Gloria Sloan-Castellanos knows what it’s like to face the unthinkable.
In 1999 — just six months after she and her family made it to the missions field in Mexico — she sat on the beach next to the lifeless bodies of her husband and daughter.
It was an unbelievable tragedy. But what happened next was something that changed the lives of a lot of people. The ripple effect has kept going in ways she never would’ve expected.
We will share her story in the first episode of Season 5 of “Stories” podcast, which will release Feb. 25.
Tragedy strikes
She’s one of three women who will be featured this season who lost their husbands while serving on the missions field and haven’t stopped following the calling God put on their lives. We think you’ll be challenged and encouraged hearing their stories.
In episode 2, which releases March 4, we’ll hear the story of Erica Patrick, who right now is in Alabama with her three children preparing to move to Taiwan. After being forced to leave their home and the people they served in East Asia in March 2020, the family came back to the U.S. to decide where to go next.
Then in October 2020, Patrick’s husband, David, dropped dead unexpectedly one day in the back yard of the missions house in west Alabama where they were living.
“Definitely the Lord has written a story, and as I thought through the story the Lord had written for my life, I just saw over and over His faithfulness to meet me in my weakness, to grant courage, to grant faith, to not only be able to take next steps but to have joy and to praise Him in it,” Patrick said.
In episode 3, which releases March 11, you’ll meet Staci Powers, whose husband, Jeff, died in 2014 after a yearlong battle with cancer. The couple had served in Africa together for 16 years, and Powers stayed on the field in Zambia after his passing. She’s still there now.
Finding God faithful
Her story is a powerful one of walking through grief and finding God faithful.
“I’ve had to trust the Lord and go to Him and trust His guidance,” Powers said. “It’s been hard, but it’s a blessing.”
Listen at tabonline.org/stories or wherever you get your podcasts.
Share with others: