A Living Example

Two Brothers experience the gospel firsthand

Daniel* was in the 6th grade and his older brother, Kris* in 8th grade the first time they showed up on the doorstep of Bradley Campus Life Director, Jovan Marshall’s home at 11 o’clock at night. Daniel was a friend and classmate of Jovan’s son and from his experiences at Campus Life, he knew the Marshall’s home was a safe place. The boys’ mother was addicted to hard drugs, making their home environment unbearable at times. It soon became a regular occurrence for Daniel and Kris to turn up at the Marshall’s in need of a place to stay. Parents of 6 kids themselves, the Marshalls welcomed the boys in to what became their part-time home over the next couple years.

“They started calling us Mom & Dad,” Jovan remembers. “They came to Campus Life and to church with us. We had an opportunity to share Christ with them and let them see what a healthy Christian home looks like. We got to be a living example of how God expects us to act and live.”

One Sunday when the boys had accompanied the family to church, Daniel stood up and came forward during the altar call. He decided to surrender his life to Christ. The Marshalls were thrilled. Later, when Daniel went home and told his mother about his faith decision, she sent the family a message via facebook, thanking them for taking care of her boys and pointing them to Christ.

Though the boys eventually moved with their mother to Chicago, they still show up on the Marshall’s front step anytime they’re in town visiting. Today, Daniel is a freshman in high school and Kris is a senior. When they stop by, they slip seamlessly back into the Marshall family, even scooting outside to ask if they can carry bags from a grocery trip.

“God placed my wife and I into this area especially for children like this,” said Jovan. “My own story is similar and allows me to relate to what they are going through.”

*Names have been changed to protect privacy.