My mother and father were great, in that while I was growing up, they expected me to do certain household chores. I was expected to mow our two acre yard, take care of the trash, keep the weeds down around the out buildings and trees and run errands when necessary. My mother was a great help and influence in my life; she would tirelessly help me prepare homework assignments and study for tests. I could not have gotten through high school and college without her help!

I graduated from Madison High School in Rochester, NY in 1966. I continued my education at Buffalo State College where I received both a BS and MS degree in elementary education. Now totally blind, I was forced to learn Braille; I also got Rajah at this time, the first of five Leader Dogs I have had. My blindness caused me to adjust to many situations in life.

It was during my last year of college that I met and married my wife, the former Bette J. Trail, who was working at a local Buffalo hospital as a registered nurse.

After graduation I landed a job teaching school in West Seneca, NY. Getting that first job in the teaching field was quite a challenge! I had almost 100 interviews with school personnel before I got my first job! I estimate that Bette helped me complete over 200 applications before that first job became a reality! Sometimes I became very discouraged! My first task was convincing school administrators that although blind....I could do the work! During this time God gave us two children, Andrew born in 1972 and Matthew born in 1973.

I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ in January of 1972 after a visit from Pastor Loren Andersen of First Baptist Church in W. Seneca, NY! I was saved in the living room of my home in Buffalo, NY. This was truly the greatest day of my life! As I look back now I can see how God was working and leading in my life. As I was exposed to missionaries and evangelists through the local New Testament Church God gave me a burden for the lost. The Lord then led me out of teaching and called me into full time ministry.

In September 1973 the Lord led me to seminary. God even provided me a teaching job--and I filled out just one application and had just one interview to get it! Through His help Bette & I were able to provide for our family through those seminary years! This alone was a great spiritual lesson for me, "Wherever God guides, He will provide!"

After graduation from seminary in 1977 God allowed me to pastor two Bible believing, independent, Baptist Churches, one in Pennsylvania and the other in Brewster, Washington. In Washington the Lord allowed us to begin a Christian school and to pay off the church indebtedness!

Since 1985 I have been director of "Circle of Love" which is a tape ministry designed to reach the blind for Christ. Each month hundreds of tapes are sent out across the United States and around the world designed to help the blind find Christ. Also in 1985 our family moved to Texas where we presently reside.

Each year in America alone over 50,000 people lose their vision due to accident or disease. The estimate of the blind population of the world is 42 million people. We have a desire to reach these people with the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ and to get them rooted and grounded in good, Bible believing churches!