him are helping them move forward in life.

Today, Cheryl reflects on the happy memories they shared. “It really didn’t matter if we were on some exotic vacation or just taking a walk around the neighborhood holding hands,” she says. “My children cherished spending time together–mostly talking. We would just hang out and really enjoy each other’s company.”

Since Tom’s death, Cheryl has found it important to continue to do things together as a family. “Slowly, I have seen us be able to laugh at the dinner table even though it’s just the three of us. Our joy is slowly being restored, and we’re learning new family traditions and new things to laugh about.”

Today, Cheryl says her perspective is “to be a servant of the Lord–more deeply committed, more deeply in love with Him.” She plans to write a book about God’s faithfulness, revealing what her experience taught her about the importance of legacy, God’s call for forgiveness and His expectations concerning servanthood.

A few religious voices still criticize the use of drama in the church, but many congregations have brought it center stage.
Almost 100 singers, actors, dancers and instrumentalists begin arriving early on Palm Sunday for the special production at Hillcrest Church in Dallas. They have rehearsed for countless hours and are ready to perform Jesus, We Crown You With Praise–an Easter celebration that combines several art forms.

With state-of-the-art lighting, a large stage and theater-style seating, the recently built sanctuary at Hillcrest resembles a performing arts hall. According to Susie Wilson, director of worship and fine arts at Hillcrest, the vision for drama and fine arts has existed since the church was founded 18 years ago. “It’s in the DNA of Hillcrest,” she says.

After a brief welcome, the curtain rises on a 60-voice choir and 20-person orchestra. Each member is dressed in black. Wilson, who is pursuing a doctorate in choral conducting, takes her appropriate place on stage to lead the musicians.

Dancers dressed in white, adults and kids waving palm branches, and men and women carrying colorful banners emerge from the back of the sanctuary as the choir sings a medley of Easter hymns. The upbeat opener sets the tone for worship.

Philip Nelson, who studied theater in college and is a manager at a Dallas-area performing arts center, narrates the production, which includes songs and drama about Christ’s betrayal, crucifixion, death on the cross and resurrection. Vocalists portray Bible characters who knew Jesus personally: the woman who touched the hem of His garment; the Roman centurion who recognized there was something different about Him; Barabbas, the thief who believed He was innocent.

The finale ties everything together. Nelson tells the audience that although Jesus is the King of kings, the only crown He ever wore was a crown of thorns, presented in mockery and worn in agony.

“The crown we adorn Him with is still not made of diamonds and rubies and sapphires and pearls–it is woven from the hearts of men and women whose lives He’s changed,” Nelson says. “We long for that day when we can cast our crowns at Your feet. We crown You with honor. We crown You with glory. We crown You with praise.”

The character playing Jesus takes center stage as men, women and children come forward to lay their crowns at His feet. Pamela Rutherford, Hillcrest’s director of dance, performs a majestic dance of praise. The dramatic ending reminds the audience that Jesus is worthy of all our praise and adoration–not just at Easter, but every day of the year.

A New Standard of Excellence

Although Easter is one of the most popular occasions for church productions, drama and similar art forms are being used throughout the year to powerfully communicate a message or illustrate a sermon. Many forward-thinking churches and gifted drama directors have helped raise the bar and demonstrated that drama can touch people deeply and make an impact.

Molly Venzke is making a difference as creative arts pastor at Christian Faith Center in Seattle. When the Venzkes were approached seven years ago about using their talents to help the fledgling drama program at the church, Venzke admits that they were not immediately enthused about the church’s proposition.

“What we had seen in the church was cheesy,” she says. “Our eyes were used to excellent theater.”

Venzke had been involved in professional theater for 10 years, working with the St. Louis Repertoire Theater, the Seattle Children’s Theater and other companies in Seattle. Her husband, Jay, had earned his master’s degree in theater and worked on the technical side with prestigious theater companies.

After praying about it, the Venzkes decided to accept the challenge. Molly discovered that she had a knack for writing and began to pen all the scripts for Christian Faith Center’s productions, as well as the material for the youth program.

“We don’t have a great option to be able to purchase outside material,” she says of the limitation that spurred her to do the writing herself. Scripts that churches use in the South or the Midwest, for example, often don’t go over well in the liberal Northwest.

Although it takes many years to build a successful drama ministry, Venzke says she is proud of the level of excellence they have achieved. One of the most fulfilling aspects about her role is helping the church’s 60 to 75 volunteer actors discover a gift they never knew they had.

Rutherford, who was hired at Hillcrest four years ago, has taught worship dancing internationally for 13 years–quite a change from her professional dance background. After earning her master’s in dance at Southern Methodist University in Dallas in 1983, Rutherford landed a job in the Broadway musical 42nd Street.

She began attending a church in New York City named The Unbroken Chain, which attracted other actors, musicians and dancers. There, she gave her life to Christ.

Gina Nelson, director of drama at Hillcrest, also spent time in New York in the 1980s to work on her acting. She and Rutherford met at The Unbroken Chain and reconnected 10 years later at Hillcrest Church. Today they work closely together.

“I know I am walking in what God called me to do,” says Rutherford, who trains with about 10 adult praise dancers at Hillcrest each week.

Nelson echoes her sentiments. “I enjoy being able to coach people who have a love for drama but don’t have the skills,” she says. “That is very rewarding.”

Ministry or Entertainment?

In some Pentecostal and charismatic circles, there is still a stigma associated with the art form. Drama enthusiasts, however, believe the church should reclaim what rightfully belongs to it.

“I think people are afraid that drama is secular, and they need to be taught that it started in the church,” says Angela Coon, creative arts ministries director at Calvary Assembly of God in Dover, Delaware. “Look at the tabernacle. It is a drama in itself, and God was the first drama director.”

Kim Messer, product-line manager for Lillenas Drama in Kansas City, Missouri, says the church performed parts of the Bible many years ago to help educate people. “As the art form became adulterated when it was picked up by the secular community, the church became fearful of using that art form,” she explains.

Some churches simply think drama is inappropriate in the sanctuary. “It’s kind of like using drums or dance in the church, and probably a lot of the concern is generational or cultural,” Messer says. “What is appropriate in worship will always be debated.”

Ken Lee, an actor who plays characters from the Bible, became an ordained Assemblies of God minister years ago. One reason he sought ordination was to assure people that he wasn’t strictly “an actor performing in the church, but a minister of the gospel who uses theater as a way of ministering.”

“Many Pentecostal churches are still uncomfortable bringing in something just for entertainment value,” says Lee, who has ministered in 30 denominations in 40 states. “More and more churches are understanding that theater doesn’t just entertain. It also opens up the Word of God.”

The fact is, drama can be a very powerful ministry tool–whether performed for a “dramatic” nondenominational group or a subdued mainline congregation. “If you see a movie that impacts you, you will never forget that,” Venzke says. “When you put on a drama, people relate with the characters. They relax in their seats and get into it.”

Steve Pederson, director of drama at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, agrees.

“Drama has the power to make us laugh, move us emotionally or change us,” he says. “We know that the ultimate work in a person’s heart is the work of the Holy Spirit, but we like to think that we’re trying to create soil that is receptive. We’re trying to be partnered with the Holy Spirit so He can be alive and working.”

Willow Creek began incorporating drama into its services almost 28 years ago and today has one of the most celebrated drama programs in the country. Pederson, who earned a doctorate in theater, taught for 15 years at a Christian college in Iowa. Sixteen years ago he became Willow Creek’s drama director and has developed a program that has been mimicked by countless churches.

Unlike most churches Charisma contacted, Willow Creek prepares seven- to eight-minute sketches for every weekend service. The sketches don’t always mention God or Christ, Pederson says. Rather, the purpose is to “craft a moment” that will open people to the gospel.

Pederson believes the approach is sometimes misunderstood and that people think Willow Creek is doing secular entertainment to draw the masses. In reality, his goal is to get the audience to see themselves reflected in the characters. “We raise questions but don’t give answers,” he says. “It’s the preacher’s job later in the
service to address from a biblical perspective whatever that issue is.”

The Role of Church Drama

The experts continue to debate whether or not drama is an effective evangelistic tool. Dale Savidge, executive director of Christians in Theater Arts (CTA), believes drama asks questions very well, but he isn’t sure that it answers them well.

“Sermons answer questions much better than plays do,” Savidge says. “Plays allow us to dig into questions and can demonstrate conflict … but they often don’t resolve it as well as a sermon would.”

Coon says that at Calvary Assembly of God one of the primary goals is evangelism. “We’ve had hundreds of people saved through drama,” she says. The church uses drama occasionally to illustrate sermons, but most of their creative energy goes toward larger-scale productions each year.

Caron Loveless, creative director of Discovery Church’s arts ministry in Orlando, Florida, believes it is difficult to pinpoint the “single factor that affects someone’s salvation experience.”

“Usually, it’s a process. We see our drama ministry as one of the tools God uses to nudge them closer,” she says.

Discovery Church targets seekers on Sundays and uses drama once about every four to six weeks to illustrate a sermon. “We’re praying for seekers and hoping they will come,” Loveless says. “We believe in all the gifts of the Spirit and have places where all of them can be manifest, but we don’t have a typical charismatic weekend service.”

Messer of Lillenas Drama says some churches use drama simply as an outreach tool. A dinner theater held on a Friday night, for example, may attract people who would never step into a church for a Sunday service. “You may not even mention God in the play, and people in the community will come and get a new perspective on Christians wanting to have fun.”

In addition to being an outreach, drama is also an “inreach,” Messer says. It unites churches by bringing people together and “enables them to give back to God and other people.”

As churches become known for excellent drama, they will attract people who appreciate the art form–including artists who desire to use their gifts in the church. Bryan Coley, who attends Northpoint Community Church in Atlanta and is artistic director of Art Within (an Atlanta-based theater company), says excellence breeds more artists who want to be part of that environment. “The result is that the church becomes a magnet rather than a place that has no relevance to the artist.”

A Heart for Ministry

Churches that either don’t have a drama program or have one that isn’t well-developed should keep in mind that it takes a number of years to build a successful ministry.

“I think people want to go from nothing to something huge overnight,” says Coon, who started small with a children’s musical and grew a program slowly over the years. Today at Calvary Assembly there are at least two major productions a year, at Christmas and Easter, and the church’s performers do special events such as couples’ retreats.

Venzke suggests that if members of a church want a drama ministry, they should talk with their pastor about it. The important thing to remember is, drama may not align with a church’s mission.

“If your church does not have the talent needed to develop a program, ask God to send the right person to your church to start it,” she adds.

Pederson believes the senior pastor must have a passion for the use of creative arts in order for it to thrive. “Bill Hybels [senior pastor of Willow Creek] is one of the biggest cheerleaders we have,” he says. “That doesn’t mean we always see eye to eye, but he greatly embraces the arts and wants us to be a church where artists are encouraged and art can really flourish.”

Can art flourish in a church where the drama director doesn’t have professional training? Clearly not every church has a drama director with extensive theater background. Some community colleges offer courses that can help a person learn the techniques that theater artists use to create their art, Pederson suggests.

“The larger the church, I think the more sophisticated the actors need to be,” Loveless says. “People at larger churches tend to expect a higher level of excellence. The smaller the church, I think people are happy to be led by people with less experience.”

Venzke believes it is far more important to have a person who is enthusiastic about and committed to ministry than simply to have a gifted director.

Coon agrees. “The anointing makes all the difference,” she says. “While I strive for excellence, the anointing and flowing in unity are extremely important to me.”

Is the effort and commitment of time worth it? “I’ve often thought, Lord, what could You do if we spent as many hours praying as we do painting sets, sewing costumes, practicing the music and drama, and putting this together?” Coon says. “It is time-consuming and takes so much energy, but God has never released me from it. He has called me to do this.”

Without God’s calling, most drama directors would be apprehensive about using their skills in the church. When God opens the door, however, they discover that the rewards are immeasurable.

“When I left the academic world, I thought, Can I be fulfilled in a church where I can’t do classic plays like I had been doing?” Pederson says. “I’ve come to realize that the sketches we do are being used to impact lives for eternity. For me, Shakespeare’s great, but I feel very fulfilled doing the things we’re doing because I know the impact it is having on people’s lives.”

Likewise, Venzke is thankful she is able to combine her passion for art with her love for ministry. “Everything we do is centered on the character of God–learning who He is, who we are in Him, the life He has for us,” she says. “To be able to do that with drama is completely everlasting.”

These Christian performing-arts ministries can help you develop an evangelistic drama team.

Drama groups that present Christian productions across the country use different techniques and styles to communicate the gospel message. Here’s an overview of several.

Sidewalk Productions. Peace Child–a production developed by Sidewalk Productions, a division of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Montana–was launched in 2002. It is adapted from missionary Don Richardson’s true-life story of his family’s adventure into the jungles of New Guinea in 1962. The couple wonders how God will demonstrate His love for these tribal people, who revere Judas over Jesus. In the end, God provides the perfect analogy.

Cara Campbell, whose father was active in YWAM and participated in one of its popular productions, Toymaker & Son, about 12 years ago, is the director and producer of Peace Child.

She believes one quality of drama that makes it effective as an evangelistic tool is its capability to speak everyone’s language. YWAM may take Peace Child to South Africa this year.

Campbell’s vision for Peace Child is threefold: to testify of the love found in Jesus Christ; to reflect the glory of God through artistic excellence (the production meshes live music, multimedia, and high-energy stunts that include rock climbing, martial arts and gymnastics); to promote unity and relationships among the churches of each community.

Peace Child, Campbell believes, will attract those who don’t regularly attend church. With elaborate props and a cast of 17 dancers, the production is best suited for an actual performance venue, such as a theater, YWAM has found. Churches can partner to sponsor the team. For more information, call (406) 844-2669 or log on at .

Forecast Productions. Minnesota-based Forecast Productions is performing a family program this year called Get Back Up Again. The powerful program contains skits dealing with real-life issues that families in the church confront but often hide. Next year’s program will portray how TV families have influenced society over the years.

“Drama brings the audience in–they don’t feel like they are being ‘preached at.’ Before they know it, they are seeing themselves in a scene,” notes Stacey Delp, director of Forecast Productions. “By the end of the program, it has opened them up to receive ministry and to be challenged to take their family to greater depths.”

After a recent performance at Dominion Church in Arlington, Texas, many individuals and families went forward for prayer.

Delp grew up in an acting environment. She attended a performing arts high school in Toronto and as a teen pursued work in commercials. After a trip to Europe, God got her attention.

She heard about Christ for the Nations in Dallas and decided to enroll. She initially thought she would have to lay down her acting aspirations–she had no idea that God could use those skills.

She met Kevin Delp at Christ for the Nations, and eventually the couple got engaged. They decided during their engagement that they would start a cutting-edge drama company to minister to youth. In 1994 they incorporated the company, originally called In Sync, and began touring.

Today, Kevin pastors Life Church in the Minneapolis area, and Stacey trains students involved in the on-site internship program offered by Forecast Productions. For the first six months, the students learn how to become effective ministers. She also teaches them how to act, and they practice the skits for the program they will soon take on the road.

At the end of six months, the students tour. Typically, the group consists of four to six students and a team leader. They go into public high schools, as well as churches, where their message deals with character issues.

“It’s an intense internship because they have such a responsibility when they go on tour,” Delp says. “The students come in as young kids and leave incredibly mature and having changed for the better. I tell them all the time, ‘You have to realize there are families getting divorced, there are young kids getting beaten, and they need to hear our message.'”

In addition to performances, Forecast Productions also offers drama workshops so that “any size church can have an effective drama ministry and utilize it if they want to do illustrated sermons or do evangelism,” Delp says.

To contact Forecast Productions about being an intern or inviting the group to your area, call (952) 934-6533 or log on at .

Ken Lee Ministries. For the last 23 years, Ken Lee has presented one-man dramas geared toward winning the lost and edifying the saints. His portrayals bring the Bible to life.

