Laymon was working on a construction site in Arkansas when a building collapsed, injuring him and killing two men by his side. While recovering in his hospital bed, Laymon encountered the truth of the Gospel through a Gideon-placed Bible. Here is Laymon’s story, in his own words.
My trade was ironworking. I would climb up tall towers and big structural buildings. It was dangerous work. When I was up walking on those narrow beams, I would ask the Lord to help me and commit to live for Him, but when I got back on the ground, I never followed through on my promises.
My wife, Virginia, urged me to go to church with her, but I went just a few times. During the church’s revival, my wife gave her heart to the Lord. I did not.
Two months later, I was working on a large building on the University of Arkansas campus. We were connecting a five-ton beam over 60 feet in the air when there was a big jolt, and the entire building came down.
“I thought if I died and went to hell it would be what I deserved.”
The two men standing beside me were killed. My back and right leg were broken in several places. I thought about calling on God for help, but I had broken promises to Him so many times before I was ashamed. I thought if I died and went to hell it would be what I deserved.
In the hospital, my mother inquired if I’d ever asked God to save me. I couldn’t talk, but I shook my head “no.” I purposed in my heart, however, if God would spare me and let me raise my little boys, I would live for Him. From that moment, I began to improve.
About three weeks later, the doctors put a ten-inch rod in my right leg. The pain was so severe I would break out in cold sweats and couldn’t sleep. One night, my wife found a Gideon-placed Bible in the table next to my bed and began to read John, chapter 16. When she got to the last verse, it seemed as though God was speaking to me, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world.”
Oh, I wanted the peace Jesus could give whether I lived or died!
That night I fell asleep without pain medicine. I later discovered my wife had slipped that Gideon-placed Bible under my pillow and prayed, “Lord, save my husband before he leaves this hospital.”
God answered that prayer in mere hours. I woke up in severe pain and thought I was going to die. I began praying earnestly, then I heard a voice say, “Turn over on your stomach, and that pain will leave you.” I thought, “This is the Lord speaking to me, and I’m going to try.” Then it seemed as though two big hands gently turned me over.
Suddenly the room was filled with the presence of the Lord. I was standing, jumping up and down in the middle of my bed, laughing, and crying uncontrollably. Then a nurse rushed in. She told me not to move because I was all broken up. I told her I had to tell my wife what had happened, and the only way I would stay in bed was for her to call my wife.
For over 50 years now, I have preached the Gospel all over the world. I’ve pastored eight churches and held many revivals. And it all began with that Gideon-placed Bible.
On March 16, 2017, Gideons in the Dominican Republic participated in a distribution at a police station. After providing each officer with a New Testament, the Gideons received permission to distribute New Testaments and speak to prisoners being held at the police station. “We soon discovered there was one only prisoner inside, and he observed us with curiosity as we handed Scriptures to police personnel,” said Gideon Robinson Candelario. “When we approached him, he introduced himself as Carlos, and he asked for a New Testament. I knew nothing about what he might be dealing with personally, but I felt led to share Psalm 27, so I opened the New Testament and began reading:
“Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, ‘seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek…’ For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”
Robinson was surprised by the reaction Carlos had to these words. It was clear they affected him in a mighty way. After a few silent moments, Carlos shared the story of his childhood. He lost his father when he was only two years old. Not long after, his mother abandoned him. As such, the young man grew up without familial love, guidance, and social acceptance. Now, he was 18, trapped behind bars, bitter, and dejected.
…regardless of where he was or where he had been, God accepted him and loved him, as a father loves a son.
The passage from Psalms moved him because it assured him regardless of where he was or where he had been, God accepted him and loved him, as a father loves a son. “With a heart broken, but touched by the power of the message of God, when he listened to the plan of salvation, Carlos accepted Christ as his Savior,” said Robinson. “In one simple, honest moment, the life of this young man was changed. He may face more troubles in life, but he now has ultimate peace. How awesome is our God.”
When Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion – agreeing to carry out His Father’s will though it included measureless agony – He thought not just of His approaching death, nor His faithless disciples, nor the cruel betrayal of a friend.
He thought of us.
