We are happy that you are interested in learning more about our journey. Following are Debi and Al’s stories in their own words.

Debi’s Story

Hello, my name is Debi and I would like to share how Bernie and Friends began. At a time when  hopelessness and despair became unwanted house guests, a wonderful renewal of purpose instead came to reside in our home and in the hearts of our family.  Let me explain:

I inherited a disease called Retinitis Pigmatosa, as well as Usser Syndrome Type II. These are big words which mean that I am deaf and that I am gradually  losing my vision as well.  Currently I am legally blind; however, at this time I still retain a small field of vision in my eyes and can hear with the help of hearing aids…isn’t technology wonderful!

Amazingly, as my natural vision has been fading, a new “inner” vision has been awakened within me. And wouldn’t you know it has arisen from an area of my life that I have deeply loved and enjoyed for many years…the field of puppetry. Children love puppets, music and story-telling. The combination of these mediums sets the stage for a powerful communication tool that can be used in many settings with topics that may otherwise be difficult to share to children. I see my love of puppets and extensive experience over the years as the perfect springboard to a new arena of education for our children, and I am excited about the opportunity! Thanks for taking the time to get to know me, I hope that you will feel free to share your comments with Al and I as we continue to find ways to reach out to children.

Sincerely,
Debi

Al’s Story:

Hi my name is Al.  I have enjoyed being a part of BERNIEANDFRIENDS.net, but I must admit, my passion for this website comes from my life experiences. You see, I had the misfortune of growing up in a dysfunctional family and unstable home life. By the time I had turned age eleven, my mom had been married 3 times and my dad had been married 4 times.  During that same time, I had attended 6 different school systems, allowing me no ability to form lasting relationships.  Also, I endured both physical and sexual abuse during many years of my childhood. Needless to say, I ended up with a number of learning disabilities and feelings of unworthiness. However, because of the love of complete strangers and friends that I made through the years, I came to have a wonderful family and a love for God.

It has since become my passion to tell my children and grandchildren about the great characters of the Bible, stories, fables and to sing uplifting songs. No child should ever grow up without knowing that they are special and that God loves them.

There is a powerful lesson from the book of Judges in the Old Testament of the Bible. The first generation of God’s people (those who reached the ‘promised land’ of Canaan)  lost their love for God. They lost their love for God because they were not told the stories of how God delivered them and brought them through the wilderness. That stuck with me. Though we live in a Christian nation, we could easily lose a whole generation of our children if we do not share the good news of the gospel with them.

In the Bible, we are told to bring our children up in the ways of the Lord. That is why I am thankful that you are reading this right now. You see, not all children have someone like you to love them, to tell them how special they are, and to share the great stories of the Bible with them.

This is the time, this is the hour, to make a difference in our generation!

Sincerely,

Al