“We’re losing the art of reading and using our own imaginations,” says Lee, who lives in St. Charles, Missouri. “I think my ministry opens up the Word for people and makes them want to get into the Word. After seeing a play like mine, it’s like reading about somebody you know.”

Lee believes there is a balance between media and the message. “A lot of publishing houses are scared to death to have too strong a message for fear it will limit the number of denominational groups willing to use the material,” he says. “They try to zero in on material that says little spiritually.”

Lee’s scripts have a direct spiritual impact. They are 30 minutes to 45 minutes long and can be ordered online at . To schedule, contact (636) 949-9099.

Plenty of resources are available for churches that want to develop their own drama ministries.

Church drama ministries require continual training and education. In addition to training from within, which consists of regularly scheduled group meetings, resources are available outside the four walls of the church. Many churches take advantage of conferences and specialties offered by several organizations in order to keep their drama ministries sharp. Here is a sampling of some of these resources:

Christians in Theatre Arts (CITA). Begun in 1987, CITA is a networking organization that helps connect its members with others who write scripts, author books about the philosophy of drama in the church or are involved in other aspects of theater arts. It has 1,000 members, about 70 percent of whom are involved in some type of theater ministry (church or parachurch).

CITA holds an annual conference each summer during which it offers classes related to church drama ministries. (This year’s conference was held June 18-21.)

CITA’s purpose is to encourage and equip. “Those who attend will walk away with a lot of practical material,” says Dale Savidge, executive director. For information about membership, log on at .

Lillenas Drama. Every February, Lillenas puts on a music and drama conference with numerous classes offered for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. About 1,000 people attended in 2003.

Lillenas provides the widest range of resources of any publishing company that produces drama resources, says Kim Messer, products manager. Products include sketches, plays, readers’ theater, drama-topic series, how-to books and more. More than 500 downloadable scripts are available on the company’s Web site, .

Also available is a free subscription to a drama newsletter that includes instructional articles, product information and mentions from people who send photos from their productions and tell what they did with a particular play. For customer service, call (800) 877-0700.

Willow Creek Church. In June, Willow Creek drew more than 4,000 people who serve in all areas of the arts to one of its conferences. Drama ministry will also be highlighted at the Chicago-area church’s Prevailing Church conference October 22-24.

There are numerous drama resources for different levels available from . In addition, this Web site has an extensive selection of scripts that can be downloaded.

Drama director Steve Pederson has written a book titled Drama Ministry: Practical Help for Making Drama a Vital Part of Your Church (available online) that provides information about how to build a drama team for the long haul, how to keep the team motivated, a realistic appraisal of what drama does well and should not be trying to do, and more. The book also includes practical instruction about staging techniques, training techniques, acting exercises and other elements needed for a performance.

Christian Faith Center. Create 03, a seminar track filled with classes on drama, dance, music and television, was part of Christian Faith Center’s larger Vision Conference held in March that attracted about 2,000 business leaders and pastors. A bigger and better conference scheduled for March 9-15, 2004, is in the works. (Casey and Wendy Treat pastor the 6,000-member Christian Faith Center in Seattle.)

Molly Venzke, creative arts pastor with the church, and her husband, Jay, who is involved with the technical aspects of drama ministry, provide consulting for churches interested in starting creative arts ministries or wanting to take their programs to the next level. For information or to inquire about purchasing scripts, send an e-mail to creativearts@.

International Christian Dance Fellowship. For the first time in its 15-year history, this organization will hold its annual meeting in the United States. The event will take place at Hillcrest Church in Dallas, July 6-12. Pamela Rutherford, director of dance at Hillcrest, serves as co-chair for the U.S. office. For information, visit or call Rutherford at (214) 402-9647.

. Web sites that offer scripts have been springing up in the last few years. One of these is . A $ subscription buys eight issues of a newsletter that contains helpful articles, three scripts and seven more that are accessible online from Drama Ministry. To order, visit the company’s Web site at , or call toll-free (866) 859-7622.

Dorothy Moore grew up in a world of chauffeurs, debutante balls and fine china. Today, she’s helping drug addicts and single moms in the worst parts of Dallas.
Throughout east Dallas, rows of run-down family businesses and dilapidated houses represent years of hopelessness and neglect. A quick-fix solution seems out of reach for many business owners and families. However, an unlikely crusader began targeting this community for good 16 years ago, and her efforts are paying off. Gang-related violence is down, the neighborhood schools are improving, and crack houses have been converted into homes for adults who are trying to change.

As president of Reconciliation Outreach, 66-year-old Dorothy Moore is living proof that God can use anyone to make a difference in the ‘hood, as she affectionately calls it. She left a life of luxury years ago and has no regrets. In fact, in inner-city missions Moore says she has found true happiness and her reason for being.

Moore’s upbringing hardly prepared her to work with the underprivileged. Her father, Harold Engh, made it through only eighth grade, but he quickly achieved the American dream by becoming president of the wire and cable company where he had once worked scrubbing floors.

Moore grew up in New York having her own chauffeur, chef and nanny. Her mother hired staff who had worked for prominent families so she could learn how to buy the socially appropriate silver and china.

During summers the Engh family spent time in Sycamore, Illinois, where Moore’s parents had been raised. Later, her father bought a company in Sycamore, and Moore attended school there for a couple of years.

“The chauffeur would take me to school, and I’d make him drop me off two blocks from school so the other kids wouldn’t see him,” recalls Moore, who didn’t want to be so different from her classmates.

As a teen, she went to a prestigious boarding school for girls and became a New York debutante. She studied opera in college before turning her attention to philosophy and psychology.

Despite her privileged upbringing, Moore gained a heart of compassion for others. “I think all my life I identified with people who had pain or lack,” she says.

In her early years, she would listen to their household staff talk about life’s difficulties. When she traveled from New York to Illinois, staff members Jonas and Cora couldn’t go into most restaurants because of their skin color. “That offense stuck with me strongly,” she says.

After college Moore moved to San Diego. There she worked for a radio station as a talk-show host and sang on the side. Although she dated sometimes, she wasn’t smitten until she met Bob Moore, a Navy lieutenant from west Texas.

“He was everything that a Texan should have been,” she says. “I had dated lots of boys who were caught up in social things and money. I really wanted a man whom I could respect the way I respected my father.”

The couple dated about six months and married in 1959. Because of their cultural differences, those early years were difficult. “You don’t change a spoiled brat overnight into somebody that learns to be a servant,” she admits about herself.

Experiencing God

After Bob graduated from the University of Texas Law School in Austin, the Moores spent a couple of years in Chicago. In 1974, Bob got an offer to work for an oil company in Dallas–and the timing couldn’t have been better.

Having gotten close to filing for divorce because of family problems, Dorothy was invited to a Christian seminar. She went–and experienced a life change.

“I got on my knees and made a commitment to Christ,” she says. “I had a total transformation and became deeply in love with Jesus.”

Moore immersed herself in the Bible and was closely discipled by a friend for four years. She joined Highland Park Presbyterian (an affluent church that has been very supportive of her inner-city work).

In 1975 Bob was asked to take a position in Houston. When the couple moved, Moore felt like she had lost everything. “I was taken out of a cocoon of love and training to a whole new situation. I was miserable,” she says.

Together they began attending St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, where there was an openness to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Though skeptical of the spiritual gifts at first, Moore says she “began to see that these people who were Spirit-filled were accomplishing things that were important.” She too wanted whatever the Holy Spirit had in store for her.

Moore continued to grow spiritually, and within 10 years she was teaching, speaking in churches and serving as president of a Houston chapter Aglow International that was trying to bring about racial reconciliation.

In 1985, the Moores moved back to Dallas, and they quickly got involved at Hillcrest Church, a nondenominational congregation of about 5,000 attendees today, pastored by Morris Sheets.

About a year after they returned to Dallas, Moore joined a team to pray in the inner city of east Dallas near downtown. Based on the group’s research, the area they had chosen had the highest crime rate in the city.

There the group set up a couple of tents: one for the adults, the other for kids. Cambodian and Spanish translators were on hand. Within four days, Moore says, the group had attracted a large crowd.

One night when Moore was speaking, some Asian Americans came forward to receive Christ. She motioned for help from the Cambodian translator, who quickly discovered these were Vietnamese, not Cambodians.

“We started to pray,” Moore says, “and for the first time in my life, this nasal language came out of me. I began to speak in an Oriental tongue, and the kids began to cry. They could understand what I was saying.”

After two weeks of tent ministry in east Dallas, the growing inner-city group became known as the East Dallas Crusaders for Christ. Sensing a need for a permanent presence in the inner city, Moore incorporated Reconciliation Outreach in 1987.

Rather than plant a church in the inner city, Moore decided to send the locals to Hillcrest every Sunday for training and discipleship. Hillcrest fully supported the decision. “This has been an effective way for the two groups of people to come together in relationships,” she says, “and it has supported me so I didn’t just get down there and die.”

Not surprisingly, there have been a few incidents with the children.

“You can’t take a child who has never been taught to say please and thank you and expect them to suddenly become nice, well-behaved church kids,” she says. “They will offend people. They will act in ways that are inappropriate in a north Dallas church.

“We’ve had some things happen that have been funny and some not so funny,” she adds. “But it has been healthy on both sides and brought a lot of friendship across the lines.”

According to Sheets, Moore is a visionary who is carrying out her God-given plan. “The dispossessed of Dallas are receiving emergency help and training through Reconciliation Outreach,” he says.

Feeling the need to establish a strong spiritual presence in the community, Moore launched an inner-city church in January.

“We still need the relationship with the suburban church and will continue to have it,” she explains, “but the sense of needing a church planted here in the inner city is very strong for us. Plus, getting 150 people in cars and buses every week gets to be very complicated.”

A ‘Holy Ghost Clean-Out’

For the first 10 years in east Dallas, Moore focused on youth ministry. Early on, she was amazed at the hunger these kids had for God and how free they felt to worship. “I think it was the first safe place many of these kids found where they could express what they felt and not be called sissies,” she says.

About five years ago, Moore began to build the adult program. Through generous donations from charities and foundations, the ministry has bought several run-down houses where drug deals previously took place. Volunteers from area churches and corporations such as UPS, FedEx and AT&T have helped repair the buildings and make them livable.

Two ministry homes, each with housemothers, are designed for women who are trying to get on their feet. Many of them have been addicted to drugs; others have been abused and need a safe harbor. Reconciliation Outreach also has three men’s houses, a children’s building and a day-care center. A new building containing 19 apartments is for individuals and families who need housing assistance until they can support themselves.

Chapel is held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at noon and at night. Willie Burnette leads many of the services and does a lot of the pastoring. Other programs offered at Reconciliation Outreach include share groups, personal-growth groups, prison ministry, after-school programs and business-skills classes. For many participants, one-on-one prayer time is critical.

“Most of these kids and adults live under what I call the ‘curse of generations,'” says Moore, who is involved in inner-healing and deliverance ministry at Hillcrest Church. She has presented her “Breaking Generational Curses” seminar in churches throughout Texas and in India, Romania and Indonesia.

“You don’t just put the gospel on top of other things. Many of these people have to have a ‘Holy Ghost clean-out,’ if you will. Then the gospel takes its rightful place and becomes the foundation of life itself for them,” she explains.

Women who live in the homes are required to gather for prayer every day at 6 a.m.; the men meet earlier to accommodate their work schedules. “We take them in our own vehicles to job sites,” Moore says. “That way the employers know they are safe in hiring them.” Reconciliation Outreach also provides drug-testing as an incentive to potential employers.

Moore acknowledges that it is difficult for inner-city residents to find jobs–partly because of the current recessionary economy but also because most of them are undereducated and underqualified, and some have criminal records.

“There are all kinds of reasons for an employer not to hire them,” she points out, “so we do everything we can–both in the spiritual and in the natural–to qualify them for jobs.”

Changing East Dallas

As Reconciliation Outreach continues to purchase neighborhood property, this community can’t help but change. “You don’t bring the presence of Christ and the body of Christ into a neighborhood without changing it,” Moore believes.

Approximately 80 percent of those who have gone through the organization’s six-month and one-year programs stay clean and are able to enter the real world. “It’s a long interview process to qualify,” she says, “and they are given every opportunity to make it.”

In 1999, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas honored Moore with an Unsung Heroines Award. She also has received a Dallas Independent School District award for her work with the district’s alternative program.

To prepare participants to live responsibly and more self-sufficiently, the staff of Reconciliation Outreach teaches them how to manage money and requires they establish a savings program so they will have money to take with them when they leave. They are also taught about such things as good health and nutrition.

“Some of the people who have gone through our program may stay close to us for the rest of their lives, but many go back to their homes and families,” Moore says. “We’ve had lots of homes restored, and a lot of children brought back to single moms who had been farmed out to Grandma. We teach the mother how to parent and the child how to get over some of the fears and abuse that went on in the homes before the parent came into the program.”

Moore started Reconciliation Outreach with $5,000. Today the annual budget exceeds $700,000. She says “public relations and being visible” make a difference in keeping the ministry alive. She also stresses the importance of building the trust of supporters.

“If people are going to give you money, you have to have an absolutely clean record. We use the same accounting methods that Billy Graham does, and they are gone over with a fine-tooth comb by the same people who do his books,” she says.

Reconciliation Outreach has eight full-time staff members. Other employees work on a stipend basis and receive free on-site housing.

Administrator Jacqueline Lucas went through the program almost four years ago. She didn’t have drug problems; she just needed spiritual peace. “I had everything I needed, but I was the most miserable person in the world,” she says.

“When I first went into the program, I thought, What is a woman like Dorothy doing down here?” admits 36-year-old Lucas. She quickly saw that Moore ,though firm, has a tender heart for helping others.

Although Moore hasn’t named a successor, two of her four children are involved in the ministry. Holly, who has a master’s degree in reading disabilities, works at the organization’s day-care center and tutors students. Clay oversees the ministry’s outdoor market, which contains new and donated items for raising funds and is a source of jobs for residents. Moore’s husband, a Dallas attorney, provides legal advice.

Almost 500 volunteers–many from local churches–work for the ministry in a year. Moore estimates that people from more than 50 churches helped in 2002. Internships also are available.

In addition to her inner-city ministry, Moore is active in the community. Dallas is filled with churches that have strong programs, but Moore sees a need for reconciliation across denominational lines. To achieve this:

* She is helping organize a service to be held April 12 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The event, Glorify Jesus, is a grassroots attempt to unify the body of Christ to pray for the city.

* Reconciliation Outreach has joined Christian Emergency Network and will serve as a site for grief counseling and CPR if a citywide emergency arises.

* The Moores and friends Ted and Betty Gellert recently purchased the Double D Ranch in nearby Mesquite, Texas, and intend to make the property available for Christian concerts and evangelistic events. This summer, Moore plans to partner with Campus Crusade for Christ to send local inner-city kids to the ranch for a Christian-camp experience.

Despite her full schedule, Moore shows no signs of slowing down.

“I think the whole concept of retirement is so far away from what the Scriptures teach,” she says. “The more you grow in Christ, the more you want to serve whatever He asks.”

As long as God wants her involved in missions work, Moore will be there. “I love what I do–I’m probably happier now than I’ve ever been in my life,” she says.

While noting that life isn’t pain-free for anyone, Moore wishes others could have the joy she has found. “I cannot guarantee others of being happy or always having the good life, but I would like to help them find the same joy I’ve found just by living Christianity,” she says. “It’s living it every day in such a way that you go home and feel satisfied.”

Out of Her Comfort Zone

Dorothy Moore could have settled for being a Dallas socialite, but instead she’s become an advocate for the poor.

It grieves Dorothy Moore that the church isn’t more involved in inner-city missions.

“My whole desire is to let Jesus be seen in the inner city,” says the founder of Reconciliation Outreach in east Dallas. “The church has pretty well retreated from her place of prominence in the inner city. We either became a social welfare agency that lost the power of the gospel and the Holy Spirit or we became so spiritually minded that we forgot that people who are hungry can’t hear the Word.”

