Faithful Through Every Storm

Forrest Critser, full of faith and bravado, stood before his church youth choir and announced, “If any of you girls want to go steady with me, catch this.” Then he threw his class ring over his shoulder.

A girl caught it. He didn’t even know her name. “She’s now my wife of 57 years,” Forrest says. Shortly after Forrest and Pamela married, he told her that he felt called to the ministry.

The rural churches they served at were small, and receiving a salary wasn’t an option.

Years later, God led them to a struggling church in Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

When Hurricane Ian struck in 2022, the Critsers lost their church as well as their home. Forrest narrowly escaped the rising floodwaters only to be faced with the harsh reality of starting over.

The church body came together and helped rebuild the community after the storm, including pooling its money to purchase an RV so Forrest and Pamela would at least have a place to live.

For decades, Forrest and Pamela had been the ones freely giving of whatever they had. Asking for help did not come naturally. But when a friend told them about Mission:Dignity^®, they applied.

Pamela recalls exactly what the representative told her on the phone: “She said, ‘We’re going to take care of you. You’re one of ours.’ We wept.”

“I have been a Christian for many, many years and have learned that God provides and takes care of his own,” Forrest said.