An Amazing Fact: The longest amount of time that anyone has survived adrift at sea is 484 days. In October 1813, Captain Oguri Jukichi and 13 of his sailors were left stranded when their cargo ship was damaged in a storm off the Japanese coast. They drifted across the Pacific, with only their cargo of soybeans for food, until rescued by Americans off the coast of California in March 1815. By that time, only Jukichi and one other of his men were still alive.
It happens to so many who grow up in the church. Amanda had drifted away from God.
Many have chosen to give up on such “drifters” as lost causes, but God still cares about them. So when they realize they’ve been on a sinking ship all along, and the Holy Spirit calls to their hearts, God wants you and me to be ready to share His lifesaving answers.
That’s what we do at Amazing Facts—share God’s truth on every media platform possible. Your support makes possible faith-rebuilding programs, like Bible Answers Live and our Everlasting Gospel podcast, so that when people like Amanda go looking for a lifeline, they find God’s truth.
Life Without Prayer
Amanda was raised in a Sabbath-keeping home. As a child, she was interested in spiritual things and enjoyed learning about Jesus. She was even baptized at the age of 12.
However, as a young adult, she drifted away from her faith. “I had the typical secular college experience,” she explains. In fact, by her senior year, she wasn’t even praying anymore.
Did you know that once upon a time, most colleges were established by churches that wanted to educate students academically and spiritually? But today, many universities are hotbeds of values designed to lead even believing students far away from Bible truth.
Falling in Love Again
Nevertheless, the Lord had a most unusual way of calling Amanda back to Him. You see, it started with Jack, a Catholic man she was dating.
Jack was always interested in having spiritual conversations with friends, but Amanda didn’t want to talk about religion since she was no longer practicing her faith.
Still, one day, Jack innocently asked a question. At first, Amanda brushed him off, but he persisted: “I want to know what you believe.”
Jack had recently experienced the death of his beloved high school coach. He told Amanda that he believed his coach was now in heaven. Amanda asked why he believed that, and Jack replied, “Because it’s in the Bible.”
“Have you ever read this in the Bible for yourself?” Amanda asked.
Jack admitted that he hadn’t.
It had been so long since she picked up the Scriptures, Amanda couldn’t remember any passages to show him. So she turned to Amazing Facts’ online resources to help Jack get trustworthy answers from the Bible.
This is exactly what your support provides every day of the year—answers! Your gifts fulfill Jesus’ promise, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). Both Amanda and Jack were knocking, and God used you to open the door!
As Amanda returned to Amazing Facts time and again for Bible-based answers, she was transformed. She fell in love with God’s Word again. She even began to pray again. After graduating, she prayed not only to find a good job but also that God would lead her to a Sabbath-keeping church.
The Parable of the Sower became a reality in Amanda’s life. “Other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced” (Mark 4:8). She shares that our resources “discipled” her and gave her confidence in the Bible again. Praise God!
Fully Surrendered
As Amanda shared her beliefs, Jack was fascinated by what he learned. Knowing something was wrong with his church’s doctrines, he quit attending Mass and started to study for himself. After attending Officer Candidate School, he headed to his first job in the Navy. But on his way, he decided to make a stop to visit Amanda.
During Jack’s visit, Amanda’s new church was presenting a prophecy seminar, so he attended with her. He heard the truth about the Sabbath, and the message convicted him deeply.
Jack wondered if he could faithfully keep the Sabbath while serving in the Navy. God honored Jack’s faith—the Navy graciously gave him special accommodations. Still, he kept studying and praying and even listened to AFTV, our 24-hour satellite station. Praise God, he chose to keep the Sabbath and fully surrendered his life to Christ. 
Reaching the Drifters and the Seekers
Where do people like Amanda and Jack go when they want reliable answers to their deepest questions? The Internet. This is why Amazing Facts has a dedicated website team. Because you give, we’re able to create multiple ways for seekers and drifters alike to discover and rediscover Bible truth.
Now, in these stormy, tumultuous times, more and more people like Amanda and Jack want something solid to cling to—and we must “be ready in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2).
That’s why I’m asking for your support today to grow our web outreach and put more media programs where seekers can find them—all across the Internet and on media stations worldwide. Whatever the size of your gift today, whether $20, $200, or $2,000, you will help feed the spiritually starved through the Internet, AFTV, and every other outreach available.
Today, I’m thrilled to tell you that Jack and Amanda are married and serve in pastoral ministry together. And this is their prayer for the many lost souls out there: “Fall in love with Jesus and the Bible through Amazing Facts, as we have!”
Your gift today will bring many more drifters and seekers like Amanda and Jack into God’s kingdom.
Reclaiming God’s wayward children,
Pastor Doug Batchelor
President, Amazing Facts International