The gospel of John records that Jesus prayed for all who would ever believe in Him. Wishing to impart to all His followers glory given from above, though they would cause his death, Christ interceded for a world destined to die in sin apart from a Savior. He did this not simply through pleading on our behalf that we would be spared from a deserved punishment, but by serving as a substitute.
Through this act, the death of a sinless man won innocence for all who would receive it, and His resurrection can secure a resurrection for all who confess that his sacrifice was both necessary and enough.
This Gospel is good news for all, in that we can be treated as both guiltless and righteous, with no barrier remaining between us and a holy God. Through the miracle of Easter, all has been set right between mankind and their loving Creator. There can now be an eternal embrace that cannot be broken.
Hallelujah and happy Easter.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 ESV
A product of a simple upbringing, Jimmy Fortune’s rise to stardom is perhaps as surprising to him as to anyone else. He grew up in rural Virginia, distant from any fanfare, which he says served him well. Jimmy draws comparisons between his youth and the quiet life depicted in the beloved 70s television show The Waltons. Nelson County was a quaint, and in many ways idyllic, setting for both the show and Jimmy’s childhood. However, his voice would one day be heard far beyond those foot hills.
Jimmy began to show musical inclination from a young age, and in time began to reveal a great talent. His voice and skill with a guitar developed with each small, local performance. While many genres have informed his taste and style, Gospel music was his first love. The messages contained within Gospel were foundational in both Jimmy’s career and Christian faith. As he honed his craft and advanced in the music industry, conveying the truth he cherished became Jimmy’s primary motivation, even in the secular realm.
In 1982, Jimmy joined the renowned country group the Statler Brothers, beginning a career that would span twenty years. The group was an ideal fit for Fortune, as the other members shared similar Christian beliefs. Having great success commercially, the Statler Brothers traveled from coast to coast, singing for audiences of up to 100,000. It was indeed a dream come true, and it seemed Jimmy was living under God’s favor, using his talents to glorify Him.
However, though well-churched and familiar with Christ, there was a time when Jimmy was estranged from God. “I believed in God, but hadn’t let Christ totally have me,” he said. Growing up, his family was splintered by his father’s struggle with alcohol abuse, leading to a harsh exposure to the corruption of sin. Though traumatic at times, Jimmy recalls the fiercely devoted prayers of his mother fighting for her husband and children. Providentially, Jimmy’s father was deeply moved by the message of a visiting evangelist. The Gospel touched him as if he’d never heard it before, and thenceforth, he left his addictions behind and lived a changed life. Witnessing the transformation of his father was an impactful experience Jimmy never forgot.
He needed a Savior to rescue him not simply from adversity and the pain caused by others, but from himself.
Still, as Jimmy progressed in his career, he began to stray from the principled path he had previously walked. His life was not as rosy as his success may have indicated. He was suffering through a painful divorce, his father was dying of cancer, and no earthly pleasure could distract him from his feelings of deep seated isolation. While on tour with the Statler Brothers in 1993, Jimmy sank to his lowest point of despair. In a hotel room, discouraged and ashamed, he felt useless and without hope. Then, he noticed the Gideon-placed Bible. Retrieving it from the night stand, he opened it to Jeremiah 5:25: “Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you.”
This was revolutionary for Jimmy. He needed a Savior to rescue him not simply from adversity and the pain caused by others, but from himself. In Jimmy’s words, “It was like the Lord was telling me, ‘Jimmy, it’s your sins, not your mother or father, your wife or your friends, it’s your sins that [are] keeping the good things from coming to you.’” This was the answer he needed.
Through tribulation, Jimmy gained a greater understanding of the powerful message of the Gospel he’d been singing about for years. He has experienced his share of emptiness, and he promotes the remedy every chance he gets. “Being in my position [of singing] for years in country music, I can show people that you can be happy without all the booze, drugs, sex, and all this other stuff. You can survive and live a better life with the Lord.”
“This is what my life is about – planting little seeds of hope in places where the dirt might be a little hard and dry.”
