The Unfolding

When Lana Vasquez met Jesus at 19, she knew she had been rescued to rescue others. Within a few short years, she was a full-time missionary with Life Impact International rescuing kids from trafficking in Thailand. It was a daunting mission, far beyond what she could do in her own strength. In fact, the work often seemed impossible. But when God asks us to do the impossible, and we’re willing to say yes, we are in the perfect position to see the miraculous.

Growing up in Southern California, Lana Vasquez found herself looking for love in all the wrong places. By the time she was a teenager she was trapped in an abusive relationship, addicted to alcohol and drugs, and spent her nights as a dancer in the clubs of Hollywood. She was living a fast life, but even the glitz and glamour of Hollywood couldn’t hide the fact that she felt desperately empty. Then at 19 years old, Lana heard the Gospel for the first time. When God rescued her she knew she was called to rescue others. Within 4 years Lana was a full-time missionary rescuing kids in Thailand through the ministry of Life Impact International.

When people ask Baylor Wilson, "What happened to you?", the best way she can sum it up is: Jesus happened. At 26, Baylor has lived a life that many only dream about. She thrived as a competitive cheerleader, starred with her mom on Season 29 of the television show Survivor, and landed a country music publishing deal, all before graduating from college. But success didn’t translate into happiness or feeling fulfilled, until Jesus happened.

If your goal in life is to be happy, what do you do when your marriage makes you unhappy? For Jaime Crosier, the answer was to move on. When Kevin and Jaime met, their life of partying together was nonstop fun. But after marriage, a child and an affair- happiness was long gone. It would take a movie and miraculous intervention to change their path toward divorce.

Pray for our troops. It’s a great phrase to post on social media, put on a bumper sticker, or a sign in your yard. But Captain Kyle Swanson lived it. During his time in the military, he watched prayer change things- change the weather, change the course of a grenade, literally save lives. When Kyle says prayer changes things it’s not a trite phrase. It’s his real-life experience, and he wants you to know your prayers can change things, too.

Pray for our troops. It’s a great phrase to post on social media, put on a bumper sticker, or a sign in your yard. But Captain Kyle Swanson lived it. During his time in the military, he watched prayer change things- change the weather, change the course of a grenade, literally save lives. When Kyle says prayer changes things it’s not a trite phrase. It’s his real-life experience, and he wants you to know your prayers can change things, too.

Healing can be a mysterious thing. Sometimes God answers our prayers. Sometimes we don’t see the miracle we are hoping for. For Emma Villanueva, both are true. As a young girl she was miraculously healed, saved from a surgery that would have left her wheelchair-bound for the rest of her life. Then as a teenager, Emma was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. In the years since, she has watched her body grow increasingly weak. What happens to your faith when you know God can heal, but He doesn’t?

What if we looked at life as if everything was a miracle? That’s much easier when life is going well. When Chris and Denise Benyo got married, they were looking forward to a bright and beautiful future. But within months, Denise was diagnosed with a progressive neurodegenerative disease, called ALS. How do you see everything as a miracle, while you’re facing a terminal diagnosis?

No matter what you go through, as long as you are holding on to Jesus, you can stand. That seemed to be the recurring theme of the Bible stories Laura Piraino studied as she was leading a women’s ministry. It’s one thing to teach it, but it’s another to live it out. How do you hold on to Jesus when you are robbed of your sense of safety; when the place that had been your sanctuary becomes a crime scene?

Jesus said everyone who hears his words and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down and the winds blew, yet it did not fall. Adam and Christina Hannan were trying to raise their family on a firm foundation. For years they made a habit of reading Jesus’ words and putting them into practice. But their faith had never really been tested. That all changed the day their son Myles was born.