In his twenty-plus years of youthwork, ,DON PEARSON has been kicked out of restaurants, left kids behind in airports, lost ten thousand dollars on a single event, totaled a borrowed vehicle, caught a sailboat on fire, fired volunteers, and run out of fuel in a bus on Mackinaw Bridge at 2:00 am with 40 knot winds rocking it wildly back and forth.  The ministry he oversees has lost kids in the mountains, driven a bus through a glass toll booth in Mexico with armed guards pointing machine guns at the windows, rescued kids getting stung by jellyfish in the dark waters off the Spanish Virgin Islands, run hundreds of trips and retreats, and partnered to raise money for four building projects—all at the same church. During this time, God has faithfully extended the range of his ministry from six kids in the eighties to over six hundred today.

A graduate of Moody Bible Institute, Cornerstone University, and Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary, Don now spends most of his time overseeing the thriving youth ministry of Blythefield Hills Baptist Church.  As always, his emphasis is on reaching, discipling, and equipping young people for spiritual leadership in the church and the world. Don and his wife, Julie, have three grown children and reside near Grand Rapids, Michigan.


A veteran of the publishing industry by day, PAUL SANTHOUSE has been involved in youthwork as a parent and volunteer since his last-minute stint as captain of a “Dawntreader” boat back in 2000 (see chapter 6, Take Trips). A graduate of Moody Bible Institute and The King’s College (New York), Paul resides with his wife, Rebecca, near Chicago, Illinois. They have a family of six (at last count).