When the other members of the Statler Brothers decided to retire, Jimmy had the convenient excuse to relax and conclude his career as well. Yet, he felt there was a new opportunity to blend his music and faith. This combination of his two musical passions, Gospel and Country, has provided a broader platform for his faith than ever before. It has been both freeing and fulfilling. He gets to share the hope in Christ he has found, both through song and personal testimony. While he has encountered some resistance to his openness regarding faith, Jimmy feels assured of his call. “This is what my life is about – planting little seeds of hope in places where the dirt might be a little hard and dry.”
In 1982, I had just graduated from college with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. I was working for a wonderful company named Alphagraphics. It was a good job, affording me growth opportunities within the company, but my soul was restless.
Though the work was smooth, the company was growing, and I had the favor of my superiors, I knew it was not what I was created to do.
I had given my life to Jesus as Lord and Savior some years before, and I was growing more committed to living out my faith. I continually prayed, “Lord, what will it mean for me to be fully committed to You?” Still, I remained restless within. I had known for some time I was being called in a different direction. However, I seemed powerless to move ahead.
My job required some travel and extended stays in motels. One night after work, exhausted, I laid on the motel bed. Nothing on television seemed worth my time. I looked over to the end table by the bed, and saw a Bible. At that point, the lifelong development of my faith seemed to gain great traction. I opened the Bible and began to read in Philippians 4, “..for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound…I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
My restlessness was a result of not allowing myself to be completely immersed in Christ.
As I read, it felt as if my dry and thirsty soul was being watered. I realized my circumstances were not causing my restlessness. My restlessness was a result of not allowing myself to be completely immersed in Christ. I resolved to heed Paul’s advice on the secret of spiritual contentment – to put all things under the Lordship of Jesus. When I do that, it doesn’t matter what the circumstances are, His power is in me to guide me through them.
This experience changed the trajectory of my life. I am eternally grateful a Gideon-placed Bible was on the nightstand in that Motel 6 in Austin, Texas, in 1982. Within a few weeks of reading and re-reading Philippians 4, I dropped to my knees and said to God, “Ok, I will submit to Your will. I will be a pastor.”
Thirty-five years later, most people who know me hear repeatedly my life verse is Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” They know the point of the verse is not “me doing all things,” but the strength of Christ in me when I put him first in all things.
Thank you, Gideons, for your ministry of placing Bibles. I am a life that was changed.
During the 2017 Auxiliary Presidents Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, Katie McCormick received distressing news. In a text from her daughter-in-law, Jill, she learned an outbreak of tornadoes in southwest South Carolina had wrought devastation on their family’s farm. Katie immediately called to make sure everyone was OK. “I can’t talk,” said Jill amidst the sounds and screams in the background. “We are trying to get out of the house. Everything is torn up. Please come home.”
Katie and her husband, Tim, ran to their car and made the eight-hour drive home, anxious about the untold destruction awaiting them. The conference they left behind had emphasized the true power of prayer, so they took their concerns to the Lord, and they were greatly encouraged by the knowledge that conference attendees were interceding on their behalf.
The EF2 tornado struck the family farm around 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, January 17. Several of Katie’s children and grandchildren, as well as a few employees and family friends, were caught in various parts of the farm as the twister tore through the property, leaving battered fields, barns, and chicken coops in its wake. Roofs were ripped off buildings, trees and debris crashed into their son’s home, and one of the family’s cars was completely destroyed.
The sheer violence of the storm was terrifying, but as quickly as it came, it moved on, and the family emerged to assess the destruction. No lives were lost, and every farm animal was accounted for, but there was substantial damage to the property and, thus, to their livelihood. The McCormicks remained grateful that they had been protected from physical harm, but uncertainty now lay in the future of their business.
The next morning, however, volunteers began to arrive on the farm to help clean up and re-build. Numerous local churches and the Charleston Fire Department lent their support, and Gideons and Auxiliary began to arrive from across the state. They took chainsaws to fallen trees, cleared large piles of debris, patched roofs, and repaired chicken coops. Work that would have taken the family months was now being accomplished with astounding speed.
Large quantities of food also began to appear on the farm, and after a long day of work, the team of volunteers sat down to a well-deserved meal. During dinner, local Gideon Mike Mills shared a testimony of how God had restored his health in a time of need. His story served as a reminder that, sometimes, experiencing God’s presence in hardships can have more value than not experiencing hardships at all. Quite unexpectedly, a property strewn with wreckage became a site of neighborly fellowship and revival.
