Kirsten's Story

I want you to feel this joy…the joy of salvation.

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Today, you’ll meet Kirsten.

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It was Halloween of her senior year of high school. She came home to a Post-It note on the counter. Her parents were at the local hospital.

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They returned with heartbreaking news… a stage 4 kidney cancer diagnosis for her dad. Given 6 months to live, he lived for only three.

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He was her world. Her rock. Her source of love and security.

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The pain was too big. She had to numb out to drown the grief—alcohol and parties were her distraction of choice.

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Nobody had ever taken the time to explain who God was.
Nobody told her she could have a relationship with Him.

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She was still stuck in this destructive cycle the next year as she moved to Florida for college. With spring break days away, Kirsten’s friend Leah invited her to something called Beachfest in Ft. Lauderdale.

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With the promise of a white sand beach, live music, and a road trip in Leah’s convertible, how could she pass this up? What happened next was a complete surprise.

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As the Gospel was proclaimed, Kirsten felt as if she was the only one in that crowd of tens of thousands. She finally heard what she was looking for. She felt an immediate shift inside her. She was filled with a deep belief that in Jesus, there’s nothing that can’t be healed. There’s no pain that’s too much for the Lord to take.

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A loving Father had sent His Son to rescue her.

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She prayed with a festival volunteer to begin a relationship with God. She didn’t know that one decision would shape her future, her family, her very identity. But she knew she needed to take that leap.

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And Kirsten was not the only one to meet Jesus at Beachfest. She was one among thousands. The year before this, Wendy and I had relocated our young family to Ft. Lauderdale with a big dream in our hearts to come alongside hundreds of local churches to make that moment possible. God exceeded our dreams!

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Fast forward 20 years. I was meeting with a small group of local leaders in southern Oregon as they prayerfully considered reaching their region through a Palau festival. A woman approached me. It was Kirsten! Here she was, ready to volunteer alongside her church in her new hometown to reach thousands with the Gospel.

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She went on to coordinate over 60 kids' activity stations at an Oregon festival to bring the Good News to children. This is Good News! And, together, we get to share it with all people.