But Hannah has become even more excited about a different stand–her stand for the Lord Jesus Christ. Hannah, 16, accepted Christ during a summer camp three years ago.
Immediately, she began to realize God’s call for her to share her faith. At least twice, she approached friends at church about a relationship with Christ, but each time the friends said, “I don’t think I want to do that.” Hannah didn’t know what to say or do next.
“So I just quit,” she says. “I felt terrible walking away from those conversations. I felt like I had totally destroyed what I had been working so hard to accomplish.”
One night, Hannah’s youth leader announced that he would do a study on the Book of Daniel. He asked all participants to do some advanced research. Hannah got on the Internet. One of the first links she found was to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s youth evangelism site, daretobeadaniel.com. The site leads visitors through an online training manual, which includes reading the first six chapters of the Book of Daniel.
“I knew I was prepared to take a stand for my country,” Hannah says. “But after going through Dare to Be a Daniel, I realized it is even more important to stand up for God.”
She ordered the Dare to Be a Daniel kit from the Web site. “The kit helps you know what to say when you witness,” she says. “I was still nervous after going through it, but I just prayed that God would give me somebody to witness to.”
A few weeks later, a friend at church asked Hannah a question: “Why do you come to church all the time?” Here was her opportunity.
“I told Megan that I go to church because the Bible says to and because I want to learn about God.”
Megan asked, “Why do I need to be saved? I’m not a bad girl.”
Hannah was scared. “I was trying to remember the verses and praying at the same time. I quoted Romans 3:23: ‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (NIV).”
The next day, Hannah received an e-mail from Megan. “She had gone home the night before and talked to her grandmother about what I said, and she accepted Christ later that night,” Hannah says. “I broke down in tears.”
Megan asked Hannah to pray for her parents to be saved. Hannah and her mom, Susan, began to pray. A few months later, Megan’s parents accepted Christ during a church revival.
Hannah continues to use her newfound boldness to witness to friends. Her younger sister, Grace, 14, has also completed Dare to Be a Daniel training, and their three younger siblings have just begun the program.
“I feel God is calling me to join the military,” Hannah says. “I’m homeschooled, so most of the friends I’ve witnessed to have been in church. It might be a little harder to witness in the military, but I plan to try.”