On Monday, over 50 people returned to continue repairing the farm. Out-of-state Gideons offered to fly in and lend a hand, and food was provided generously for the second day in a row. “It reminded me of the miracle of the basket of fish and bread,” noted Katie. “We had little, but it kept multiplying.”
“It reminded me of the miracle of the basket of fish and bread,” noted Katie. “We had little, but it kept multiplying.”
For the McCormicks, this tragic experience served as an affirmation of God’s provision and His goodness. When they were dealt what felt like a crippling blow, their faith sustained them. They looked for the opportunity to manifest the active power of God and, in doing so, they gained a platform for sharing the Gospel.
“We are thankful for all the prayers, because we have felt them, and we have seen the power of God at work. We really do serve an awesome God. He is good, and He is faithful. We still have a long way to go on our farm – but we are off to a very good start,” said Katie. “The storm came, but today the sun is shining.”
When Ray woke up that cold, overcast winter morning in Appleton, Wisconsin, he wished he hadn’t. He lay in bed thinking life was no longer worth living. The 52-year-old Army veteran had become addicted to the prescription medications he was taking for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and he was struggling with alcohol abuse.
“I felt I had no future. I just wanted to end it all.”
“I got out of bed, took some pills, and sat on the couch,” remembers Ray. “Though I loved my kids and my girlfriend very much, I felt I had no future. I just wanted to end it all.”
Ray had the day off from the telecommunications company where he worked as a lineman. He decided to try to get his mind off his problems by going to a nearby shooting range and firing off some rounds. That always seemed to help clear his mind, at least temporarily.
He didn’t keep a gun in the house, as it might present too great a temptation to take his life during one of his bouts with depression. Ray had lost some of his war comrades to suicide, and he saw the anguish it caused friends and family.
He called a friend who owned several guns and asked if he could borrow one for target shooting. “Are you having problems again?” his friend asked.
“Yeah,” Ray replied despondently.
“Come on over,” his friend told him.
So, Ray drove to his friend’s house and picked up a 9mm semi-automatic pistol.
Life Takes a Sharp Detour
As Ray drove through town with the gun at his side, his plans to go target shooting took a sharp detour. As if being guided by an unseen hand on the steering wheel, Ray drove into the parking lot of a motel. He parked his truck and just sat for a while.
“It would be so easy just to end it all right here and now,” he said to himself. After some time, he got out of his truck, walked up to the motel office, and requested a room.
“I knew once I pulled that trigger, that was it.”
He received his room keys and walked around back to the motel room. He entered, sat on the bed, pulled out the handgun, and dropped a bullet into the chamber.
As Ray sat on the bed, his life flashed before his eyes. Scenes from his childhood, his years in the war, his years raising his children–they all flickered by as his finger rested against the cold metal of the gun. “I knew once I pulled that trigger, that was it,” recalled Ray.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, something grabbed Ray’s attention. He turned his head toward the nightstand. Lying there was an open book–a hotel Bible placed by The Gideons. For some reason, Ray was drawn to the Bible. Two words seemed to jump off the page–“Follow me.”
Ray loosened his grip on the pistol.
He recognized the text from Matthew 4:19 as the words of the Lord. Ray attended church while growing up, however, what he experienced didn’t reflect anything he wanted to be part of. “I saw people come into church on Sunday, profess one thing, and then on Monday, do something just the opposite.” Even a child can see through the hollowness of hypocrisy.
“Follow You?” he asked with bitter skepticism. “What have You ever done for me?”
“At that moment,” said Ray, “I began to wrestle with God.”
He kept reading. It wasn’t his first time to read Scripture. A few years earlier, Ray’s English instructor at the technical college he attended invited him to church, and he accepted. Ray even purchased a Bible. However, there’s a big difference between keeping God’s Word in your home and keeping it in your heart.
Ray was reading God’s Word with a heart that was more desperate for hope than ever. He began to weep.
