I was born in Rochester, NY and grew up in Pennsylvania. As I child, I suffered mental torment and was unsure if God existed. I became convinced of God's existence when he healed my back. I was about nine years old. My mom laid hands on me and said "In Jesus' name, back be healed." Although I didn't expect anything to happen, I felt something like a ball of energy start rolling up and down inside my back until the pain was gone. I later told my friends "I felt God's hand in my back!" I had a "born-again" experience when I was eleven years old, and got involved in missions as a young teenager. My first trip was to Mexico. I began studying Spanish, then Polish, Portuguese, and Russian. When I was about 20 years old, I felt very frustrated with myself and the church. I knew that God was real, but I wondered why he felt so far away and why I never saw the miracles that I heard about happening in other countries and for other people. Then the Holy Spirit spoke to me through the Bible and the speakers at a Christian conference. God dealt with traditions of men that were causing me to feel so frustrated, revealing Jesus to me in a greater way than I had ever seen before. I began to see many people healed when I prayed for them. It was the beginning of a life of miracles. After taking many short-term mission trips to various countries, I moved to Brazil in 2012. I now live in Rio de Janeiro with my wife and daughter.