Growing up in North Pole, Alaska, Helen Doner had three main options for spending her time: school, church, and getting into trouble.
By high school, Helen was being bullied by her siblings at home and her peers at school.
“There were a few other girls that were in the same boat, and we decided we didn’t want to go to school anymore,” she remembers. “So, we would just get together in the morning and leave the school grounds and just do whatever. … We ended up getting into some mischief.”
For these friends, petty theft and ditching school soon escalated to making plans to run away from home. On the day they were scheduled to fly to Los Angeles, California, Helen’s father grounded her—a punishment she would later recognise as God’s intervention.
“[That] kept all of us from boarding that plane,” she said. “You know, four 13- and 14-year-old girls get off in L.A.—we probably would have never been seen again.”
Because she was grounded, she wasn’t allowed to watch television, but her rebellious streak prevailed. Helen flipped through the only three stations in her house, all broadcasting a Billy Graham Crusade.
So, with nothing else to do, the 14-year-old settled in to watch, and the Lord began working on her heart. By the time Billy Graham invited people to respond at the end of his message, she was ready to give her life to Christ. She prayed along with the evangelist on TV to ask God to forgive her sins and be part of her life.
That moment changed her life forever.
Helen began reading God’s Word with a new passion. Experiencing His grace, mercy, and sacrificial love, she said, “changed my perspective. I was listening with new ears.”
She had found a new joy and hope for her life, and though she continued to face hardships as she got older, God remained faithful.