Convicted of his sinful brokenness and his urgent need for a Savior, Ray fell to his knees, stretched out his arms like a child reaching for his dad, and pleaded, “Lord, if you’ll take this pain away, I’ll follow you for the rest of my life.” In that desperate moment, Ray’s life changed. As he describes it today, “The Lord reached down, grabbed me, and pulled me into the boat. I felt a comfort I’d never felt before. The Lord showed me salvation.”
Feeling as if the weight of the world had lifted from his shoulders, Ray left the motel that evening and drove home. Along the way, he passed Calvary Chapel church. The Holy Spirit was already at work on his heart. “I knew the Lord wanted me to go there,” he says. That Sunday, Ray experienced his first worship service as a child of God. Calvary Chapel’s Pastor Dwight Douville became instrumental in discipling Ray and helping him grow in the Lord.
Ray Joins The Gideons
It was also through that church Ray met a Gideon named Clem Griesbach. Clem invited Ray to join The Gideons after hearing his powerful testimony. Today, Ray is an active member, helping reach others with God’s Word.
“Every day I thank the Lord for His Word, that it is Truth.”
When out with Gideons placing Scriptures in motels, Ray is reminded of what a single copy of God’s Word found in a motel room can do. From Ray’s own experience, he realizes many people are seeking to fill a bottomless void in their life, and he wants to show them it can only be filled by the loving presence of Jesus Christ. Ray now uses his farm as a retreat to minister to other veterans who are struggling with PTSD. He shares with them his testimony of how the Lord rescued him and tells them they can have that same hope, as well.
Ray is thankful that a Gideon placed a copy of God’s Word in that Appleton motel room. “Every day I thank the Lord for His Word, that it is Truth. I thank Him for the awesome opportunity to share the Word with others,” he says.
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news…” Isaiah 52:7
Perhaps no other natural wonder on Earth holds as tempting an allure for adventurers as Mt. Everest. Located in the Himalayas of Nepal, the 29,000 foot-high mountain has summoned the most courageous climbers from throughout the world, including Sir Edmund Hillary. In 1953, the famed explorer became the first climber confirmed to summit Everest.
For decades, Everest has also tempted Les Connell of Medford, Oregon.
At a point in life where some men might be satisfied to spend their days watching TV from a recliner, 71-year-old Les is a man on the go. He jogs and bikes several miles each week and works as an auditor for a consulting firm to the U.S. Forest Service. Les also helps run his family’s assisted-living home and plays piano for his church’s Sunday morning worship service. Playing with eight grandchildren occupies any remaining time.
71-year old Les Connell on his climb to Mt. Everest.
Les and his wife, Jackie, are also members of The Gideons International. A global ministry that reaches throughout the world with God’s Word is a natural fit for the couple. Throughout their marriage, Les and Jackie have regularly dedicated time together for reading God’s Word. “Reading the Bible has always been a big part of our life,” says Jackie. “Les and I try to have devotions every evening. That cements our marriage more than anything.”
The Faith to Climb Mountains
In addition to a passion for reading and sharing God’s Word, another continual theme in Les’ life has been a thirst for adventure. His desire to take on Earth’s grandest peaks began at the age of 14 when he climbed California’s Mt. Lassen with his older brother. Since then, he has climbed more than 35 other mountains.
In 2010, Les faced a mountain of a different kind. Doctors diagnosed him with cancer. He faced that challenge with the same faith and determination that helped him through even the most difficult climbs. After 44 consecutive days of radiation treatments, Les was given a clean bill of health. While he has always made the most of his time, that period of his life provided Les with a reminder that our days here on earth are passing quickly.
Over the decades, Les has made many of his climbs with his close brother in Christ, Joel. The two met in military boot camp and have climbed together since. In early 2016, Les said to Joel, “You know, if we’re ever really going take on Everest, we should probably do it soon.”
Jackie didn’t try to talk Les out of his Everest expedition. Instead, she took her concerns to the Lord.
Any wife would have reservations about her husband flying across the world to trek thousands of feet skyward to reach a mountain with a reputation as perilous as Everest. The fact that her husband was approaching his 71st birthday gave Jackie even more reason for concern. However, Jackie didn’t try to talk Les out of his Everest expedition. Instead, she took her concerns to the Lord.
