A Message to the Reader:

Champion Over The Darkness This book is my life story that God has written. I have
poured my life over these pages, splashing tears and laughter between every line; but more important it is about the hand of a faithful God who turns each page of my life. In His mercy he opens the door to the rooms in my heart revealing who I really am, so I can know who He really is.

Throughout the stories, may you see a ‘real’ person, living, loving, struggling, winning and losing, but always trying to honour and serve God. The first chapters in the book are about my family. My mom always said she could write a book about all the things that happened in her life; so I am writing it for her.

The chapters about the farm are her stories she told me since in the most part I was too young to remember, or even to know the passion that lived in her heart. In writing this book I hope to fulfill one of her dreams.

As a teacher I found that children learn best from listening to stories. Jesus himself used stories called parables to teach the people God’s love and truth. The stories told in this book were not to demean, but to show that even in our human weaknesses, our failures, and our sins, God’s hand of mercy restores and redeems that which is lost and broken. In reality these stories are about life and death, about the light that fights against the darkness.

By telling our stories we have an opportunity to give
hope, and to show the goodness of a faithful God. I realized that in life’s journey the events and stories are not as important as our relationships we form, our response to the challenges we face, and our courage to re-direct our lives.

We become ‘Champions Over the Darkness’ when we understand that not only is His everlasting presence in all our situations we face, but also in very core of our being. In the presence of His love, no darkness can remain. No darkness can destroy the light of hope coming from Him. We become ‘Champions Over the Darkness’ when we carry His light of love and hope to a lost and dying world, for everyone on this earth will spend eternity somewhere.

The journey is sometimes hard and long, but it is worth pressing forward to tell God’s great ‘love story’ for mankind. He is the Light and the Love that will guide us all the way to eternity’s door. The journey begins with a small candle lit from a child of a simple, pure faith and becomes a grown woman’s torch of passion for Him.

You will meet people in these stories that were in need of love and in the midst of their darkness His Light was provided. While reading this book my hope is that you will begin to understand the importance of choice in life. We choose whether we carry His light to the mountain top or continue to dwell in the valley of despair.

God, while making this journey through life’s many twists and turns, has healed my heart. My prayer is that through this book you too will find your healing in Him.

There are so many awesome blessings and intimate moments with my Saviour, my family and my friends throughout my life. My hope is that when the last words of my journey are read, it will be the beginning of your own journey towards knowing and loving Jesus more deeply.

Peace and Joy,

Connie Hale-Duncan