Sight.org marks 10,000 eye surgeries in West Africa

An East Texas-based ministry is taking people from darkness to the light, restoring vision to more than 10,000 people through Sight.org’s mobile clinics in West Africa. Since Lewis Swann co-founded Sight.org in 2012 in Tyler, the organization says it’s also shared the Gospel with more than 50,000 people in Togo, a mostly French-speaking country of…

East Texas woman navigates grief by building wooden crosses

Everyone handles the loss of a loved one differently. Amber Acosta refused to let her father’s memory fade away after his death in 2016. It was inside his workshop that Amber says she unexpectedly found inspiration. “Someone can have such a large presence in your life. And to not have that anymore, it can take…

Meet Christian worship music artist Reese Germany

A rising voice in the Christian worship music scene, Reese Germany’s songs bring encouragement to those who are hurting. Her lyrics and songs give life to powerful testimony about finding hope through suffering. “I feel like my life is a song,” Reese said. “I feel like God has written a story that only he could…

East Texas athlete defies cancer diagnosis to play college softball

Softball has become a type of therapy for 18-year-old Addison Babbs. The freshman from Nacogdoches County is finishing her first semester at Angelina College and earned a spot on the Lady Roadrunners softball team. Until recently, very few of her teammates knew about an inoperable tumor deep inside the right half of her brain. Competitive…

Artist Robert Puschautz creates sacred art to elevate minds toward eternity

An East Texas artist is looking to his faith to bring beauty to the world. From his studio in downtown Tyler, Robert Puschautz is training aspiring artists to produce sacred art that inspires others. “There’s a need for new imagery, a need for beautiful art to occupy people’s hearts and minds,” Puschautz said. The Stabat…

Cloistered Dominican nuns mark 75 years of prayer in East Texas

The Monastery of the Infant Jesus is celebrating 75 years since its founding in East Texas. Located on Lotus Lane in north Lufkin, the community of nearly two dozen cloistered Dominican nuns are devoted to praying for the needs of the world around them. “I wanted to be hidden so that God could be the…

Wine-making family weathers seasons of change by relying on prayer

Kiepersol Estates Winery is marking 20 years in East Texas. Their journey from South Africa has become a testament to the power of prayer. The homegrown business has weathered everything from weather extremes to the loss of its founder. But there’s now a sense of peace at the vineyards in Bullard, according to proprietor Marnelle…

Good Samaritan couple survives roadside crash

After a violent roadside crash, an East Texas couple is dedicating their lives to restoring others’ relationships with God. Late on May 19, Jerry and Sheri Beeson pulled off Interstate 20 at the Farm-to-Market Road 31 overpass west of Marshall. They were trying to help a man who had wrecked his Jeep Grand Cherokee earlier…