In the past the church was vital to the community, but in general the government is replacing the church, says Moore, who doesn’t receive any government funding. If she receives federal funds she won’t be able to offer Bible studies.

Most of the money Reconciliation Outreach has received for its buildings and property comes from charities, foundations and corporations, not from churches. “I don’t think the church sees this in the same light as they see missions,” Moore says.

One church that sees the need is Creek Crossing Harvest Church, a multicultural congregation pastored by Dan Alemán in nearby Mesquite, Texas. Like Moore, Alemán has a heart for unity and helping people in need. In the future he would like for his members to volunteer on-site at the ministry.

According to Moore, many suburban churches have tried to plant churches or missions in the inner city but often without bearing much fruit. “The first thing the church needs to do is learn how to minister to the poor. If they’ve never done this, they risk being very naive, misused and hurt. They need to work with those who have had experience in it so they won’t make so many mistakes.”

Moore says she has learned from other groups. For example, she received some initial training at David Wilkerson’s Times Square Church in New York City.

She helped Victory Outreach find a house in Dallas years ago. While teaching their women, she learned a lot about drugs and inner-city problems. She also helped Youth With A Mission establish a house on the east side of the city.

The staff and volunteers of Reconciliation Outreach are willing to reach out beyond their borders to share things they have learned with other churches. “We want to be part of the picture of reconciliation–which is, to me, the reason we are here.”

Mom and Mentor

Dorothy Moore’s godly influence inspired Raul Magdaleno to turn his life around.

Raul Magdaleno, 22, has volunteered for dozens of nonprofit organizations–but never has he met someone like Dorothy Moore, founder of Reconciliation Outreach in east Dallas.

“She gives unconditionally without getting something in return,” he says. “She continues to fight the battle and never gives up.”

Magdaleno grew up in east Dallas and met Moore when he was 13 years old. Moore sent him to a Kids Across America camp, which changed his life. Later he became involved in clown ministry for Reconciliation Outreach.

Magdaleno describes Moore as the most “international” person he knows. “She doesn’t see color,” he says. Moore stood by him and his mother during a family crisis years ago and has become his “second mom” and mentor.

“Dorothy made me see Christianity from a different perspective,” he says. “She taught me the true meaning of the ‘joy of the Lord is my strength.'”

Moore encouraged Raul to pursue an education. He is the only one in his family of 10 who has graduated from high school. Today he attends college and works full time. He also has an internship at Reconciliation Outreach.

“If it had not been for Dorothy planting a seed in my life,” says Magdaleno, who continues to meet weekly with Moore, “I wouldn’t have made it. She was one of the main influences that kept me going.”

Magdaleno has contributed more than 28,000 hours of community service and was honored with the U.S. President’s Student Service Award in August.

As for the future, Magdaleno says he wants to “turn around and touch someone the way Dorothy has touched my life.”

“I’m just an example of one of the thousands of people who have been touched by this ministry,” he says. “I’m blessed that I’m able to give back.”

In spite of their experience as prisoners in Afghanistan, Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer are eager to return.

Imprisonment is not a familiar concept to most Christian women in the spotlight. For Afghan relief workers Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer, however, it was their 105-day imprisonment that put them in the spotlight.

While serving in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, Curry and Mercer helped people in need, from poor street kids to elderly widows lacking hope. On August 3, 2001, they were arrested separately by the Taliban after showing a film about Jesus on their laptop computer and reading a children’s storybook about Jesus in an Afghan home. Curry and Mercer landed in a Taliban prison along with four German and two Australian relief workers.

Despite the unsanitary conditions they lived in and the constant stress of not knowing what the outcome of their imprisonment would be, the American relief workers both indicate they wouldn’t trade their prison experience for anything.

“I know God let me be thrown in prison–it was His gift He was giving me,” says 25-year-old Mercer. “I feel like I am so much more free to be who God has made me to be and to run with the dreams I have in my heart that I think are from Him.”

Studying the book of Acts in prison put Paul’s message in a whole new perspective for Mercer. She saw that persecution was actually the catalyst for growth in the church.

“As I was studying Acts, I was thinking, How can I get out of this place?” Mercer says. “Paul was thinking, How can this experience build the church?”

Curry, 31, says the experience helped her trust God more than ever before. “He is sovereign and in control, and it was amazing to see the timing of everything. God had a perfect plan in all of it.”

Their imprisonment also had a huge impact on their home church, Antioch Community Church, in Waco, Texas. Pastor Jimmy Seibert helped establish round-the-clock prayer networks shortly after learning about their arrests.

“So many different church members have come up and said to me, ‘I’ve been changed as a result of praying for you and for the nations,'” Curry says. “I think the level of prayer has gone way up.”

Mercer adds: “I think it has made people more bold. One woman from church told me, ‘When you were in prison, it made me want to more boldly proclaim the name of Jesus because we knew you were being persecuted in the name of Jesus.’

“It’s so scriptural. When Paul was in prison, he talked about how he was thankful for his imprisonment because it empowered and strengthened the church to be the church.

“It also brought the reality check that this is [a] spiritual battle,” Mercer continues. “There are going to be casualties and injuries if we’re going to fight the spiritual battle. We can’t expect to win a war if we’re not engaged in the daily battles of life.”

A VISION FOR AFGHANISTAN
God gave Curry and Mercer a passion for serving the Afghan people after an exploratory trip there in the summer of 1998. Upon their return, the women made separate long-term commitments to do humanitarian aid work in Afghanistan.

“I came to see that God did not need someone with extraordinary gifts and achievements,” Mercer shares in the book they wrote after their release, Prisoners of Hope. “God assured me that if I would be committed to loving and serving with a soft heart, then even if my life seemed small in the eyes of the world, before God it would be great.”

The Baylor University grads hadn’t always been close to God. In fact, Curry confesses that during her teen years, she went through a rebellious season in which she experimented with drugs and even had an abortion.

As a college freshman, she had a spiritual breakthrough and knew, for the first time, that she was forgiven. God freed her from the pain and guilt that kept her from fulfilling His eternal purposes.

Mercer, a driven child, determined at age 8 that she wanted to become an astronaut. She set standards for herself that were nearly impossible to reach and faced a fear of failure.

As a high school sophomore, she went to a concert at her friend’s church and heard a man talk passionately about Jesus. That evening, she prayed the prayer of salvation, and Jesus became her center and purpose.

After moving to Waco, Texas, to attend Baylor, Mercer got involved at Highland Baptist, some of whose members founded Antioch Community Church in 1999. “There was something different about these people. They had such a huge love for Jesus that I hadn’t seen in other Christians I knew,” Mercer says.

Although a lot of people might refer to Antioch as a “missions-minded church” that is highly involved in international outreach, Mercer believes it is simply a New Testament church. “I would think that any church that loves Jesus is going to do missions,” she says, “because Jesus told us to go!”

Before moving to Afghanistan, Curry and Mercer went on other missions trips. Their service abroad increased their awareness of the physical and spiritual needs around the world.

After graduating from Baylor in 1993, Curry spent two years in Uzbekistan, once part of the former Soviet Union, where she taught new Christians. For the first time, she saw women fully covered in Islamic dress and learned a lot about another culture and religion.

While there, she received a visit from a young couple from her home church who were on their way to Afghanistan. After they left, Curry and her group began to pray regularly for Afghanistan.

In 1996, Curry returned to Waco and worked for nearly three years as a social worker in a school for troubled youth. However, she deeply desired to go back overseas and believed God was calling her to Afghanistan.

“Once you start to pray for a country, it gets on your heart,” she says. “Ultimately, I thought Afghanistan would be a place where I could do something as a single woman. My pastor encouraged me to get out there and see.”

Mercer had lived in three foreign countries and visited 11 others by the age of 12. “Because I’ve lived overseas as a child and traveled a lot, I’ve always had an affinity for other cultures and people,” says the adventurer.

Mercer took part in Antioch’s one-year training school, which ended with a two-month outreach in Turkey. It was the first time she had actually lived for an extended period of time in a Muslim context. She told God that if He would send her to someplace difficult, she would be willing to go.

“God was developing within me a heart for the poor,” she says.

God opened doors for her and for Curry to go to Afghanistan with Shelter Now. Curry arrived in August 1999, and Mercer joined the team in March 2001. She had completed only half the six-month language course in Dari when she was arrested.

Although she had served as a volunteer at the hospital and distributed food to Afghan families, Mercer was disappointed that her assignment ended so abruptly. Her dream was to “get inside the Afghan culture and become one of them as much as an American can become.”

THE DRAMA UNFOLDS
While in prison, the Shelter Now workers were allowed to read their Bibles and worship. They spent time praying for “whatever God laid on our heart[s],” says Curry. “Sometimes we would just have a ‘Love on Jesus’ night–worshiping and exalting God and not praying for anything specific.”

The United States began bombing Afghanistan shortly after the September 11 attack, and the Shelter Now workers were moved to another prison in Kabul. There, they lived with much fear and disruption.

Mercer says she became so emotionally exhausted that she had to make a choice: continue fighting fear or surrender to God and trust Him for the outcome. Once she surrendered to God, the grip of fear began to loosen, and she stopped putting her hope in the end result of their crisis.

“One of the Taliban officials we kind of had favor with shared that our government knew where we were, and that gave me some reassurance,” adds Curry. “But some of the bombs came really close. Every time I heard them, my stomach tensed up.”

On November 12, 2001, the Shelter Now workers were moved from Kabul–and they weren’t sure if they would make it out of the city alive. “Because everything was unraveling so fast with the Taliban, I thought, This is going to end soon one way or another,” Mercer says.

Their freedom was secured on November 15 as a result of a dramatic rescue effort conducted by the U.S. Special Forces. The six workers were flown to safety in Islamabad, Pakistan, before returning to their respective homes.

Mercer sees the purpose in their ordeal. “There was a huge sovereign plan of God to change Afghanistan, and we were in the middle of it,” she says.

Since their release, Mercer and Curry have had a whirlwind schedule. In addition to writing a book and releasing a CD, they have told their story to hundreds of groups and churches, participants at “Women of Faith” conferences and numerous journalists.

As for the future, these former prisoners hope to return to Afghanistan. Mercer acknowledges that she is thankful for the platform God has given her to share her miraculous story–but her dream is to serve the Afghan people, if God will reopen that door.

“Whatever the future holds, I am committed to serving the poor and making the name of Jesus known, no matter where God has me,” she says.

Curry agrees. “I’m more committed than ever about spending my life reaching the unreached,” she says. “I don’t feel that I was finished serving in Afghanistan, and Lord willing, I’ll be able to return.”

Through their nonprofit foundation and charity called Hope Afghanistan, Curry and Mercer plan to use the financial resources generated from their book, CD project and speaking engagements to support Christian relief and development organizations and people who are helping rebuild Afghanistan.

“The country still has tremendous needs, and we are excited to be a part of the rebuilding process,” Mercer says.

Two unknown American missionaries were rescued from a Taliban prison late last year. Now, with a new book out about their ideal, Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer are telling the world about Jesus.
When Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer signed up for an exploratory missionary trip to Kabul, Afghanistan, in the summer of 1998, they knew it wouldn’t be a vacation. Taliban forces had taken control of the city in 1996 and imposed strict rules on citizens and foreigners alike.

After visiting the country, both women made a long-term commitment to do humanitarian work in Afghanistan. “I came to see that God did not need someone with extraordinary gifts and achievements,” writes Mercer, 25, in the women’s recently released book, Prisoners of Hope, the story of their captivity and subsequent freedom. “God assured me that if I would be committed to loving and serving with a soft heart, then even if my life seemed small in the eyes of the world, before God it would be great.”

After earning degrees in social work, and German and physical education, respectively, the Baylor University graduates set out to do relief work. Curry had been in Kabul for more than 1-1/2 years when Mercer arrived in March 2001.

They partnered with Shelter Now Germany (SNG), a Christian relief and development organization committed to helping the poor. Antioch Community Church–a nondenominational church in Waco, Texas, founded in 1999–supported them with spiritual and pastoral oversight.

Curry, who is 30, and Mercer reached out to people of all ages, from poor street kids to elderly widows in need of hope. When they weren’t helping someone in need, they would regularly visit their Afghan friends in their homes. It was one of those visits that caught the attention of the Taliban.

The American women were arrested separately on Aug. 3 after showing a film about Jesus on their laptop computer and reading about Jesus from a children’s storybook in an Afghan home. They landed in a Taliban prison, along with four German and two Australian SNG workers.

In the aftermath of 9/11, the aid workers were moved to a high-security intelligence prison, also in Kabul. They hoped to finish their court proceedings before the United States started bombing Afghanistan, but the events of Sept. 11 stalled the process.

They received a very poor English translation of their charges from the Afghan Supreme Court in October that stated they had spread the “abolished religion of Christianity” among Afghans. Although their Pakistani attorney was optimistic about their case, Curry and Mercer were concerned about how it all would end–and the bombing didn’t help calm their fears.

On Nov. 12, the group was transported to Wardak and learned en route that Kabul had been taken by the Northern Alliance. They had missed their chance for freedom by 30 minutes. After an overnight stop near Wardak, the aid workers journeyed on to Ghazni (about 50 miles from Kabul), where they were taken to a prison.

Concerned that they might be headed to the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, the group banded together in prayer. Their prayers were answered that evening in Ghazni when an unknown, beardless man who supported the Northern Alliance burst into their prison carrying a machine gun and rocket launcher and told them they were free. But their battle wasn’t over.

Now released, the aid workers went to the home of a local Afghan family. The SNG group leader began making calls to U.S. officials, who explained a top-secret rescue plan.

Their pickup spot was a deserted airfield about the size of four football fields. Curry, Mercer and the six other workers went to the location late at night and waited by the flame of a small oil lamp for the U.S. rescue team. The helicopters passed overhead and missed them the first time around.

Most of the group began to question their safety and considered returning to town, but Mercer remained firm about staying. After finding matches in a co-worker’s purse, she set her head scarf on fire. The other women did the same with their head scarves and blankets.

The pilots saw the fire. Within minutes, the jubilant SNG workers were being flown to safety in Islamabad, Pakistan. Their ordeal of 3-1/2 months ended on Nov. 15.

Since then, Curry and Mercer have been traveling throughout the United States, sharing their story in churches, with reporters and at Women of Faith conferences. In the following interview with Charisma, they talk about their desire to reach the poor in Afghanistan, the stresses of being held hostage in a Taliban prison and
the growth they and their church experienced as they united in prayer.

Charisma: Why did you have an interest in going to Afghanistan?

Dayna Curry: I knew a family [who was doing relief and development work] in Afghanistan. We would pray for Afghanistan, and as you start to pray for a country, the Lord puts it on your heart. Over the years God had developed in me a heart for Muslim women. One out of every 4 or 5 women in Afghanistan is a widow. I had been working as a social worker in the school system and was longing to do full-time missions work. I wanted to see if I could handle such a strict Islamic society.

Heather Mercer: I lived overseas as a child and traveled a lot, so I’ve always had an affinity for other cultures and people. I told God, “If you will send me someplace where no one else wants to go, someplace that is hard, I’ll be willing to go.” Part of that is my own sense of adventure–I like a challenge. In addition, I was really stirred by Afghanistan, and God was developing within me a heart for the poor.

Charisma: How did you prepare for the trip?

Curry: I went through our church’s one-year staff training to learn specifically more about Afghanistan, and we did some team-building exercises. Also, I went to Colorado and took a few courses in Muslim studies.

Mercer: I also went through the one-year training school, which ended with a two-month outreach in Turkey. That was great because it was the first time I actually lived for an extended period of time in a Muslim context.

Charisma: What are your best memories of your work in Afghanistan?

Curry: It was a joy to help start a project for street kids and to train them by working with them up close. They felt like they weren’t on the street begging [but] were earning something and were so proud of what they were doing.