Jackie knows her husband can become very determined when he has his heart set on reaching a destination. A few years ago, the couple traveled to Eastern Europe and eventually reached the heavily guarded border of Ukraine. Les was determined to set foot into the country. Jackie still remembers seeing her husband seemingly unafraid of the fact he was surrounded by guard dogs and border guards with drawn weapons. His friendly demeanor persuaded the guards to allow him to take a few steps into the country and capture a picture for his photo album.
While Les has made some extremely challenging climbs, including a five-day trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro, he made those excursions when he was a much younger man. Thus, with a healthy awareness of their abilities, Les and Joel set their goal to climb to the first base camp of Mt. Everest.
After researching the various Everest expedition options, Les and Joel found a tour package that met their budgets. They coordinated their schedules and set the date for September.
Les has been active throughout his entire life. However, he knew to climb to Everest he would have to train harder than ever through the summer. He ratcheted up his standard fitness routine of jogging three miles, three times a week. Also, he incorporated practice climbs into his regimen, including Mt. Defiance in Oregon and Mt. Adams in Washington. By September, he was ready for Everest.
The Ups and Downs of Climbing
Video by Les of a plane taking off from Tenzing-Hillary Airport
If seeing the grandeur of Everest through the passenger windows of a small plane flying into Lukla, Nepal, doesn’t get the heart beating faster, then landing at Lukla’s Tenzing-Hillary Airport will. High winds, dramatic elevations, cloud cover, and a short landing strip that dead-ends at a rock wall are just some of the challenges to a safe arrival in the village. This airport is where Les and the other climbers would begin the eight-day ascent by foot up to Everest. The journey would take them in the steps of Sir Edmund Hillary, routing them through Sherpa villages and Hindu shrines nestled along the 40-mile trek.
Les and Joel would be led on their climb by two guides. They were also accompanied by two Sherpas, an ethnic group indigenous to Nepal, known for their innate ability to ascend to the peaks of the Himalayas. Two younger climbers were attempting the climb with the team, as well.
It didn’t take long for Les to feel the enormity of the challenge he had undertaken. The first day, cold rain poured on the team as they slogged up the mountain. Snow fell on them for three days. The exhilaration of having begun the climb quickly faded into the reality of why the trek up to Everest isn’t for the faint of heart. Les was starting to understand why the hundreds of other climbers they encountered on the trek were 30 or 40 years younger than he and Joel.
Questions began to run through Les’ mind. Why am I putting myself through this? he wondered. What if I don’t make it home alive?
The majesty of Mt. Everest and the surrounding Himalayas overshadows any preconceptions one may have formed from photographs and movies. To set eyes on such breathtaking magnificence in person is to understand why Everest is designated one of the seven wonders of the world.
“When you see how gigantic it is, it’s very humbling,” says Les.
There would be times when the team would ascend 1,000 feet, only to then descend 500 feet due to natural obstacles. Ups and downs like those can contribute to ups and downs in the mind and spirit. Les began the climb with a slight injury to his left foot. Early into the ascent, he slipped off a rock and injured a finger. On a multi-day trek in the Himalayas, even small injuries can put a climber at a serious disadvantage. Carrying a heavy backpack also adds to the challenge. Questions began to run through Les’ mind. Why am I putting myself through this? he wondered. What if I don’t make it home alive?
The mental challenges to climbing can be compounded by the lack of oxygen at high altitudes. Mild altitude sickness can result in dizziness and fatigue. Each evening, the Sherpas would use an oximeter to check each climber’s oxygen levels. If a climber’s levels were getting dangerously low, the climber would have to turn back, as severe altitude sickness can be fatal.
When the body is put through a task as physically demanding as the climb Les was on, food and rest are more important than ever. The primitive shelter and limited food options on the trek are less than ideal for fully restoring the body for its next day of climbing.
Back home, Jackie was faithfully praying for her husband’s journey. Les, meanwhile, kept himself spiritually fed with passages of Scripture to meditate on. One of those passages was Psalm 121:1-2:
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
“…It was sobering to think, God just spoke the Word, and those mountains sprung up into existence.”
