S8:E23 | Farris Welsh: A Survivor

05/31/23 • 31 min

God’s Timing Is Perfect

Farris Welsh opened her refrigerator door to find she had no milk for her kids. She checked the pantry, and there wasn’t much there, either.

Not knowing how she would feed her family dinner, Farris heard a knock on the door, and when she and her young son opened it to find two bags of groceries, she knew God provided for their needs.

Farris has lived anything but a normal life. From one tragedy to the next, she has been stretched, challenged, and refined. And through it all, she still believes God is good and His timing is perfect.

The first life-altering event happened during her time as a student at Cedarville. While Farris and two of her friends were driving to Xenia, Ohio, they were hit head-on by a drunk driver. Her friends died instantly, while Farris remained in a coma for two weeks and was then hospitalized for three-and-a-half months.

Even in the midst of this tragic event, her faith continued to grow. Her mother sat diligently by her side, reading Scripture and praying for a miracle, which happened. Farris defied the doctors’ prognosis of not being able to stand again — let alone, live a normal life.

But this car accident wasn’t even the most shocking event of her life. She has experienced multiple tragedies throughout her life, but she never complained. And before she retired from an exhilarating career with the federal government, Farris raised two children, served as a world leader, and even helped the United States recover from a broken relationship with the King of Thailand.

As Farris will tell you, never doubt God and always do what He asks of you. That’s her motto, and it has served her well.

God’s Timing Is Perfect

Farris Welsh opened her refrigerator door to find she had no milk for her kids. She checked the pantry, and there wasn’t much there, either.

Not knowing how she would feed her family dinner, Farris heard a knock on the door, and when she and her young son opened it to find two bags of groceries, she knew God provided for their needs.

As Farris will tell you, never doubt God and always do what He asks of you. That’s her motto, and it has served her well.

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S8:E22 | Conrad Weaver

Stories for a Purpose

Conrad Weaver started out as a premed major at Cedarville. He later switched to psychology, graduating in 1988, he found himself the president of Conjo Studios and an award-winning filmmaker.

How did this psychologist end up making documentaries?

It all boils down to a central mission: helping people.

Shortly after pursuing a career in psychology, Conrad found a new skillset and passion for working with technology and video. He was hired by a church, and he started heading up its video production for services.

Despite having grown up dabbling in photography, seemingly always with a camera in his hand, Conrad never thought he could make a career of it. But an Emmy award for The Great American Wheat Harvest documentary, followed by several other successful documentaries, proved him wrong.

Today, Conrad enjoys telling the stories of people that he meets. His upcoming documentary, PTSD911 tells the story of the first responders at ground zero on that devastating day in 2001. He is currently sharing his story with people across the United States as he rides his bicycle from Astoria, Oregon to Ocean City, Maryland. You can follow his journey by clicking on The Journey.

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S8:E24 | Farris Welsh: Victory over Tragedy

All Things Through Christ

It’s all about relationships for Farris Welsh. So much so that when the United States government needed someone to mend a broken relationship between the U.S. and the King of Thailand in the early 2000s, the Department of Defense called on Farris to be part of the DOD’s relationship-mending team.

Farris’ career as a contract negotiator with the United States government came unexpectedly. Little did she know when she earned a degree in education from Cedarville that her skills would be used to educate foreign leaders and U.S. officials. In this role, she found herself traveling to Europe, the Middle East, and all over Asia. On some of these international trips, Farris took her daughter, Rachel, who eventually followed in her mother’s footsteps.

Rachel was working on her master’s degree when she decided to work at Wellington University in New Zealand. She worked there for a year, traveling to places like India and Bangkok when she had the chance.

But it was the day she was scheduled to fly home that another tragedy struck: a 9.4 magnitude earthquake hit New Zealand, just hours before Rachel’s flight was to leave for San Francisco.

Rachel passed away on February 22, 2011.

Through all the tragedies and hardships Farris has faced in life, she still points back to the Lord. For in Him is the strength to press on.