George Mueller

GEORGE MUELLER (1805-1898), evangelist and philanthropist in England, was a man of prayer and strong faith who depended wholly on God for his temporal and spiritual needs. During his time serving as pastor at a church in Bristol, England, his famous work with the orphans began when two young children were thrown upon the church's care. Mueller resolved never to tell anyone what his needs were. He told them to God and confidently expected them to be met. Over his life, he handled more than $8 million, although his own worldly possessions were valued at about $800 at his death. He is author of the book Answers to Prayer.

Larry Burkett

LARRY BURKETT (1939-2003) was a well-known authority on business and personal finance. He wrote more than seventy books, including non-fiction bestsellers like Family Financial Workbook, Debt-Free Living, and The World’s Easiest Guide to Finances. He also had a worldwide radio ministry. Larry founded Christian Financial Concepts and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Crown Financial Ministries®. He is survived by his wife, Judy, four grown children and nine grandchildren.

Harry Verploegh

Louis Markos

LOUIS MARKOS, is a professor in English and Scholar in Residence at Houston Baptist University and holds the Robert H. Ray Chair in Humanities. Dr. Markos is a respected and widly requested speaker on C. S. Lewis, Tolkien, and Christian worldview as well as the arts, education, the new age, apologetics and, ancient Greece and Rome. He is the author of several books and numerous lectures and articles. Dr. Markos lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife Donna, his son Alex, and his daughter Stacey.

Christin Ditchfield

CHRISTIN DITCHFIELD is an international conference speaker, Bible teacher, and author of more than 80 books, including the best-selling A Family Guide to Narnia: Biblical Truths in C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, and a dozen other guides to spiritual truth in classic literature. Christin holds a masters degree (MA) in Bible & Theology and doctorate (DMin) in Spiritual Formation. She shares her love of all things C.S. Lewis with her husband, Lewis scholar and Episcopal priest, Andrew Lazo.

Diane Elliot

DIANE LYNN ELLIOT is an author, professional photographer and business administrator. With a heart for people and a passion for ministry she has worked and volunteered with children, teens, women, and short-term missions and relief projects. Diane's interest in the global orphan crisis started many years ago with a trip to a hospital for terminally ill children in Siberia, and later to an orphanage in Mexico. Seeing a small snapshot of the great need started her journey and fueled her passion for the orphaned child. For the research of the book Diane also traveled to Peru and Haiti which continued to expand your vision and passion for orphaned children. Diane has a BA in Communication from Trinity International University and an M.B.A. in Global Management from the University of Phoenix. Professionally she has co-written two youth management books, and has spent many years as a freelance meeting and events planner and business manager in both not-for-profit and corporate settings. Diane, her husband David, along with their trained Alaskan Klee Kai therapy dog named Kody, live in Wauconda, Illinois and attend Willow Creek Community Church.

Nathan Stone

The late NATHAN J. STONE was a member of the faculty of Moody Bible Institute for several years and a teacher for the radio program Radio School of the Bible. He is the author of Names of God, Answering Your Questions, 100 Basic Bible Questions Answered, and Holy to the Lord: Studies in Leviticus.

Joe Thorn

JOE THORN is the founding and Lead Pastor of Redeemer Fellowship in St. Charles, IL. He is the author of Note to Self: the Discipline of Preaching to Yourself and Experiencing the Trinity: The Grace of God for the People of God, and has contributed articles to Tabletalk Magazine, the ESV Men's Devotion Bible, The ESV Story Bible, and The Mission of God Study Bible.