When Les and Joel encountered spectacular sites along the climb, the two friends would stand in awe and wonder at God’s creation. Says Les, “It was a very humbling feeling to experience that miraculous presence of the Lord. It was sobering to think, God just spoke the Word, and those mountains sprung up into existence.”
Each evening, when the climbing expedition settled down to rest, Les and Joel spent time reading God’s Word and praying together. Les packed a few pocket-sized New Testaments, and by the end of the journey, the Lord had provided opportunities for those Testaments to be placed into the hands of others.
On the eighth day of the climb, the team reached their destination–the South Base Camp at Mt. Everest. Standing high in the clouds at an altitude of 17,598 feet, amidst an array of colorful Nepalese prayer flags whipping in the arctic wind, Les felt the satisfaction of accomplishing something few people ever will.
“It was a huge sense of relief,” says Les. “Reaching Everest was by far the greatest challenge in my life.”
Gideons Welcome Les Home
The members of the Rogue Valley South Camp in Oregon were thrilled to see Les return home safely. He and his camp members are staying busy placing and distributing God’s Word throughout the community. “It’s so rewarding to go to the schools, hospitals, motels, and county fairs, sharing God’s Word,” says Les. He also loves that he can use his gift of administration to serve in his camp. “For me, it’s the perfect ministry. It just fits well with my personality.”
Jackie says she counts it an honor to serve in the Auxiliary, noting that her mother was among one of the first women ever to receive a nurses’ New Testament while serving in The British Isles during World War II. She is thankful for the friendships she and Les have made with Gideons and Auxiliary throughout the world.
Les is continuing his fitness routine of jogging and bicycling, saying he wants to be prepared for any future opportunities the Lord has planned for him. He says it’s as important as ever that he make the most of his remaining days. According to Les, as long as there is breath in the lungs, a Gideon or Auxiliary can always find an opportunity to make a difference for the Lord.
“The way you make it to the top of a mountain is inch by inch, and that’s how we are to go about trying to reach the world with the Gospel.”
“The clock is ticking fast. We have to use the resources the Lord has given us and do what we can before time runs out. As Gideons, we look out on the field that’s white with lost souls that have never been reached by the Gospel,” says Les. “The enormity of trying to reach all those people with God’s Word can seem impossible. The size of the challenge could easily make one want to throw both hands in the air and give up.”
“But the way you make it to the top of a mountain is inch by inch,” says Les, “and that’s how we are to go about trying to reach the world with the Gospel.”
I grew up in Northern Virginia, in a town called Manassas. I had loving parents who did everything in their power to raise me and my siblings right; they just didn’t take us to church. I remember making wrong decisions so many times growing up. I was a bad kid – a liar, addict, alcoholic, and blasphemer.
Halfway through my senior year of high school, my principal came to me and said, “Lester, you have enough credits to graduate. You need to leave now. Don’t come back until June, when you walk for graduation.” I was basically kicked out of high school.
At age 17, I felt a need to change my life. I didn’t even know who God was, but I sensed Him speaking to my heart. I enlisted in the military in an attempt to escape from the life I was living. I remember standing in the Military Entrance Processing Station in Baltimore, Maryland, when a man approached. He handed me a New Testament and said, “You’re making the best decision of your life.” I thought to myself: I don’t know; I’ve done a lot of crazy stuff, but this is scary!
As I left for basic training, I found out my girlfriend was pregnant. We got married when I came home on leave in December, but when I returned to training, life was a struggle. I traded a lifestyle of drugs for one filled with alcohol. I had a new wife, a child on the way, and I was drinking myself to death.
I had no idea about the power of the Word of God, but I knew there was something special about it.
For whatever reason, I carried that New Testament in my left front pocket. Every time I changed my uniform, I would transfer it to the next front pocket. I had no idea about the power of the Word of God, but I knew there was something special about it. Even when I deployed to Vicenza, Italy, on a Quick Reaction Force team, I carried that New Testament with me.
Eventually, my wife arrived in Italy with my two-week-old daughter. I picked them up at the airport in Venice and took them to our home. Then, I jumped on an airplane to Congo. I came back six months later, but I immediately went to Haiti. When I came back from Haiti, I went someplace else. I deployed over and over again. Before I knew it, my daughter was four years old, and I had seen her very few times. In September 2001, I decided I couldn’t take it anymore. I got out of the service, and I went back home to Virginia.
