Let's begin this first post with Dr. Stenhouse's early childhood. The audio is an interview with him conducted by this author. If you prefer to read the chapter in biography format, you can do so below.
Audio
Download the Podcast | Prefer to read the transcript?
Dr. Andrew Stenhouse’s journey began in Detroit, Michigan, where he was born in 1934. His parents, both strong believers and members of the Plymouth Brethren, were of Scottish nationality. His mother worked as a retail store buyer, instilling in young Andrew a foundational lesson on commerce:
"In case you want to be a buyer in a clothing store, the way you make money is by buying correctly and not selling. So it sells itself."
His father worked for General Motors as a spring designer before the family's lives shifted dramatically with the approach of World War II.
Just before the outbreak of the war, the family returned to Britain by boat, taking a considerable risk on the Atlantic crossing amidst the threat of German U-boats. The voyage itself left few distinct impressions on the young boy, save for a memorable moment when a whale collided with the side of the ship.
After returning to England, living north of London, his father stepped into a critical national role, put in charge of all British steel for the war effort. Though life during wartime carried immense pressures, young Andrew occasionally enjoyed trips up to the Midlands of England, driven in a chauffeur-driven car alongside his father.
It was during these turbulent early years in wartime London, at about seven years of age, that Andrew experienced the first of many profound, supernatural encounters that would shape his life. Most nights, family safety meant sheltering under the stairs to avoid shrapnel and falling debris if the house was hit. However, one evening after falling asleep in his bed, Andrew woke to find himself being carried through the bombing zone under the wings of an angel.
The experience was remarkably vivid:
"There I was—I was being carried under the wings of an angel into the bombing zone. And the angel was talking to a partner angel on his left-hand side. And they were laughing and having such a good time dodging the bombs and staying out of the searchlights."
After roughly ten to fifteen minutes, the intensity proved too much for a seven-year-old, and he began to cry. The next thing he knew, he was back in his bed, where his father checked on him after hearing him upset. Andrew recounted what happened, receiving a bewildered look from his father before drifting back to sleep.
The miraculous event repeated itself another night. Once more, he found himself enveloped in the soft, cozy shelter of an angel’s right wing—likely the same companion angel—gliding through the illuminated London night sky while narrowly missing the falling bombs. After another brief journey, he cried out and woke safely back in his bed, prompting his father to check on him once again.
Looking back on these extraordinary beginnings, Andrew understood that his life was defined not by religious ritual, but by a deeply personal relationship with the Heavenly Father. Reflecting on the core of his faith, he often emphasized the profound truth of God's call:
"We're not in a religion, really, we're in a relationship with our Heavenly Father. And He has called each one of us separately to be related to Him. And He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to die on the cross in order that He could take our sins in His body on the tree and make the way for us to have eternal life."
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
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