Mercer: Besides hanging out with the street kids, my favorite thing was to go to the hospital, visit patients and pray for them. When I would see street kids or women in the hospital, it was my great joy to get to love them and sit with them because I was getting to partner with Jesus in what He was doing.

Charisma: What was the hardest part about the missions work?

Mercer: Not having the freedom to really do all I wanted to in Afghanistan with the people. I wanted to live in a house with Afghans and get inside of their culture and become one of them as much as an American can become. It wasn’t easy to conform to the strict laws, even though we did not have to do so to its fullest extent.

Charisma: In Kabul, why did you risk visiting Afghan homes?

Curry: Our purpose was to build relationships and share Jesus. We wanted opportunities to share. People would ask us all the time to visit their houses, though they knew the dangers as well. You’re not going to experience Afghanistan unless you go into [Afghans’] homes. However, we didn’t go unless they asked us a whole lot.

Charisma: What would you do differently if you could do it all over again?

Mercer: There are probably a few I don’t think if we ever changed a thing it would have made any difference. There was this huge sovereign plan of God to change Afghanistan, and we were in the middle of it. During the interrogations, it was so hard to face the issue of how to answer the questions so as not to get any Afghan friends killed.

That was the thing that was the hardest for us. Dayna and I have decided we return to Afghanistan and talk to the people about Jesus, we should say, “If I’m ever questioned, I cannot lie for you.” That way we don’t find ourselves walking the fine line between truth and lie.

Charisma: Were you surprised the Taliban let you have Bibles and worship together in prison?

Curry: I probably wouldn’t have thought they would let us do that to the extent they did.

Mercer: However, it wasn’t illegal for us to be Christians. They didn’t typically put major restrictions on foreign Christians for practicing their faith.

Charisma: What were your daily worship services like in prison?

Curry: They were usually in our room. We shared different Scriptures and sang praise songs for about an hour. Sometimes there would be spontaneous prayer during the worship, but usually afterward we focused on prayer for Afghanistan, prayer for the Afghans in prison, prayer for America and our families–whatever God laid on our heart. Sometimes we would just have a “love on Jesus” night, where we worshiped and exalted God but did not pray for anything specific.

Charisma: Did certain books or songs minister to you in prison?

Mercer: I did a study in the book of Acts, could see that persecution was actually the catalyst for growth in the church. While reading about Paul’s suffering, I was thinking, How can I get out of this place? Yet Paul was asking, “How can my imprisonment build the church?”

God really brought some revelation to me about persecution. We sang…”There Is a Light in the Darkness”…a song of intercession for the Afghan people peace in the midst of literal darkness. The electricity is out, I’m lying in bed, there are bombs going off everywhere, and I’m singing, “There is a light in the darkness and His name is Jesus.” That was powerful.

We also sang a song called “History Maker.” In realized we had sung that song two days before we got arrested. There’s a line that says, “I want to be a history maker in this land,” and after we got arrested, I was thinking, This isn’t exactly what I had in mind!

Curry: I read the Psalms every day. Also, I had a Reader’s Digest book called They Beat the Odds put things in perspective and encouraged me to have a more thankful heart.

Charisma: How did you live in such close quarters and deal with tensions?

Mercer: Relationships were particularly hard for me. One time I was hurting over a relational issue. I started writing down Scriptures about forgiveness and all the reasons why Jesus didn’t have to forgive me but did. I didn’t have any excuse not to do the same thing. Relational issues had to be worked we were constantly living in a pressure cooker.

Charisma: In your book you talk about unsanitary conditions in prison that created some health problems.

Curry: We all got worms.

Mercer: It was highly unsanitary. I had to go through three rounds of medicine to get rid of the worms. I also got head lice.

Charisma: Were you concerned that the U.S. government might not be able to help you out?

Curry: I was surprised that our government did as much as they did. I didn’t expect help, because we went to Afghanistan at our own risk.

Charisma: What was your reaction to the English translation of the charges you received Oct. 4?

Mercer: The day they read them in court, they read them only in Dari. Our lawyer didn’t speak Dari. When we finally got them in was sobering, and it was also comical. The goal was not a fair trial. They knew what they wanted to do–and in my mind, it was to execute some of us.

Charisma: What was it like being so close to the bombing?

Curry: One of the Taliban us that our government knew where we were, and that gave me some reassurance. But some of the bombs came really close. Every time you heard the bombs, your stomach tensed up. I think it did more to our nerves than we realized.

Charisma: When you were taken from Kabul to Wardak and learned that you barely missed an opportunity for freedom, what was going on in your mind?

Mercer: Because everything was unraveling so fast with the Taliban, I thought, Either we’re going to get killed in Kandahar, or something’s going to break. It was a real bummer to think we were taken 30 minutes before everything fell apart in Kabul, and we might have been rescued. On the flip side, I didn’t want to be in a gun fight with the Northern Alliance trying to kill the Taliban so they could come and get us. The way it happened was actually the safest way.

Charisma: In Ghazni, what were your immediate thoughts when you learned you were free?

Mercer: At that moment, things were moving so fast we really didn’t have time to think about anything.

Charisma: Did you think it was a good idea to risk walking to an open field in Ghazni to be rescued?

Curry: For sure I wanted to go out there. But after it had been two hours and the helicopter had not spotted us, I thought the Afghans might try to shoot us.

Mercer: The U.S. military was spending millions of dollars to perform a top-secret, high-security rescue operation. It was a dangerous situation. We had several options: Stay there and potentially get killed, try to get out or possibly die if we went back. I felt that waiting for the helicopter was for freedom.

Charisma: Describe your mental or emotional state right after being freed.

Mercer: A lot of people said, “I saw you at the press conference, and you guys looked so great and happy.” After coming out of 105 days in a Taliban prison, all we could feel was sheer joy. We were finally free, and I was so thankful.

Curry: I think I’ve gone through some culture shock, mainly because people put us in such nice places, and I still don’t feel totally comfortable with that after having seen such poverty in Afghanistan.

Charisma: In what ways has your experience changed you?

Curry: I trust God more than before. He’s sovereign and in control, and it was amazing to see the timing of everything. God had a perfect plan in all of it.

Mercer: I feel like I am so much more free to be who God has made me to be than I ever was before prison. I am more free to run with [my] dreams. I’ve also learned more about the grace of God. I don’t have anything except Jesus–everything is filthy rags.

Charisma: Would you do it all over again?

Curry: Yes–we realize it was an incredible be part of this huge move of God.

Mercer: Without question I would do it all again. Prison was the greatest privilege of my life–God’s blessing to me. We had the privilege of being a part of God’s changing history in Afghanistan. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Charisma: How did your imprisonment influence Antioch Community Church?

Curry: So many different individuals have come up to me and said, “I’ve been changed through praying for you guys [and] for the nations.” I think the level of prayer has gone way up. Also, I sense that we have more of a focus for things that are eternal and that really matter.

Mercer: I think it’s made people more bold. One woman from church told me, “When you were in prison, it made me want to more boldly proclaim the name of Jesus.” It is so scriptural. When Paul was in prison, he talked about how he was thankful for his imprisonment because it empowered and strengthened the church to be the church.

Charisma: What have been some of the highlights since you’ve returned?

Curry: There have been so many. We got to take part in a Bible study at the White House. Heather did an awesome talk on the poor, and I brought my guitar and handed out worship sheets, and we had worship. We had a spontaneous prayer time, and the prayers the staff prayed were so heartfelt. The room was packed out, and it was encouraging to know there are people in the White House who love Jesus.

Mercer: In general, seeing how our testimony has impacted young kids has been amazing. A 9-year-old girl came to hear us speak in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Afterward, her aunt asked Dayna and I, “Would you please pray for my niece?” The young girl thought God was calling her to go overseas. We laid hands on her and prayed for her, and she just started sobbing. It was so precious to see a young heart break for the things that break God’s heart.

Charisma: What do you think the future holds?

Curry: I’m more committed than ever about spending my life reaching the unreached. I don’t feel that I was finished serving in Afghanistan, and Lord willing, I’ll be able to return.

Mercer: I believe it’s taking a different shape than I expected. I can say for myself that I don’t think the Afghanistan chapter is over yet.

Two unknown American missionaries were rescued from a Taliban prison late last year. Now, with a new book out about their ordeal, Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer are telling the world about Jesus..

After years of running humanitarian-aid projects in Afghanistan with the approval of the Taliban regime, Georg Taubmann, director of Shelter Now–a Christian nongovernmental organization based in Germany–and seven of his international co-workers were suddenly arrested in Kabul in August 2001.

The charges were false, or unsubstantiated, and for a month Taubmann had no answer for why the Taliban had suddenly turned against the Shelter Now workers. Not until Sept. 11, when news of the terrorist attacks in New York reached the Kabul jail.

“The understanding dawned upon me that the leading Taliban had known long in advance what would happen in Manhattan and needed us as hostages and human shields against the expected U.S. retaliation,” Taubmann told Charisma.

The group’s defense lawyer, a Muslim trained in Islamic shariah law, concluded the same. “You have not committed a criminal offense,” he told Taubmann. “I realize you are here as hostages.”

Taubmann claims the hostage status was later confirmed to him by befriended senior Taliban officials, who told him the order to arrest Shelter Now staffers came from Taliban leader Mullah Omar, Osama bin Laden’s father-in-law.

In November, upon losing control of Kabul, the Taliban attempted to move the Christians south to Kandahar, but en route they were liberated by local Afghans and, after much drama and tremendous trauma, airlifted to freedom by the U.S. military.

“The pressure in the last hours, when it seemed the helicopter pilot could not spot us and would leave again without us, was the worst part of the 105 days of imprisonment,” Taubmann recalls. “We are deeply grateful to the U.S. government for sending some of their best men to our rescue.”

Taubmann and his wife, Marianne, moved from Germany to Pakistan in 1984 to work among Afghan refugees, then from Pakistan to Afghanistan two years ago. Their work over two decades has been dedicated to the numerous victims of the 1979-1989 Soviet-Afghan war and the fluctuating civil wars. German President Johannes Rau honored Georg Taubmann this year for his long service in Afghanistan.

Shelter Now Germany, the organization Taubmann leads and former American hostages Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer worked with, is a separate entity from Shelter Now International. The German group is the largest relief organization operating among Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Its charge includes the complete food distribution for the U.N. relief agencies UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and WFP (World Food Programme).

The organization’s work in Afghanistan since 1988 has included operating factories that manufacture construction materials, drilling wells, feeding street children and erecting houses. It was registered with the Pakistani government in 1983, the Afghan government in 1993 and the Taliban regime in 1998. In general, its presence has been well-received and respected.

“Many Muslims respect Christians who are truly committed to the One God and the Holy Book–as they put it–and to godly morals,” Taubmann says.

But fundamentalist Muslims repeatedly accused Shelter Now of engaging in forbidden “religious proselytism” and, in particular, buying converts with charity. The Shelter Now staffers arrested in Kabul in August 2001 were charged with proselytism.

“Two team members had been asked repeatedly by a Kabul family to show the Jesus movie in their home, and eventually did–off-duty and using a private laptop,” Taubmann explains. “It turned out to be a trap. Eight of us were rounded up and threatened with the death penalty.”

All internationals on the Shelter Now team are believers, but Taubmann denies the staff was involved with what the Taliban called proselytism and that they ever paid people to convert to Christianity.

“The vast majority of our workers are local Muslims, and when the Taliban claimed that we had offered them money and pressured them in other ways to convert, not one of them agreed to testify against us–simply because the accusations were groundless,” he says.

“Our policy under the given circumstances is to give personal answers to personal questions, which is not against the law. Even so, there are very many opportunities to speak about Christ and the Bible, and to share the gospel, because in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan people are deeply religious. They talk about religion the way Germans talk about sports and politics, and ask questions without [being prompted].”

In the Kabul prison the eight believers kept a strict routine of daily worship, proclamation and intercession.

“On the one hand it was a matter of staying sane and not panicking,” says Margrit Stebner, another German team member and former Kabul hostage. “We actually prayed more for Afghanistan than for ourselves because we sensed that that was the meaning of it all.”

Taubmann adds that news of the captivity of his team triggered an “incredible and long overdue wave of prayer” for Afghanistan and that in the end 2001 brought about a real change in Afghanistan after 23 years of war and oppression.

He emphasizes that a majority of the Afghans greeted the American intervention with joy. “I witnessed the cruelty of the Taliban against their compatriots,” he says. “There were many Afghans in the prisons praying to Allah five times a day that the Americans would overthrow the Taliban!”

Taubmann and his family returned to Kabul in June.

“Our family lost everything to the Taliban a year ago, and Shelter Now lost most of its Afghani resources,” Taubmann says. “But Afghanistan is where God wants us to be.”
Tomas Dixon in Germany

The call to prayer began at 5:45 a.m. All over the city people already were stirring, starting their day and, through this prayer, showing their allegiance to Allah and his prophet Muhammad. It would be the first of five prayers repeated every day. Since the days of the Ghaznavid Dynasty (A.D. 962- circa 1149) the people of Afghanistan have committed themselves to Islam.

From my kerosene-heated room in a Kabul guesthouse I committed my day, Feb. 16 of this year, to the risen Lord. The roosters began to crow, and the sun eventually brought to light the beautiful snow-capped mountains surrounding a city being reborn from the ashes of destruction, terror and war.

For the last 23 years, Kabul–once described as the European center of Central Asia–has been systematically destroyed by war. First the Russians, then various mujahadeen factions, then the Taliban and most recently the U.S. military have taken their turn at leveling historical sites, water-purification plants, universities, theaters and homes.

Having been to other war-torn nations–Israel, Vietnam, the Soviet Central Asian Republics and the killing fields of Cambodia–I mistakenly thought I would be prepared for what confronted me. I was wrong.

By the end of day one in Kabul the impact of the devastation pushed me toward the edge of emotional shock. Each subsequent day compounded the impression, and I found myself saying under my breath, “How do these people find the courage to even get up in the morning?”

I still find it difficult to accurately describe in words the images permanently affixed in my mind. The damage done in nearly every sector of life comes close to the word annihilation.

Yet, I found the people of Kabul to be joyful in the midst of despair, hoping for a brighter future and a restored city. The life on the faces of young boys and girls, teenagers, mothers, soldiers and elderly men spoke of a courageous and indomitable spirit that transcended their current circumstances.

Later in the day I was driven down a dirt road where thousands upon thousands of makeshift graves with small unmarked and uncut stones covered the hillside. The human toll from war was so vast there wasn’t even an entrance to this cemetery.

Out of respect, I carefully walked between each stone and made my way up the hillside to what seemed to be an abandoned village. Bombs had left nothing but ruins.

Then I saw them. The little children came out from the walls, laughing and talking. Their joy was unstoppable as they ran through the graveyard.

I took a moment to look across the rubble to the rolling hills of the dead. In my spirit something said, “Can these bones live again?” [See Ezekiel 37]. I saw children refusing to give up hope and women carrying water to their homes among the ruins.

After a few minutes, a Mr. Karim came up to me and began a conversation in nearly perfect English. He had a blanket-style shawl wrapped around him for warmth. With a big smile and great pride he said, “Thank you for coming to our country.”

We chatted for a few minutes. His father had died in the mujahadeen conflicts in 1992, and he and his mother survived with no means to earn a living.

We said our goodbyes, and I stood on the hillside among the haphazardly placed stone monuments. The buoyant heart of Mr. Karim had answered my question–yes, these bones can live. I whispered a prayer on the way back into town, “God, I pray today that you would raise up a generation of people, from every walk of life, to do their part and breathe life back into this nation.”

Why is Afghanistan a strategic nation in God’s eyes? For centuries Afghanistan and its people have been in the middle of what historians refer to as the “great game,” a struggle for political power among Russia, China, Great Britain and the United States.