The next five years of my life were spent trying to rebuild a relationship with my family, but I could not put what I had done behind me. I pulled out that New Testament and read Matthew 11:28, which says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” With that, I surrendered my life to Christ. I was baptized that year, and I felt God’s call on my life to ministry. However, He wasn’t done, and things got worse.
After Christmas in 2004, we lost everything to a house fire. A month later, my dad fell off a scaffold, and we had to shut down our masonry business. Feeling overwhelmed, I re-enlisted in the military. Four years later, I was in an airborne accident that shattered both of my legs, broke my back, and separated my shoulder. I thought to myself: What now, Lord?
On an airplane heading back to Landstuhl, Germany, I said, “God, You’ve got to give me something. I don’t know what I’m doing.” He said, “I called you into ministry, so why are you running?” That day, I surrendered my life completely. I prayed, “Lord, whatever it is you want me to do, I will do it. I can’t do anything else now, and there is nowhere to run.” The Lord called me to preach, so I became a minister.
That New Testament was given to me in 1996, and I carried it with me because I knew it had some kind of power. It exploded in my heart, and it revealed the one true God to me. It showed me where I could find what I needed. My own power kept me running. His power gave me rest.
Lester Harper is currently the pastor at Reilly Springs Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs, Texas.
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Ministry Behind Bars
With the highest population of incarcerated men and women of any country, Gideons and Auxiliary across the United States work to take the Word of God to inmates.
Ron Waldbillig was a well-educated medical professional with multiple Ph.D.s and a reputable teaching position. Through his role as a professor, he taught medical students who would eventually be the next generation of doctors. His mind was consumed with the physical—anything spiritual did not concern him. Although his wife was a devoted Christian, Ron was not. “I thought church was her hobby,” recalled Ron. To him, there was no soul, just a body.
At age 53, Ron faced a medical crisis of his own. He remembers vividly being carted down the white hospital hallways, the hurried voices of nurses, and a feeling that suddenly the doctor had become a desperate patient. Confronted with his own mortality, he sought divine help for the first time in his life. He lie in a hospital in Houston, Texas, with a serious heart condition. Familiar with the procedures and the readings on the medical equipment surrounding him, Ron could tell he was in critical condition. In fact, he appeared to be hanging on by a thread. At that point, he knew of only one place to turn.
“In my desperation, in the middle of the night, in a cardiac intensive care unit, I called out to a God I didn’t know,” said Ron.
Ron noticed something different about the nurse attending to him. She had a comforting demeanor, similar to his wife’s. When he felt prompted to ask her about her faith, she responded by sharing the truth of Christ.
Ron welcomed her words, and at 2 a.m. he accepted Christ as his personal Savior in that hospital room. “I was filled with this indescribable joy.”
He then instinctively asked for a Bible, and the nurse handed him the Gideon-placed New Testament beside his bed. He had never read God’s Word before, but he felt compelled to turn to the book of Acts. He read about the transformation of Saul on the road to Damascus—a conversion experience similar to his own.
When he told his wife about his conversion the next morning, she was thankful but not shocked. “She had prayed for my salvation 35 long, lonely years,” said Ron. “She was not surprised by God’s faithfulness.”
Regarding his heart condition, Ron credits God with the healing. “They did not fix my heart, medically. Jesus Christ healed me.” While he was sick in the hospital, Ron overheard a conversation between a nurse and his insurance provider. Essentially, the insurance company was refusing to pay for a recommended procedure, considering his dire condition not worth the investment. He is grateful God saw his situation differently—as a heart worthy of saving. In subsequent years, no medical issues have hindered his ability to serve the Lord.
Ron became a Gideon in 1999. His involvement in ministry activities has been fervent, as if making up for lost time. Fulfilling God’s call on his life through the ministry of The Gideons International, he has handed out countless New Testaments and shared his personal testimony many times. Jail ministry has been a passion for Ron, and his patience and compassion with inmates has allowed criminals of all sorts, murderers included, to come to Christ. His story attests to the power of prayer and the importance of having God’s Word available for all who call out to Him.
