As young adults, Derek and his girlfriend chose to abort four pregnancies. Then they both came to know Jesus as their Savior. “And that’s what literally changed the course of both of our lives when we started to walk in this forgiveness that the Lord offered,” Derek says. “God gave us new eyes to see how important life is.” They still live with the pain of past…

Seven months into her pregnancy, Stacey and Jon were told their son, Drake, had cardiomyopathy and had less than a 1 percent chance of survival. Drake was born, survived for 3 days, and, as Stacy says, “looked absolutely perfect to us despite his imperfect heart.” Even in their grief, the couple recognize the hand of God at work and are thankful for the blessings—even the ones they…

Erin felt lingering pain and emptiness after her parents’ divorce, which led to an eating disorder and tendency to cut herself. She eventually learned that God’s love was the only thing that could fill the void in her life and take those broken pieces to create something beautiful. God gave Erin a heart for Haiti, where she is serving as an elementary education teacher.

Joe Trujillo grew up in a dysfunctional family with alcoholic parents and as a young man ended up in prison with 5 felonies. Feeling utterly hopeless, Joe remembers, “I fell to my knees and cried out to God” one night in his cell.