Strategically located along the ancient Silk Road, the country promises more than natural gas, precious gems and a hard-working people. It is the passageway from East to West. Since the days of Christ, the world’s great economies and religions have passed through Afghanistan to span the continents and influence civilization.

However, the real “great game” may not be political but spiritual. Perhaps Afghanistan is part of a larger plan God is orchestrating.

From China, down the Pacific Rim to Indonesia, thousands of believers are praying every day for the fulfillment of a prophecy given in China more than 50 years ago. The words were simple yet powerful–God would raise up a spiritual army to walk the Silk Road, traveling from Asia west (through Afghanistan) and across the Muslim world en route to Jerusalem, bringing people to Jesus.

God loves the peoples of Afghanistan. He longs for them to know Him, and He wants to heal their land and restore it in righteousness.
Eric Watt in Kabul, Afghanistan

Like aftershocks from a killer earthquake, the pangs of the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster linger. In New York, police, fire, emergency medical services, recovery personnel and victims’ families are still dealing with the enormity of the event.

Many of the city’s churches and pastors are stepping up to the plate, evangelizing and meeting spiritual and emotional needs.

“I have a renewed sense of urgency of wanting to share Christ with others,” says Paul Schooling, pastor of singles, evangelism and small groups at Gateway Cathedral on Staten Island. A volunteer chaplain at Ground Zero, he ministered at the Staten Island recovery operation that took place at the Fresh Kills landfill from last September until its official end in mid-July.

Designated a crime scene, the landfill contained 105,000 truckloads of debris from Ground Zero. Teams of New York City police officers and agents with the FBI, Secret Service and FEMA sifted though the rubble searching for body parts–fingers, hands, ears, teeth.

Mountains of charred steel beams, wall sections, window frames and pieces of office equipment were fed through conveyor belts and sifting stations. Schooling and other chaplains roamed the entire site making themselves available to recovery personnel.

“We let them share what [was] going on in their lives,” he says. On one of Schooling’s visits, an FBI agent requested prayer for his troubled marriage upon hearing Schooling ask if he could pray for anything.

Some of the recovery people called the landfill a death zone. Under a canopy in the final search area, they crawled on all fours to scour dirt and rubble. They cataloged earrings, tie tacks, wallets–any personal effects that could be linked to victims.

On another of Schooling’s tours a crane operator maneuvering a steel beam screamed upon discovering a severed leg on the beam. The operator cried hysterically and was rushed away by EMS personnel.

Chaplains distributed Bibles and other gospel literature freely, a service that was prohibited at Ground Zero. One worker who had recently become a Christian told Schooling: “I can see now how God can use bad help other people. I felt so secure… that I didn’t want to know anything about God.” He now attends a local evangelical church.

Staten Island has paid a heavy toll from the WTC disaster. Of the 183 residents who lost their lives, 72 were firefighters.

“The magnitude of this disaster makes it so you can’t process the deaths of that many guys,” says Warren Haring, recently retired NYFD fire marshal. “I am also in denial when I think of the people I knew who have died.”

Haring, a born-again Christian, and two local pastors recently launched Bridge of Hope (BOH), an outreach to families traumatically affected by 9/11. Programs include a mental health newsletter, counseling center, conferences, summer camps for victims’ children and a network to coordinate events among churches. In April BOH volunteers delivered pizzas and 1,800 CDs about a free marriage-encounter weekend to every police and fire station on Staten Island.

Chaplains continue to make a difference. Dan Schafer, a police chaplain and pastor of Calvary Assembly of God, Hightstown, New Jersey, worked a 12-hour weekly shift counseling New York Port Authority police through May. He still conducts memorials.

“Police, fire and recovery people are still hoping against hope that they will find the remains of their loved ones and brother officers,” he says. Resistance to the gospel has softened, he adds. “Everybody realizes that they are just living for today. There is no assurance for tomorrow.”

Uniformed personnel need special help, according to John Carlo, pastor of Christian Pentecostal Church in Staten Island and a retired New York City police captain. Police officers and firefighters are reluctant to seek counseling from their departments. “Once you ask for counseling, you are marked,” he notes. His church offers confidential counseling to get around this roadblock.

Victims’ families still suffer pain, as is evident with William Vazquez, whose brother Arcangel worked on the 97th floor of the WTC’s South Tower and died in the second attack of 9/11. “Sometimes I freak out,” he admits. “I can’t watch news programs of the planes crashing. I have to trust God in times of trouble.”

Because the pain will continue, efforts at deeper, more long-term ministry work have just begun.

On March 28, Glad Tidings Tabernacle (Assemblies of God) in Manhattan coordinated a concert called Night of Encouragement for 2,800 police officers, firefighters and their families at Carnegie Hall. Each person received a bag containing Christian literature and a Jesus video. Glad Tidings just opened a counseling center two blocks from Ground Zero to help New Yorkers cope with post-traumatic stress
disorder.

The Northeast Clergy Group, formed from the Ground Zero Task Force, is organizing an infrastructure for the long-term healing of the city, reports Ricky Del Rio, pastor of Abounding Grace Ministries in Manhattan. The interdenominational group of 250 pastors will train clergy in counseling and offer practical aid to victims’ families who will feel the repercussions of 9/11 for many years.

Says Del Rio: “They need to know somebody loves them.”
Peter K. Johnson in New York

After a difficult public divorce, Melva Lea–former wife of Larry Lea–is starting over with a fresh understanding of God’s ability to restore.

Although she has experienced personal tragedy during the last decade, Melva Lea shows no visible signs of battle scars. Her countenance is free of bitterness and pain, and she walks with confidence and excitement.

“The devil won a battle–but he’s not winning the war,” says the vivacious 51-year-old, who recently released her first CD, Oh, How I Love Him.

Today, Melva is helping her son, John, plant Life Church in Rockwall, Texas–the Dallas suburb where she and her former husband, Larry Lea, began Church on the Rock in 1980.

For now, Life Church meets at a local middle school. Melva teaches an adult Sunday school class and is putting together the children’s ministry. She hopes to minister also to people who are suffering, drawing on the lessons she says she has learned firsthand.

“I want people to know that the depths of grace that healed me and the depths of prayer it took to help break me through are available to them,” she says.

Melva says she has never doubted God’s ability to heal and that she has seen His love in action all her life. She grew up in a stable Baptist home in Jacksonville, Arkansas, a small town outside Little Rock. Her dad was a letter carrier, and her mom worked in the office at a local school. In the late 1960s Melva attended Dallas Baptist University, where she met Larry Lea.

After they married in May 1972 Larry became youth pastor at Beverly Hills Baptist in Dallas–one of the first Baptist churches involved in the charismatic movement. A year after his arrival the youth group had exploded from 40 to 1,000. Melva suddenly found herself ministering to young people who were involved in the drug culture and yet searching for spiritual answers.

In 1979 Larry and Melva moved with their three children to Kilgore, Texas, and Larry became an itinerant speaker for 18 months. While in Kilgore, Melva says, God gave Larry a special prayer message that, in time, would become widely circulated.

Melva says God spoke to Larry in 1980 about moving to Rockwall to establish Church on the Rock. He answered the call, and they began the church with about a dozen people.

During the height of their ministry in the mid-1980s, the home church had 5,000 in attendance, and thousands of people flocked to the three other churches Larry had planted in other parts of Dallas.

Larry wrote Could You Not Tarry One Hour? in 1986, and it quickly became a best seller. Within a few years, he had raised up and registered 370,000 prayer warriors who believed in his prayer message.

In November 1991–about a year after the Leas left Church on the Rock to focus on international ministry–Larry publicly came under fire. On ABC-TV’s PrimeTime Live, co-host Diane Sawyer grilled Larry about his TV fund-raising appeals and the homes he owned, among other issues.

Although Larry attempted to make things right after the exposé, says Melva, the stressful events set in motion by the television interview led him into a deep depression that he couldn’t seem to shake. Things went from bad to worse.

“In the beginning I naively thought life was all about trying to live right, and nothing bad would happen,” she says. Instead, she discovered that life can take unexpected turns.

In the Q-and-A that follows, Melva talks candidly with Charisma about some of her trials and how the Lord has helped her heal and rebuild.

Charisma: What was your personal reaction to ABC’s PrimeTime Live exposé involving your former husband, Larry Lea, in 1991?

Lea: I was devastated. Before Larry did the interview, ABC told him that many people considered him to be the next Billy Graham and that the interview was going to be about “the new generation of preachers.” When he got to the studio, they completely changed the angle. From Diane Sawyer’s first word, the air just went out of the room. It was horrific.

We later were contacted by a senator who told us that the program was an ambush for a political agenda–to take down a huge voting block of right-wing conservative voters.

Charisma: How did friends and church members respond?

Lea: We were living in Tulsa [Oklahoma] when the interview aired. Church members [from Church on the Rock] and friends were wonderful. What was devastating to me was that so many people in the body of Christ believed what they heard from a secular news reporter rather than believing someone who taught them how to pray and commune with God. For the most part everyone looked at us like we had leprosy.

After the interview we formed a committee of pastors to examine our practices. We invited EFICOM [Ethics and Financial Integrity Commission, a branch of the National Religious Broadcasters that certifies financial accountability] to come in and look at everything. One EFICOM member, who was a federal judge and clearly didn’t like Larry, told him, “If I find anything wrong, you’re in trouble.”

Larry opened up everything to him. A few days later this man returned and said: “You have grounds to sue. There is absolutely nothing true about any of [ABC’s] allegations.”

Perception is everything, though. The damage had already been done. It destroyed our credibility.

Charisma: Were your children aware of the interview?

Lea: We knew it was going to air and it was going to be ugly. We were ministering in Florida and told the children not to watch it. Of course, they did. We were living in the compound at Oral Roberts University at the time.

As soon as the program was over, the phone rang. It was Richard Roberts. He told the kids, “You all come over right now.”

They did, and he and his wife, Lindsay, loved on all three of our kids. [Richard] assured them: “You all will live through this. My father has been criticized for years and years, and my family has suffered through all of it. I’m still alive, and you’ll be alive, too.”

I’ve never been so grateful.

Charisma: It seems that Larry wanted to make things right. Why didn’t things turn around for the better?

Lea: Things started to spiral because Larry went into a deep depression. While in Tulsa, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which can be triggered by stress. Unfortunately, medication was inadequate to deal with the problem.

Though Larry was very depressed, we would get him dressed, and he would get on a plane and go preach. Whenever he would stand up in the pulpit, the anointing would be there, and he would preach like a man from another world.

Charisma: Were you concerned that he was in the pulpit at that point?

Lea: We didn’t know anything but ministry, and it was the only thing that gave him life.

Charisma: Looking back on it now, do you wish someone had encouraged him to take time out for healing and restoration?

Lea: At that time I don’t think it would have made any difference, because very few people–even those in the medical profession–understood bipolar disorder. But now in the charismatic church we need some kind of plan for restoration because we don’t do it very well.

The thing about the ministry is, it’s difficult for a wife or husband who is having trouble to ask for help. Who are they going to go to? They can’t go to their congregation, and unfortunately the friendship level among leadership isn’t always trustworthy. You tell someone you’re in trouble, and it’s going to go all over the world.

Charisma: Why did you move to San Diego in 1994?

Lea: Larry got a call from a pastor there who was ready to retire and asked him to come and take the church.

Charisma: When you arrived in San Diego, how was your marriage?

Lea: It was hurting. Larry had just been through a major nervous breakdown, and we were both totally spent.

By the time we moved to California the bipolar condition had swung to the opposite extreme–moving from a “fetal” position to a “grandiosity” position. On this end of the spectrum a bipolar individual’s conscience is weakened. Their behavior can be horribly destructive.

It took a while to get the right professional help and medication, and by then negative patterns were already established. Bipolar disorder is no excuse for sin–but people without this disorder don’t usually go to these extremes.

On the other hand, if you look at it from the spiritual side, any individual who would impact the body of Christ with such a deep message is a real target for the enemy.

Charisma: You and Larry were in marital counseling for several years. Why wasn’t it successful?

Lea: Larry had met someone else, and his heart was divided. We moved back to Texas in 1998. I really thought it might help, but it didn’t.

Charisma: It seems that his teaching on prayer would have affected his own life more deeply.

Lea: Actually, I believe what he learned to appropriate in prayer saved his life. The revelation that the Lord gave him on prayer was the only thing that gave him any sense of sanity or stability.

Charisma: Larry soon filed for divorce, and in April 1999 it was officially over. How did you feel?

Lea: The summer after our divorce I thought I was going to die. I had hoped that Larry and I might get back together–but shortly thereafter he remarried.

Charisma: Who stood by your side?

Lea: I had some wonderful friends who didn’t budge an [who] saved my life. What’s amazing is that the Lord took me right through this healing process in about six months. Those around me knew it was real; the work was so thorough. I was able to deal with my own issues, forgive and genuinely love.

Charisma: During this crisis what did you do to occupy your time?

Lea: During the divorce, I went to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth and studied counseling. After the divorce pastor Benny Hinn called and asked if I would like to sing for his crusades. He graciously gave me the opportunity to travel with his ministry for over a year.

The opportunity to minister in that arena again was tremendously healing. To be in that anointing was life itself.

Simultaneously, I began an intensive study of the book of John. The revelation of Jesus during this time was the most profound experience of my life.

Charisma: What is your personal feeling about divorce?

Lea: I hate it. It is terribly destructive for everyone involved. But my greatest source of grief was knowing the negative impact this would have on the body of Christ.

I was absolutely, totally against our divorce. I loved Larry. I did not want it and did everything I knew to keep it from occurring. It’s one of the few things in Scripture God says He hates.

It doesn’t mean Larry and I aren’t compassionate and kind toward one another or the children. Our lives are being redeemed. It doesn’t mean Jesus isn’t a great Redeemer or that He won’t redeem your life from destruction. But there is a huge cost, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Charisma: Why are there so many divorces among Christian leaders?

Lea: I don’t know what’s going on in the whole body of Christ, so let’s just talk about the charismatic movement.

It was birthed in the middle of the Vietnam-hippie era. Some of that attitude against authority bled over into the government of our churches. For the most part we were independent churches with little accountability.

Also, there were not many “fathers”–and when there are no fathers, sons and daughters will do pretty much whatever they want to do. The few fathers we did have we put on such pedestals that they couldn’t be fathers.

Charisma: How has your experience given you compassion toward others?

Lea: I have a deeper empathy. In every home, in every person’s life, sooner or later there’s going to be trouble on this planet. “Stuff” happens. But Jesus said: “Cheer up! I’ve overcome! Stick close to Me, and I’ll show you the way through.” He’s the only one who can touch that place deep inside that hurts so badly. I want everyone to know how tender and kind and personal Jesus is.

Charisma: How have you changed?

Lea: Hopefully I understand more fully that in my flesh dwells no good thing–and that apart from the grace of God working in my heart I am a wretched individual who is capable of all sorts of evil if put in the wrong circumstances. I need mercy, and so does the next guy. God alone is righteous in judgment.

Charisma: Do you believe that if Larry had been prescribed the appropriate medication earlier it would have saved your marriage?

Lea: Yes.

Charisma: Does the church, as a whole, understand depression and mental illness?

Lea: No, for the most part there has been much ignorance concerning it. We’ve often counted it as sin or demon possession, and it doesn’t have to be either one. Unless it touches a believer or someone close to them, most Christians don’t want to deal with it.

Charisma: How should Christians treat mental illness?

Lea: I think it should be treated compassionately. Nobody understands that level of pain unless they have experienced it. A person suffering in this way should be encouraged to seek compassionate, professional help.

Charisma: You seem to be excited about planting another church in Rockwall, Texas. Isn’t it difficult to start over there, and what has God specifically called you to do?

Lea: For the last six years the Lord has been speaking to me about Rockwall. And for about the last year and a half He has been speaking to me more distinctly out of Isaiah to rebuild and restore.

I understand that what God did in the 1980s is over. I don’t live in the past. This is a brand-new day, and the Holy Spirit is doing something right now. But this area is sacred to God.

In 1950, the year I was born, Kenneth Hagin prophesied over this region. There are so many churches out here now, and many of them came out of Church on the Rock. There is such [an] aroma of worship arising to [God] from this place.

For the past year God has been speaking to me about gathering those who have been called to pray, and I will begin doing that here in Rockwall. Instead of praying our own agenda we will wait to hear our assignments from God.

Charisma: What emotions do you feel when you drive past the former Church on the Rock building [now home to Lake Pointe Baptist]?

Lea: Several years ago we went back through the building. I absolutely cried my eyes out. The sense of loss was overwhelming. At the same time I had a sense of awe of what happened within the walls of that building. Now, there is no pain, only gratitude.

And speaking of gratitude, most days that’s what I feel toward Larry. Outside of my parents, he has had the most impact on my life for God. He introduced me to the Holy Spirit.

Larry never quits. Even in the midst of the most terrifying nervous breakdown he didn’t quit praying. He’s a courageous man, and I pray and believe that he’ll have yet another opportunity to positively impact the kingdom of God.

Charisma: Does your son, John, ever feel pressured to be like his father?

Lea: Anybody who serves under John’s leadership understands that he is not called because of his daddy. He isn’t trying to resurrect something. He has a divine commission from God that he takes very seriously.

Charisma: Would you ever remarry?

Lea: I would enjoy loving somebody–I just give it to my children and congregation now. If I could serve the Lord with we could be better together than separate, then, yes, I would love to be married.

Carol Chapman Stertzer is a Dallas-based writer. She served as assistant editor when Charisma reported on the PrimeTime Live exposé in February 1992.

Cancer patients from around the world are looking to a Mexican doctor–Francisco Contreras–whose Christian hospital challenges conventional medical wisdom

After an unsuccessful round of chemotherapy, Marta Fenyö of Budapest, Hungary, looked into other health-care options. A victim of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, 53-year-old Fenyö had heard positive reports about Oasis of Hope Hospital in Tijuana, Mexico, just 30 minutes from the San Diego Airport. “Hope” was exactly what she needed, so she made arrangements to go through the hospital’s 14-day cancer therapy. Her daughter went along as her hospital companion.

“Chemotherapy destroys the immune system,” she says with a slight accent. “The therapy practiced at Oasis of Hope is designed to build it up.”

Wearing a turban to cover the hair loss caused by her initial harsh treatment, Fenyö reminisces about the past while resting in her hospital bed. She says her stay at Oasis of Hope represents the line between her old life and her new life. A physicist in Hungary, her days used to be stressful and busy. She didn’t make time for regular physical activity, and she ate sporadically. Often, she would skip breakfast and lunch and eat large meals late at night.

“Things will be different when I return,” she says.

At Oasis of Hope, Fenyö has bonded with patients from all over the world: an Amish family from the United States; a professional couple from Malaysia; a homemaker and her friend from Jasper, Georgia; an elderly couple from England; a retired chiropractor and his spouse from Napa, California. Though they may speak different languages and have different customs, they all are trying to beat that dreaded enemy called cancer–and they all share a passion to live and be healthy again.

Guiding the medical team at Oasis of Hope is physician Francisco Contreras, a surgical oncologist (cancer specialist) who studied in Austria and decided to follow in his father’s footsteps. Ernesto Contreras Sr. founded the hospital in 1963.

“My father began his practice before I went to medical school, so I was already in tune with his philosophy,” Contreras says. “I was convinced that what
the medical world was doing as far as cancer is concerned was not the best.”

Contreras refers to his practice as “eclectic.” He uses both conventional and alternative therapies, depending on what he feels will work best for the patient.

“Right now, there is a very big division between alternative and orthodox medicine,” he explains. “My responsibility is the health of my patient. I’m not going to say that because I belong to a movement, I’ll never use a particular therapy. That’s foolish.”

As part of its mission, Oasis of Hope operates under two premises:

1. Do the body no harm (Hippocrates). “In the medical profession, we tend to do things by the book,” Contreras says. “As a result, we often kill people.” Oasis of Hope aims to treat the patient, not the disease.

2. Love your patient as you love yourself (Jesus). “If I wouldn’t give a treatment to my mom, myself or my daughter, why would I give it to my patient?”

Chemotherapy isn’t Contreras’ favorite method of treatment. Although it may get rid of the tumor, he says, chemotherapy has no significant impact on life extension–and it usually reduces a person’s quality of life. “Removing or destroying tumors without taking the necessary steps to restore the organic deficiencies that caused them accounts for most cancer recurrences and deaths,” he explains.

However, Contreras is not opposed to using chemotherapy under certain circumstances. If a person has a tumor that is blocking his airways, chemotherapy can reduce that tumor in three or four days, whereas an alternative therapy may take months. “In this situation, chemo is worth it, even though the patient is going to lose his hair and vomit.”

In most cases, Contreras is much more likely to use a natural chemotherapy called laetrile (also known as B-17 or amygdalin), which has been approved in Mexico but not in the United States. Amygdalin is found in more than 1,200 plants, including the seeds of apricots, peaches, plums and apples. Contreras’ father is a pioneer in the use of laetrile, and he maintains that it is effective in treating common tumors such as carcinomas of the prostate, breast, colon and lungs, as well as lymphomas.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) isn’t so optimistic, however. According to NCI, case reports have provided little evidence to support laetrile as an anti-cancer treatment. The organization warns that when taken in high doses, it can cause cyanide poisoning. (For more information, call the Cancer Information Service at 800-422-6237.)

Such reports don’t convince 70-year-old Betty Roberts of Garden Grove, California, however. In 1975, she went to Oasis of Hope–and to this day, she believes it saved her life. Roberts told Charisma that she had a semimassive mastectomy in 1975, and cancer was later found in her lymph nodes. Not wanting to go through chemotherapy, she visited Ernesto Contreras Sr. He administered laetrile, and before long she was cured of cancer. Roberts still takes laetrile in supplement form, and her husband uses it as prevention.

Coffee enemas are another commonly used alternative at Oasis of Hope. According to Contreras, this treatment is designed to stimulate liver function and help the body detoxify itself. Though it’s not pleasant, patients often joke about it and hang signs on their doors that say, “I’m taking a coffee break.”

Again, this is a controversial treatment. Critics say it can cause electrolyte imbalance or dehydration and damage to the colon.

Contreras acknowledges that herbal products and therapies in Mexico are often based on basic scientific research rather than clinical research, which is the most reliable. “About 24 percent of the Mexican population lives in extreme poverty, so we are taught a lot of herbal medicine in school. That’s the only medicine many people have access to,” he says. “As a result, the Mexican government tends to be open to natural medicine.”

Food therapy is another important part of treatment at Oasis of Hope. Patients gather in the dining hall three times a day and help themselves to beautifully prepared trays of organic fruits, vegetables and juices.

Depending on their specific therapy, some patients are permitted to eat nuts and whole-grain breads. Those who are brave might try vegetables such as cactus, which somewhat resembles green beans. Condiments clearly missing from the tables include butter, salt, sugar and ketchup; and meat and dairy products are nowhere to be found.

“There are so many fruits, and a few I’ve never seen,” says Frances Shelton of New Orleans, whose husband, Robert, is being treated for stomach and liver cancer. “The food is wonderfully displayed–just like Good Housekeeping magazine. It makes it inviting.”

Contreras believes we need to provide our bodies with nutrients, and the only way to do that is to eat food as close as possible to the way God put it on this earth. “The more manipulated it is,” he says, “the more damaging and [the] less nutrients we get.”

Few hospitals give patients the opportunity to dine together, and it’s a shame because the experience helps create social ties. Table talk at Oasis may include discussions of coffee enemas or other treatments–but it contributes to the laid-back, “family” atmosphere of the hospital. The patients know they aren’t alone in their suffering.

A spiritual-emotional program is also offered at Oasis of Hope. Patients can attend daily devotions and Sunday morning chapel, and counselors are available 24 hours a day for prayer.

“I feel that the biggest difference in this hospital is not what we do–but that we present God in a very objective way, at a time when people need it the most,” Contreras says. “We have more conversions in this hospital than we do in our church.”

According to Dr. Edward T. Creagan, an oncologist for nearly 30 years, “there is fairly good evidence that there are two factors of overriding importance in the fate of people with cancer. One is social connectedness, and [the other] is spirituality.”

Because he sees terminal cancer patients on a regular basis, Contreras has dealt with many soul-searching questions such as: “Why me? Why not someone who is on death row?”

Yet he puts a different spin on that question. “Why not me?” he counters. “Why not allow God to show me what this is going to do for me in a beneficial way?

“I believe God wants you to thank Him for the cancer,” he says. “Once you start doing that, the cancer becomes absolutely secondary, and you have peace. If you die, then you go peacefully–where you truly are going to be cured.”

Contreras believes it is downright unscriptural to say, “If I had enough faith, the disease would go away.”

“A lot of people don’t read the whole Bible,” he says, citing the example of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. “His friends and family didn’t have faith–they told Jesus that He was too late,” he says. “So whose faith is important? Jesus’ faith. He’s the only One who had faith.”

Contreras believes it is as unreasonable to expect that God heals everybody as it is to expect that God answers everybody’s prayers with a yes. “When patients can accept this,” he says, “they rise to a new level of peace.”

As hard as it may be to digest, Contreras suggests that perhaps there’s a God-given purpose for a person’s cancer. “I explain to my patients that there are diseases we inherit, diseases that result from sin and diseases with a purpose,” he says. “A preacher will usually tell a person with cancer that God has no purpose with it–that the disease is from the devil. Well, I believe there are diseases that are not from the devil.”

Contreras recalls that not long ago, he asked a patient why he hadn’t gathered for prayer. The man explained that before his bout with cancer, three of his children were divorced.

“Because of my disease,” he told Contreras, “two of my children are back together. The third one–not yet. As a result, I’m not ready to be healed yet.”

“We pray for healing with all of our hearts,” says Contreras, “but as Jesus said while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, ‘Father, Your will be done.’ I think it takes a greater faith to pray this prayer.

“I believe very much in the power of prayer, but I believe we should be praying that God will resolve our eternal problems with a lot more strength than the problems that are temporary.”

Contreras suggests that researchers are still a long way from finding a cure for cancer. “Health care is more of a political problem than it is a medical problem,” he says. “We have been hearing for the past 50 years that we are on the brink of a cure for cancer, but I think it’s a political statement.”

The cure rate at Oasis of Hope is 17 percent, he says, which is higher than the 11 percent of some of the largest cancer centers. The good news is that 86 percent of the patients who come to his center live longer than expected and with a better quality of life.

“To me, that is a triumph,” he says. “Most hospitals cannot come close to that. We’re not striving only for the cure–in fact, some patients aren’t cured but are still alive 20 years later.”

A cure should not always be the goal, Contreras says. “Our goal is to provide a quality of life for an indefinite period of time and to provide our patients with resources for them to heal themselves.”

Oasis of Hope has treated about 100,000 people since it opened; about 60 percent have visited for cancer treatment. Each year, the hospital staff sees about 600 cancer patients, and most of them stay for three weeks.

Because the hospital offers alternative treatments, only 20 percent to 25 percent of insurance companies will pay for patients to stay there. As a result, most patients spend $40,000-$45,000 out of their own pockets–which, though less than the typical $100,000 hospital bill in the United States, is still a lot of money.

Although Oasis of Hope isn’t perfect, most patients don’t seem to regret their visit for a minute. “I’m happy I came here,” says Mary Ellen Childree of Jasper, Georgia, who is battling melanoma. She believes the Lord directed her to Contreras.

“Our doctor in the New Orleans area didn’t give my husband any hope,” adds Frances Shelton with tears in her eyes. “We are returning home with hope.”

The popularity of Oasis of Hope and other hospitals that offer alternative care demonstrates how desperately people, whether Christians or not, want to extend their lives. Contreras believes it’s natural and nothing to be ashamed of.

“In our genetic makeup, God gave us the information that we were going to live forever,” he philosophizes. “If Adam and Eve hadn’t messed up, we would have lived forever. How that was going to be, I don’t know. But God made us to be survivors.

“I hear a lot of preachers saying: ‘This world is so terrible! I want Jesus to come now.’ What they are saying is: ‘I want to die. I don’t want to be here.’

“The next day they get a cold and start praying for healing. Who understands it?” he laughs.

As a physician, Contreras wants to help patients live for, say, five years instead of three months. But to him, eternal issues are much more significant.

“If I am able to lead a person to Christ and know in my heart that he is going to be in heaven, that is much more satisfying,” he says with a smile. Like Marta Fenyö, Contreras’ patients at Oasis of Hope receive the hope of an eternity with God as well as the hope of a longer life on earth.

According to recent statistics, 560,000 Americans die each year from cancer. It’s estimated that 50 percent of men and 30 percent of women in the United States will, at some point in their lives, have cancer. Next to heart disease, it is the second leading cause of death.

What can we do to reverse the trends? Dr. Francisco Contreras sheds light on three of the most important ways to curb the disease.

1. Eat for nourishment. “Our body is going to function depending on the fuel we provide our body. If we provide it good fuel, it’s going to last a long time,” Contreras says. He emphasizes that because our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, we need to keep them clean. “We wouldn’t go to church and smear it with oil and grease–yet we do that with [these] temple[s] on a daily basis.”

Contreras promotes organically grown fruits and veggies. However, he acknowledges that if you eat the recommended five to seven servings of fruits and veggies a day–even if they aren’t organic–you can still benefit from the disease-fighting phytochemicals they contain. In his book, The Hope of Living Cancer Free (Siloam Press), he talks about the importance of buying free-range meat that has not been injected with drugs such as antibiotics, growth hormone and estrogen.

2. Exercise regularly. “If you exercise four hours a week, you reduce your chances of getting female cancers by 66 percent,” he says. “You’re also protecting yourself from diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and you’re going to enjoy life more and for a longer time.”

3. Have a positive attitude. Studies have shown that five minutes of anger will depress your immune system for up to six hours, Contreras says. If you destroy your immune system with anger, no matter how well you take care of yourself by eating properly and exercising, you’re putting yourself at risk for disease.

Contreras believes that in order to have a good attitude, you need spiritual fortitude. “I tell myself that the only way to be happy is to have love. The only way to experience love is to have Jesus in your heart. Then you can love yourself first and then love others, no matter what the situation around you is.”

Remember, about 40 percent of all cancers are related to lifestyle choices such as smoking, alcohol, obesity, high-fat diets and inactive lifestyles. If you control lifestyle factors such as these, you will dramatically reduce your risk of cancer. For more specifics on prevention, read Contreras’ latest book, The Hope of Living Long & Well (Siloam Press).

Nearly a decade ago, the National Institutes of Health took a giant step and opened the Office of Alternative Medicine. Now called the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), the center has a $90 million research budget to provide information on alternative therapies and treatments, including acupuncture, homeopathy, herbs, therapeutic massage, traditional
Oriental medicine, and vitamins and minerals.

Consumer interest in alternative medicine is at an all-time high. In fact, national research shows that eight out of 10 cancer patients use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and most of them do so in combination with their conventional treatments.

Ideally, complementary and conventional medicine should work together. According to Dr. Adrian Dobs of the Johns Hopkins Center for Cancer Complementary Medicine, physicians must become more knowledgeable about CAM practices and more sensitive to patients seeking guidance on using the treatments. He is calling for “rigorous, randomized, controlled clinical studies to help us determine what works and what does not work.”

Unfortunately, people often make health-related decisions based on someone’s testimonial instead of on convincing research. To help believers wade through the murky waters concerning CAM, Dónal O’Mathúna, Ph.D., and Dr. Walt Larimore have written a helpful resource titled Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook (Zondervan). A professional review committee consisting of primary-care physicians in private practice and in academic medicine reviewed the book before publication.

