The weather report did not look good. In fact, a category five hurricane was heading to the island of Cancun where Ana Golden was on vacation. The authorities indicated that their lives were in danger. Ana and her husband were placed in an army barracks. They had arrived in Cancun on Saturday and were enjoying a vacation filled with scuba diving and adventure. But this adventure was one Ana was not anticipating. “God, if you’re real and you save me from this, I will turn my life over to you,” was Ana’s prayer that night as the hurricane hit. The year was 1989 and Ana’s life has not been the same since.

Searching for Meaning

Ana’s family did not attend church on a regular basis and by the time Ana became an adult she did not attend church at all. As she grew older Ana began to question the meaning of life. Her father died of a heart attack at the age of 59 and that experience set her on a search for meaning. Her search culminated with her trip to Cancun and the life-threatening storm. Through her encounter with the hurricane Ana saw the power of God and learned something about herself in the midst of tragedy. Four days passed without food and the airport Ana and her husband found themselves in was in utter chaos. People were running around in a state of panic. Only two planes were available for flight and no one knew what to do. Ana took control of the situation and organized the exit mission. She instructed one member from each family to form a line. Amid the chaos it was like the red sea parted as people finally understood what to do. Using Ana, God brought organization out of chaos.

Ana graduated with a degree in education. She taught in a public school for one year and worked in the field of education for seven years. After deciding to leave the Bay area she moved back to Stockton, a place she considered home. She decided to leave the field of education and pursue opportunities in the field of insurance. After working for a couple of insurance companies she decided to start her own company, which she has been running for the last 17 years. Ana’s agency provides employee benefits for companies.

Responding to Opportunities

Opportunities to share her faith in the workplace abound. Being self-employed has been an advantage and God has been opening doors from the beginning. Ana uses her office as a base of ministry, sharing the gospel and lifting people up in prayer. Once while Ana was driving from an event with one of her clients, he told her about his wife who was having surgery the following week. At that moment the client’s cell phone rang. One the phone was his wife who asked to speak with Ana. Ana talked to the woman and prayed for her.

Ana looks for opportunities to share her faith during the holidays. She sends cards with a gospel message. One February Ana sent Valentine’s Day cards that included a promise to pray that month for anyone who needed it. About a dozen people replied with requests that she pray for them.

As a Christian in the marketplace, Ana faces daily challenges. And every day as Ana shares her faith at work, her prayer remains the same: “I want to walk with God, I want to have his heart, and I want to do what he wants me to do.” |L

Susanne Dacus graduated from Pacific Christian College with a degree in Christian Education. She and her husband Brad work with Pacific Justice Institute in Citrus Heights, California. Brad and Susanne reside in Sacramento, California with their two children.

OTHER COLUMNS:
June 15, 2008 - A time saver who knows the soul saver
May 18, 2008 - Working by faith 24/7
April 20, 2008 - Motown, music, and ministry
March 23, 2008 - Be One Sportswear
February 24, 2008 - Fighting for the faith
January 27, 2008 - Healing for the Healer
December 30, 2007 - Parenting faithfully
December 2, 2007 - Building physical and spiritual strength
November 4, 2007 - Taking Christ into the classroom
October 7, 2007 - Changing lives through music
August 12, 2007 - Strategies for business and life
June 17, 2007 - Finding fulfilling work
May 20, 2007 - Faithful to his calling
April 22, 2007 - An unstoppable witness
March 25, 2007 - The perfect plan
February 25, 2007 - Teaching with faith
January 28, 2007 - Changing a community—one event at a time
December 24, 2006 - Business by the book
October 29, 2006 - Giving God his best