After five years as a Naval officer, Larry Brown decided to call it quits. A recent convert to Christianity, he then entered Bible school. But his real purpose in life was not revealed until he began to travel to some of the world’s most remote and impoverished countries: Africa[Africa is not a country; are there specific countries in Africa that can be named?], India, the Philippines. There he found people hungry for literal and figurative Daily Bread. Larry worked ceaselessly to deliver both, as the Gospel was spread in his wake. Wherever he went, the Word was poured out with equal parts passion, love, and joy. Many times, signs and wonders, or what we call miracles, followed.

Risen Magazine: Fill us in on the past ten years of your life.
Larry Brown: Actually December 8th will be our ten-year anniversary of being full-time in our own ministry, Turning Point [not to be confused with David Jeremiah’s Turning Point in San Diego]. That’s the name the Lord gave us, because many times there will be turning points in churches and individuals’ lives.

RM: What have been your turning points?
LB: When I gave my heart to Jesus, 1978. I was at the Naval Academy and I went on an Easter weekend retreat, March 24th, 1978. My friend Allan [Risen publisher Allan Camaisa] invited me there.

RM: Was your walk straight up from there?
LB: It’s a commitment issue. How strong of a commitment are you willing to make for God? Just before I went to the prep school, my dad, who was a retired Naval officer, offered to take me to the Bahamas, along with his girlfriend. Next thing you know I was in the Playboy Club. Within a minute I was thinking, What am I doing here? But I didn’t know how to stand up to my father. He was one of those idols, or those crosses that you lay at the foot of the cross. I said, Lord, if you get me out of this, I’ll never do anything this stupid again. It was a setup from the Enemy. Obviously, he was trying to pull me off the path immediately.

RM: Even most Christians would consider four days in the Bahamas as a blessing.
LB: I saw the path it would take me on if I gave into my father’s pressure. He was eggin’ on the Playboy bunnies because he knew I was a virgin. Back in high school, he would threaten to take me to the prostitutes in D.C. I didn’t go, but I was always terrified when I went to visit him that he would bring up that question again. From the time I was young I didn’t want to sleep around, I wanted to wait. I didn’t understand my dad’s agenda at the time. He didn’t think you were a real man unless you slept with several women. He had volunteered for Vietnam on river patrol boats, he was a boxer, just a real tough guy. Fought hard, worked hard, partied hard, and I was really different.

RM: Has your experience with God changed your father?
LB: It took years. He used to say that anybody who believes in God is weak, ministers are stupid, and religion is an imaginary emotional crutch. I know different Christians have different convictions on drinking, but for me, if I’m going to be influenced by God, I don’t need other influences in my life. I’d had a year of partying at the prep school, and I saw myself do things that I wouldn’t normally do. I had made a quality decision to stop drinking. Then I went out with my dad to a club and he asked, “Are you gonna have the regular?” I said, “No, I’m gonna have a Coke.” He said, “Why you havin’ a Coke?” I knew the Lord wanted me to tell him that I was a Christian. When I did, he was so taken aback that he didn’t have another word to say at that time. That was another major turning point for me, standing up to my dad.

RM: When did you first go to Africa?
LB: After five years in the Navy, I went to Bible school. In 1994, five years after I graduated from Bible school, I went on my first mission trip. In November of 1993, God had said, I want you to go on a mission trip. I said, All right Lord, what about this Navajo mission trip, it’s only $300? He said, No, that’s not it. I said, What about South America, that’s only $800? He said no again. I said, What about these other ones with lesser fees? He said, No I want you to go to Sierra Leone, which was $2,000, the most expensive one. I said Lord, I don’t have that kind of money, He said, Write a letter. I didn’t have a computer or a typewriter. I was walking to work and the first person I saw on campus said, Hey I just got a new computer; if you ever want anything typed,