A couple sits in front of William and his wife, Ruth. Tears stain the woman’s tired face, while the man looks down in shame. The boyfriend and girlfriend have cheated on each other several times, but they share three young kids. Neither of them grew up in a two-parent household. This is a common conversation for William and Ruth. They’ve become the go-to role models for a good, healthy marriage. Everyone wants to know what their secret is. Their response every time? “The bible.” From Troubled Boy to Pastor William Evaristo grew up in the beautiful and historically rich country…
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Liberia, 1989 — Torli shoots up from his bed at four in the morning, wide awake and in a cold sweat. He hears fists pound heavily onto his door and windows. Barely breathing, he sits still in the darkness as his heart nearly beats out of his chest. “Open up! Come out!” voices bellow from outside. “We see your car, and we know you’re in there!” A recent newspaper headline flashes in Torli’s mind: THREE REBELS DECAPITATED. They bang harder. “We’re coming inside if you don’t open!” Shaking with fear, Torli gets out of bed and opens his front door,…
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Elizabeth Cernoia sighed. Her student had cancelled. Now she was at campus hours early for no reason. It wouldn’t make sense to go all the way back home and come back to Fitchburg State just a few hours later, so she’d just need to kill some time. She had some reading she needed to get done anyway. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, her unofficial office was in “The Hub”—a commuter lounge filled with students. As a campus minister, it was the perfect place to jump into the action of people’s lives. But as someone trying to get work done, it was less…
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