ANNA: A Story of Faith, Trust, and Purpose

This faith-based story tells of a young man, Matthew Larsen, struggling to understand the purpose and meaning of his life and what faith is all about. He's not even sure he believes in God. He has been dealt some tragic events in the recent past, including helping his ailing father live his final days. Because of those events, he has become cynical toward humanity. He holds down a meaningless job. The only bright spot at work is his coworker and friend, Jennifer, a young woman who longs to be more than just a friend. But it's after his father dies that Matthew meets a mysterious visitor, Anna, who tells him he is needed for an important calling. She calls them missions which are necessary to help others, something only he can do. He begins by helping two individuals, Doc, a guidance counselor who is mourning the loss of his wife and son, and Zach, a nineteen-year-old essentially living on the street and struggling with addictions. The final mission takes Matthew, along with his friends, on a dangerous journey to the deep South to help an unlikely family, strangers to them all. Through these missions and relationships, Matthew begins to learn more about his faith and how we all are connected in this journey called life. It's a story about trusting and having faith in what God has planned for all of us as stated in Jeremiah 29:11. It also illustrates how we need to help and love our fellow human beings, be kind, care for them, and assist them whenever help is needed in this broken world, as told by Jesus Christ in Matthew 25:40. May your faith grow as you read this story and be moved to help others in need as he did.