Alternative Medicine is the first in a series to be released from the Christian Medical Association and Zondervan Publishing House. According to Larimore, both groups felt that a bulk of health books on Christian bookshelves weren’t medically based or biblically sound. This series attempts to reverse that situation.

“Some therapies have no compelling evidence to support them, and yet there are practitioners who believe very adamantly in them,” says Larimore, vice president of medical outreach for Focus on the Family.

“There are other therapies that have wonderful evidence to support them, and at least in America, practitioners have been very slow to accept that evidence. We want consumers to be aware of bad evidence. We also want consumers to be able to get dependable product.”

Currently, with herbal supplements, U.S. consumers don’t know for sure what they are buying. The Food and Drug Administration has limited regulatory oversight for the industry.

The quality and strength of the supplements can vary among different brands and from batch to batch. To help consumers make wise decisions, has created a “CL Seal of Approved Quality,” which it licenses to manufacturers for use on products that have passed its evaluations.

In addition, experts at the Mayo Clinic suggest looking for the letters “USP” (United States Pharmacopeia) or “NF” (National Formulary) on herbal supplements before purchasing them. The “USP” designation means that the herb has an approved use and was manufactured according to certain standards. “NF” means that the herb does not have a USP-approved use but has been produced according to the same standards of quality and purity.

The Mayo Clinic also advises people to let their doctors know which herbal supplements they are taking. Some herbs can have a toxic effect when mixed with prescription drugs.

When considering treatment, Larimore recommends seeking the wisdom of family and friends, a personal physician, and perhaps even a pastor.

Christians have an additional consideration when exploring alternative medicine: Is it scripturally sound? Eastern and New Age belief systems are part of many alternative therapies, including therapeutic touch and qigong.

Larimore cautions people about treatments that are contrary to Scripture–or even questionably so, such as tai chi or yoga. Although scientists have found both therapies to be effective treatments for anxiety, Larimore suggests that some practitioners may use these therapies as a “form of evangelism for
non-Christian beliefs.”

Moreover, practitioners in some cities have become experts at double-speak. “They know how to speak to Christians because they want to lead them in and convert them,” Larimore says. “While that doesn’t work well with people who are well-grounded in Scripture and understand a Christian worldview, it certainly can be a weed that can ensnare a newer Christian and cause [him] to fall away.”

The bottom line is that all healing isn’t of God. “[Satan] can do the miraculous and always has–in biblical times and now,” Larimore says. “The fact that something heals and is effective does not mean it is good.”

What about Christians who offer alternative treatments and therapies?

“There are people who sincerely believe that what they are doing is right but have no evidence to support it–or there is evidence to refute it, and they are operating under a system of false beliefs,” he says. “To the extent they exclude truth, they are excluding God.”

Freddie García once was a heroin addict living for nothing more than his next fix. Today he and his wife, Ninfa, oversee a ministry that rescues people from the grip of drug addiction.

By 11:10 a.m., Victory Temple’s second Sunday service is packed. Male and female ushers–dressed in black pants, red polo shirts and red berets–help latecomers find their seats. Most of them are escorted to overflow areas and even onto the church platform. It’s a full house, but nobody is turned away.

Located in San Antonio’s Hispanic west side, Victory Temple draws about 800 people for its three Sunday services. At least half are former drug addicts, and the majority are Mexican-Americans.

Co-pastor Johnny Zamarripa and a team of musicians lead the congregation in exuberant worship that can be heard down the street. People sway and clap to the music. In between songs, a couple of former addicts share dramatic testimonies about how God saved and delivered them from drug addiction.

Though pastor Freddie García has already preached at the 9 a.m. Spanish service, he’s ready to go again. The 62-year-old minister uses Acts 17 as his text. He speaks in a normal tone of voice, needing no theatrics to command attention.

García’s gospel message is simple and to the point: “I don’t have a Ph.D., an . or a B.S.,” he declares with a slight accent. “I’ve got a born-again experience.”

Victory Temple’s sheep listen intently to their shepherd, whom the Lord delivered from drugs 30 years ago. Many of them say that if it hadn’t been for García’s love and self-sacrifice, they might not be sitting in the church’s wooden pews or metal chairs today. In fact, they may not even be alive.

A Crippling Addiction

In the early 1960s, García was much like the people he works with today: All he cared about was his next fix. A heroin addict, he had gone through several
federal- and state-funded programs, but the best psychologists in the country couldn’t help him kick his drug habit.

After moving to Los Angeles in 1965, he caught up with an old friend, who gave him a card that read, “If you’re hooked and need help, call Teen Challenge.” Determined that this would be the last program he would try, García checked into Teen Challenge.

By the third week, God had softened his heart, and he went forward for salvation at the close of a chapel service. At the altar, he realized he didn’t even know how to pray. He simply raised his hands and cried: “Give me a break, Lord! I’m tired of using all the drugs. Please forgive me of my sins and give me a break!”

After 16 years of drug addiction, García’s desire to do drugs was supernaturally taken away. He called Ninfa, his live-in girlfriend and mother of their two children, and explained what had happened. He told her that if she wanted to live for Jesus, too, he would marry her.

At a moving service held at Christ Memorial Church of God in Christ, pastored by Benjamin Crouch Sr., the father of gospel legend Andraé Crouch, Ninfa went forward for salvation. Immediately after the service, Crouch Sr. performed the Garcías’ wedding ceremony. His now-famous son played the “Wedding March.”

Within a few months, Freddie García enrolled at the Latin American Bible Institute in La Puente, California, where he graduated in June 1970. Three days after graduation, he and Ninfa moved back to San Antonio, their former stomping ground.

García visited the local Teen Challenge and indicated that he wanted to become involved with their program. After getting a flat no, he called Teen Challenge founder David Wilkerson and said, “David, I’ve gotten a calling from God, and I believe I am supposed to start my own program.” Wilkerson encouraged him to heed the call.

By faith, the Garcías opened their tiny home to the hard-core addicts they witnessed to in San Antonio. Before long, the house was full–men were sleeping wherever they could find a spot.

In desperate need of more space, García found a two-bedroom home to rent, with the option to buy. The home, which at one time had been a heroin distribution center, was on two acres. The Garcías fixed it up and called it Victory Home, and within a month, 35 men were part of the Christian-rehab program.

Despite extremely tight quarters, the Garcías never turned anyone away. That philosophy still applies today. “If we have no more beds, we’ll tell them, but we will never reject anybody,” Freddie says. “If Teen Challenge had said no to me, I would not be here today.”

The Garcías built Victory Home on four main ingredients: discipline, supervision, authority and love. As the home expanded, Freddie says he felt led to start a church, not only for those going through the program, but also for those who had graduated. God helped them find a building that, ironically, was once a bar, and they named it Victory Temple. It was a place where a hard-core drug addict could go and be accepted unconditionally.

After experiencing a transformation in their lives, several former addicts who had successfully completed the Garcías’ program went to Bible school. As soon as they finished, they launched Victory Homes in other Texas cities, with García’s stamp of approval.

But as new men came into the program and later wanted to go into ministry, García realized that financing their education was a problem. He also believed that God wanted him to follow Jesus’ example: to disciple men for ministry by showing them how to pray, fast, teach, counsel, witness and preach.

“Jesus commanded us to make disciples who will go out and reproduce disciples, who in turn will reproduce disciples and so on,” he says.

Román Herrera, who has served as home director of San Antonio’s Victory Home for eight years, says some people think García has a “unique ministry” by working one-on-one with former addicts. But Herrera believes García is just following Scripture. “He has set a pattern for us,” he says.

People outside the ministry also respect the Garcías’ faithfulness to God’s work. “Freddie and Ninfa are two of the greatest miracles I’ve witnessed over the years,” Wilkerson told Charisma. “Through much suffering, Freddie has maintained a rich anointing of the Holy Spirit on his life.”

Setting Captives Free

Today the Garcías’ ministry as a whole is referred to as Victory Fellowship, and it encompasses numerous outreaches both in the United States and overseas. More than 13,500 lives have been restored through the ministry–and countless others have been touched through a “multiplier effect.” Victory Fellowship now has branches in more than 30 locations, including every major city in Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Denver; Fresno, California; and in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Peru, Argentina and Colombia.

Victory Home has been a catalyst to the organization’s growth. García is proud of the ministry’s success rate: He reports that at least 60 percent of the people who go through the program kick the habit. Those who stay longer than three months do even better.

“Anything over 10 percent, and you’re doing better than the government,” García says. “The federal government’s programs are failing. If they worked, I’d probably do it the same way.”

Though the ministry could desperately use federal grants, García says the only way he will accept government funds is if he can use his Bible-based approach. Victory Fellowship believes addicts aren’t fully cured until they have the God-given power to beat all life-controlling habits. Thus, the program focuses on a complete transformation of the mind.

“The tenacity of Freddie’s heart to rescue the perishing in the name of Jesus and then, with the Spirit’s help, to build into them a new way of thinking and ‘doing life’ has both blessed the church and astounded the critics,” says David Walker, pastor of Alamo City Christian Fellowship in San Antonio.

García believes the key to Victory Fellowship’s success in reaching the down-and-out is, quite simply, the Word of God. “When you are in school, they teach you how to make a living. The Bible teaches you how to live,” he says.

The new way of life drug addicts learn when they enter one of the ministry’s residential-rehab programs is very different from what they might have known before. At Victory Home, it’s “Jesus in the morning, Jesus at noon and Jesus at night.” The primary thrusts of the program addicts walk through as they seek freedom from drug abuse are twofold.

First, when an addict comes in for treatment, the home director explains the rules and regulations. If the person agrees to follow those rules, he is given a bed, and detoxification begins. (Some cities also have programs for women.)

A couple of caregivers who have already “kicked” the habit are assigned to the addict. They pray for him, give him rubdowns to make him more comfortable and even clean up after him if he gets sick. The detox time varies–usually anywhere from one to seven days, depending on the type of addiction.

“When the addicts come in the home,” says Ninfa, “they are weary and just want a place to rest. They understand it’s a Christian environment and that they will participate in the Bible studies–but they really don’t yet know what that means.”

The next step involves a full schedule of Bible studies, chapel services, discipleship and book reports. There’s no watching television and very little free time. Three times a day, the residents spend an hour in prayer. In short, it’s a spiritual “boot camp” in which they learn to put their complete trust in God.

The ministry’s rehab homes can’t easily be missed. Each home displays an “Outcry in the Barrio” sign, which is the title of Freddie and Ninfa’s book published in 1987. The book relates their testimonies and is given to anyone requesting a copy. Published in Spanish, English and Russian, Outcry in the Barrio has served as an effective witnessing tool.

The Victory Home located in San Antonio’s west side is the program’s largest, and it is in desperate need of an overhaul. Currently, there are enough beds for 48 men and 11 women. Neither area is climate controlled, which makes it miserable in the summer and winter. García hopes to build two dorms that each will hold 50 people.

He also wants to build a youth home for the younger crowd, those age 13 to 25. The Garcías’ 25-year-old son, Jubal, figured out that if they provided homeschooling for the youth, the program for teens could enjoy state approval. The participants would attend Bible studies in the mornings and do their classwork in the afternoons.

Alma Herrera oversees the Victory Home kitchen. She and several volunteers serve some 90,000 meals a year, and it’s nothing for them to make 300 to 400 tortillas at a time. “We have a Bible in one hand and hot food in the other,” says her husband, Román.

The program doesn’t cost anything to be part of, so Victory Fellowship relies on donations–groceries from local stores, clothing and money from individuals or churches. Each branch of Victory Fellowship operates as a separate nonprofit organization and is responsible for its own fund raising. When a Victory Fellowship is launched in a new location, Freddie García commits to supporting the work for one year.

The leaders and staff at Victory Fellowship earn meager wages. In fact, no one at San Antonio’s Victory Fellowship makes more than $500 a month–not even García. It is truly a faith-based ministry, and the staff relies on God to supply their needs, one day at a time.

Like the Garcías, the Herreras don’t have a normal life–but they love what they do. “We never thought we would be positive role models for others,” says Román, a former heroin addict. As home directors, the Herreras live with their children in the Victory Home and make themselves available all hours of the day and night for the residents.

In addition to new biblical concepts, many residents learn household responsibilities for the first time. “You’d be surprised how many people come here not knowing how to use a vacuum cleaner,” Alma says.

Anthony García is just one example of a lost soul who found his way through the ministry of Victory Home. García, who served nine years in prison, has been at San Antonio’s Victory Home for several months. He says he had a 30-year heroin addiction, and now that Christ has changed his life, he doesn’t ever remember feeling so good. He is finally able to think about the future God has in store for him.

Against the Odds

According to Robert Woodson, founder and president of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise in Washington, D.C., Victory Fellowship is one of the most effective drug and alcohol treatment programs in the United States.

In 1990, Woodson was combing the country for special people. Freddie García was recommended as a nominee for the Achievement Against the Odds Award–and he won. The Garcías were invited to Washington, D.C., and were honored by former President Bush in the Rose Garden.

As he was waiting to receive the award, García thought, If my mama and dad could see me now. Until he accepted Christ, García explains, he wouldn’t salute the American flag. “As a young boy, I got spanked in school for speaking Spanish,” he says. “I didn’t think that was fair because it was the only language I knew.”

He rebelled against the system and developed racist attitudes at a young age. But when he accepted Christ, García began welcoming all races into his home.

Today, García’s health is failing. Three years ago he was diagnosed with kidney disease and given a life expectancy of five years. Three days a week he endures difficult dialysis treatments.

“My kidney problem has slowed me down, but it hasn’t stopped me,” he says. The García home constantly buzzes with activity, and Freddie always makes time for those who need his input.

García spends the bulk of his day mentoring men. He is also planning for the ministry’s future by training Jubal, his youngest son, to take over the reins.

“We never wanted to push anything on our kids,” Ninfa says. “But when Freddie got sick, Jubal took over his dad’s class–and before he knew it, he was hooked!”

While García is the visionary for Victory Fellowship, he is quick to point out that the program isn’t his, or about him.

“To see our ‘sons’ come back during our pastors’ conferences and preach is a blessing,” he says. “I’m proud to see that they’ve gone on for the Lord–and I know that if something happens to me, the ministry is in good hands.” *

Kicking the Habit in Fort Worth

Women in Fort Worth, Texas, seeking deliverance from a drug or alcohol addiction now have a beautiful place to call home. In September 2000, the Fort Worth ministry of Victory Fellowship opened a $350,000 women’s home provided by History Maker Homes and other donors. Serving as home director is Ana Salomón, whose husband, Gerald, oversees the men’s home just a couple of blocks away.

“I was on crack cocaine for 14 years,” says Lynn Stafford, who has been in the program since Dec. 18. Stafford went to Victory Home after serving a 40-day jail sentence. She says God has delivered her from addictions to cigarettes, alcohol and crack. Stafford challenged herself to stay in the program for one year, but she says she will remain as long as God wants her there.

Also in the program is Mary Ann Castillo, who is unable to hear or speak. At first, Anna Salomón wondered how she would ever teach Castillo. Thankfully, another woman in the program knew how to sign and was a true godsend. Today, Castillo is a new creation, inside and out. She has even lost more than 100 pounds since coming into the program less than a year ago.

Castillo’s previous lifestyle involved prostitution to support her habits–cocaine, marijuana and alcohol. None of her eight children are permitted to live with her, but she is hopeful she will get to see them soon.

Just a block away, the Fort Worth men’s home is dilapidated but full of life. Assistant home director Anthony D. Anderson came into the program in 1984. A self-described “crackhead,” he stayed in the program for 15 months.

“The program is difficult at first because it’s so intensive,” Anderson says. “But it has to be because a drug addict’s mind is always moving. Until God transforms his mind, he isn’t able to sit still.”

Anderson has been trained by Freddie García at the ministry’s leadership academy. He’s now waiting to be launched into ministry. “Freddie is a man after God’s own heart,” Anderson says. “When I got to San Antonio, he took me under his wing and accepted me for who I was and began to impart in me the Word of God.”

Victory Home resident Jeremy Blevins has experienced love and acceptance from the Fort Worth “home boys,” which is what the residents are called. For seven years, he was addicted to drugs–primarily methamphetamines, a chemically produced drug that creates a sense of paranoia. His mom found out about the Fort Worth Victory Home and dropped him off at the front door.

“Getting out of the car was the best decision I made,” Blevins told Charisma. He wants to help others by telling them about Jesus and what He can do in their lives. “If He can change me, He can change anybody,” Blevins adds.

Victory Home takes in people from all walks of life. Drug problems are as real for the rich and famous–such as actor Robert Downey they are for poor kids living in the drug-infested areas of Fort Worth–such as Anthony D. Anderson.

“When crack came out, it was an urban problem,” Anderson says. “Now it’s America’s problem.”

According to Anderson, every drug addict he knows wants to change–they just don’t know how. As the men and women of Victory Home go into the streets of Fort Worth to share their testimonies, they are giving others a reason to believe that change is possible.

Stamping Out Drugs in Dallas

Though on a smaller scale than Freddie García’s program in San Antonio, the ministry at Victory Fellowship in Dallas relies on exactly the same methods to help people find freedom from drug addiction.

“If you go to a McDonald’s in Washington, D.C., you can expect to order from the same menu you would find in New York City,” says María Gomez, who serves as home director with her husband, Roy. “The same is true of Victory Fellowship. Every city you go to, you’ll see the same pattern.”

On Tuesday evenings, about 50 people meet at Victory Temple for Bible study. Half are “home boys” (the name Victory Fellowship uses for its residents), and the other half live in the neighborhood.

With fervor, the group begins with praise and worship. The words they sing represent their new faith in Christ: “I’ve made my decision; I’m going all the way / I’ve drawn the line, I’m going all the way / No turning back, I’m going all the way with the Lord.”

After a thorough Bible study, the members gather at the Victory Home, located just a couple blocks away in a low-income area of east Dallas. A woman points out that their next-door neighbor runs a crack house. Three children who live there take part regularly in Victory Temple’s outreaches and even walk over to Victory Home to get food.

Each room in the tiny Victory Home is packed with people. Somehow, about 15 men are able to eat, sleep and receive an abundance of spiritual training here. Providing guidance is Roy Gomez, who was saved in 1983 at Victory Fellowship in Houston. His wife, María, also found Christ when she ran away from Roy and checked into García’s Victory Home in San Antonio.

“We were once in the same condition as these guys,” Roy recalls. “We didn’t have [any] place to go. I am thankful for Freddie and his father’s heart.”

In the past, Roy’s drug of choice was speed, and it led to an 11-year addiction. At one point, both he and María had good-paying jobs–but lost everything due to their drug habits. Roy was physically violent, and his children would run and hide under the bed when he came home. Before she sneaked off with the kids to San Antonio, María tried three times to commit suicide.

After he went through the program in Houston, Roy met up with María in San Antonio. He was trained by Freddie García for two years, and God restored his relationship with María.

“When we were in training, it was difficult,” María says. “Roy was paid $15 every two weeks. But somehow, through God’s grace, we always had enough.”

After two years of training, Roy was placed as director of the Victory Home in south San Antonio. Within six months, 65 addicts had checked into the home.

At García’s request, the Gomez family moved to Dallas in 1988. Today, Roy and María are proud to have earned the titles of “Pop” and “Mom.” Even their three daughters have become accustomed to a full house.

Sometimes, men aren’t ready to commit to the program and leave early. “It’s a disappointment because there is a chance of them getting killed or dying of a drug overdose. Even my children cry if the guys leave,” Roy says. “It becomes like a family.”

Roy and María hold the Garcías in high esteem. “I respect and honor Freddie,” Roy told Charisma. “He has prepared over 65 people for leadership, and we were all once at the end of our ropes–deadbeats and drug addicts. He loves Jesus and loves to have a good time in the Lord.”

María praises Ninfa for her willingness to listen and provide wise counsel. Instead of offering her own advice, she turns to Scripture for answers to life’s problems.

At Victory Fellowship in Dallas, finances are tight. Fortunately, however, a new home is being built that will enable the ministry to expand and will give the Gomez family some breathing room. “I walk by faith,” says Roy, “and God always makes a way.” *

By the time she was 28, Jackie Holland was on her fourth marriage and had lost count of how many times her husbands had beaten her. But today the woman who once had lost all hope is reaching hundreds of people a week with Christ’s compassion.

It’s Tuesday afternoon, and The Care Ministry at Restoration Church in the Dallas­Fort Worth Metroplex bustles with activity. Nearly a dozen volunteers bag free groceries for locals who wait patiently in line. Cereal, orange juice, powdered milk, yogurt, bread, pastries, pizza, and fresh carrots and asparagus are among this day’s selections.

The Care Ministry distributes food every Tuesday and Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and an evangelistic service is provided beforehand for those who wish to attend. Their chaplain is the woman who started the ministry 14 years ago from the trunk of her car–Jackie Holland.

One of the volunteers–David Anderson, who first worked at The Care Ministry as part of his court-ordered sentence in a legal case–continues to freely give his time, even though his attendance no longer is mandatory. He enjoys hearing what Jackie has to say.

“She’s as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside,” Anderson says.

Anderson’s right. Jackie Holland, 55, is attractive–the spitting image of actress Loni Anderson. She has big “Texas” hair and wears flamboyant jewelry. Beneath the exterior, however, is a compassionate, Texas-sized heart that once was broken almost beyond repair.

Looking for Love

In All the Wrong Places

It’s hard to understand how Jackie, who grew up in a loving Christian home, could have taken a wrong turn. She became a Christian at age 12 in Avery, Texas, and her family attended church regularly.

At 14 she began dating the high school basketball star, Chuck, and married him a year later. Young and naive, she truly thought he was her ticket to happiness.

Two months after getting married, Jackie became pregnant, and Chuck started drinking regularly. Saying the wrong thing would send him into a fury. Jackie came face to face with domestic violence but could not talk openly about it, despite her physical and emotional pain.

By the age of 17, Jackie was the mother of a son and daughter–Michael and Charlsey. Michael was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at
the age of 3, and Jackie’s world began to cave in.

Meanwhile, Chuck was ignoring his fatherly duties. He would come home late at night, and Jackie began to suspect he was cheating on her.

The morning after what Jackie believed was one of Chuck’s all-night flings, she found a phone number in his dresser drawer and dialed it to test her suspicions. A young woman answered, and Jackie asked if Chuck was there. “No, he’s out with the guys getting some more beer,” the woman said.

Jackie told her that she was a friend of Chuck’s and asked if she could come over to party with them. The woman gave her the location, and Jackie made the long walk–wearing high-heel shoes.

Chuck wasn’t there when she arrived, but the young woman was. She was drunk and bragged about sleeping with Chuck.

Jackie returned home and was soon “greeted” by her husband. Instead of being remorseful, Chuck beat her in front of their children. Jackie somehow convinced herself that the altercation must have been her fault.

Soon afterward, a bone spur caused by Jackie’s long trek in heels became unbearably painful, and she went to a doctor. He treated her foot, and suspecting that she was being abused, he asked her several questions. For the first time, Jackie told someone about all the beatings.

“You need to leave now,” her doctor advised her, “for your safety and your children’s.”

Jackie took his advice. At age 19, she made a clean break from Chuck and moved to Minneapolis at the invitation of her sister and brother-in-law.

However, Jackie wasn’t living for Jesus, and the new arrangement didn’t last for long. She soon moved back to Texas, feeling like a washed-up old woman and a failure. But she hadn’t given up on finding Mr. Right.

This time she thought she found him at a Texas rodeo. His name was Fred, and he was as big as a football linebacker. After a two-week romance, they visited a justice of the peace and were married.

Two months into the marriage, Fred returned early from a business trip and blew up at Jackie for no apparent reason. Indignant, she told him if he didn’t apologize, she would move out.

Her demand didn’t go over well at all. Fred picked her up and threw her outside of their mobile home. Then he pinned her to the ground and beat her severely. Jackie truly believed she was going to die.

Trying to sound like she really meant it, she cried out, “Fred, I forgive you!” Those were the magic words. In response, he collapsed on top of her, sobbing and telling her he didn’t mean to hurt her.

Staggering into the house, Jackie went into the bathroom and couldn’t believe the person staring back at her in the mirror. Her face was a bloody mess. Minutes later, she heard Fred on the phone and decided this was her opportunity to escape.

She drove straight to the police station and filed charges. The nightmare was over, and she prayed she would never see Fred again.

After two years of going to clubs, Jackie married a country singer named Mike. Although he wasn’t abusive, he hadn’t gotten over the breakup with his ex-wife, “Boots,” and he missed his children.

One day before Jackie left to take the state test to get her cosmetology license, she told him, “When I get back, I don’t want to hear anymore about Boots and the boys, or it’s over.”

She returned to discover that Mike was gone. The loss broke her heart.

To escape the pain, Jackie began to go out almost every night. Although she distrusted men, she was addicted to the “chase.”

“I enjoyed getting dressed up because that made me feel good about myself. For someone to tell me I looked pretty and then to pursue me also made me feel good. I became all tangled up in a web I had created myself,” she says.

Finally, she found a man named Sonny who was handsome, treated her with respect and seemed to be loaded with money. In the spring of 1973 Jackie married for the fourth time in 12 years. Sonny bought her a lovely home, and she liked being the well-dressed wife of a successful businessman.

Four months into her marriage, she became pregnant again. When Jackie gave birth to son Howard, Charlsey was 10, and Michael was 12.

Sonny’s ex-wife called one week after Howard was born and asked Sonny to take custody of his kids–Sonny Jr., 5, and Ann, 3. Much to Jackie’s dismay, Sonny agreed, and Jackie, then 28, suddenly became the mother of five.

Over time, Jackie’s marital bliss with Sonny turned into marital abuse. The emotional pain was almost worse than the physical beatings, and she had convinced herself that she deserved it.

For some time, Jackie had realized that Sonny was being unfaithful. He would return in the wee hours of the morning with the scent of perfume on his jacket. Sometimes he would even come home late at night with friends and send Jackie to her room like a child.

Overwhelmed and at an all-time low, Jackie couldn’t take any more. The next time Sonny came home after being out all night, Jackie searched his pockets while he showered. She found a book of matches with a woman’s name and phone number written on the inside cover.

Filled with rage, she went to the kitchen and found her .25-caliber pistol. She wasted no time venting her anger.

First, she aimed the gun at their china cabinet and fired. Sonny stood by and watched, simply yelling, “You broke the dish!” His reaction made her furious.

As Sonny walked toward the door, she pointed the gun at him. He ignored her. Jackie pulled the trigger, and Sonny collapsed.

Walking over to him, she boldly asked him, “Did you dance with her?”

Luckily, Sonny shook his head no.

While Sonny was taken to a hospital, Jackie was escorted to jail. Miraculously, her husband didn’t press charges, and she was free to go home after one night.

A few days later Sonny came home from the hospital. Jackie nursed him back to health, still trying to hold on to the marriage.

Not long after the shooting, they moved to another house. Jackie believed the move represented a fresh start in the couple’s relationship. Sonny was making good money, and they climbed their way up the Dallas social ladder.

Inside, however, the status wasn’t helping. Jackie was miserable.

From Heartache to Hope

In 1980, Jackie began sending the children to a nearby Baptist church. Charlsey was baptized when she was 13, and her enthusiasm for the Lord made Jackie feel guilty and ashamed. Jackie says it was the church’s bus ministry that led her back to the Lord.

“Scripture says a little child will lead them–and that was so true,” she says.

By 1984, Jackie not only was attending church regularly, but she also was going to Bible confer
ences and Bible studies, watching Christian television, and putting Jesus pictures all over her home.

“I was panting after the Lord. Something was stirring in me–a call to tell people about Jesus,” she says.

Several months later, Jackie found Sonny at a hotel with another woman. Jackie was glad God intervened and kept her from killing both of them. Sonny moved out.

Then one day, not long after the hotel episode, he called and said he had accepted Christ. Jackie didn’t want to hear it, but she believed God was telling her to give him a second chance.

Only by God’s grace was she able to ask him to move back in the house. He did, and over the next year, he became zealous for Christ.

But to her dismay, his changes were short-lived. Sonny had decided that he couldn’t be a Christian and make money at the same time. So he left Texas to work for an oil company in another state, and once a month he came home to visit the family.

In 1985, Jackie discovered a new church, Lake County-Midcities, which later was renamed Restoration Church. Shortly after becoming involved, Jackie set up an appointment with the pastor, Doug White.

“I want to do God’s work–to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, help hurting women,” she told him.

White prayed that God would open doors to help her fulfill God’s call. That prayer was answered on Father’s Day 1987 when Jackie’s son Howard, then 12, discovered all kinds of discarded fruits and vegetables at a specialty store near her parents’ home.

He took Jackie to the site, and, sure enough, there was box after box of perfectly good food. Jackie began making regular trips back to the restaurant, and each time she packed her car full of groceries. Sometimes she delivered the food to apartments, and other days she would give it out at a coin laundry.

While Jackie’s ministry was budding, her marriage was coming to an end. She learned that Sonny was living with a co-worker in Houston and that his lover was pregnant. Jackie had given 15 years to the marriage and wanted desperately for it to work, but she sensed in her heart that Sonny had made his choice.

Focusing on her journey to recovery, Jackie put all of her energy into the food ministry. She approached store managers and asked if she could pick up their discarded food. A man donated his van to Jackie’s outreach, and her assistant named it “God’s Chariot.”

The ministry grew to the point where Jackie believed she needed to seek financial help from her pastor and elders. They met, and she told them how much money was required to operate the ministry.

They agreed to her request, and what had been known as The Widow’s Mite was renamed The Care Ministry. Restoration Church serves today as Jackie’s spiritual covering.

A Wounded Healer

Several years ago, partly as a result of counseling topless dancers through The Care Ministry, Jackie expanded her outreach. She set up a separate office with a phone line that could be used as a hot line for women trapped in adult entertainment.

“We get a lot of calls from women wanting to get out of the sex clubs,” she says. “Scripture says, ‘You older women teach the younger women,’ and that’s what
I’ve been called to do. I believe these young women can relate to me and the life I’ve led.”

One of the women, Madeleine, saw Jackie on a national Christian TV network and wrote to her. She got an immediate response from Jackie.

“Jackie never judged me. She loved and encouraged me. She gave me hope,” Madeleine told Charisma.

Madeleine’s father, a Baptist pastor, sexually abused her when she was growing up. She never could talk to her mother about it, but she has poured out her heart to Jackie.

To help her get out of the adult industry, Jackie paid for Madeleine to take computer classes. Today Madeleine has a respectable office job in Fort Worth, Texas.

Almost 14 years ago, Jackie never dreamed she would still be giving food to the poor today. She didn’t expect to still be single either.

“I’m the kind of woman who has always needed a man. It’s a miracle that I’ve been able to remain single,” she says.

Every day, Jackie talks to people who are so trapped and beaten down by life that they do not know how to get out of the pit. She shares with them her story of restoration and victory, giving them hope to make it through another day.

Jackie even found out earlier this year that her new pastor at Restoration Church, Bobby Treece, used to come to The Care Ministry for free groceries.

“How did I know back then that [from giving away discarded food] and out of my broken life, God would have me feeding my next pastor?” she asks.

A woman of faith and determination, Jackie is making up for lost time.

“I have discovered that marriage is not the optimal goal in life. If it happens, then that’s great. But I know I’m doing what God has called me to do.”

Carol Chapman Stertzer is a former assistant editor of Charisma who now lives near Dallas. Jackie Holland has recently written a book about her spiritual journey, Exposed Heart (Bridge-Logos).

Editor’s note: Some names in this story have been changed at the request of those interviewed.