From Soviet interrogation rooms to secret baptisms: one man's lifelong mission to carry the light.
"The interrogation room smelled of stale tobacco and old sweat."
Leland Paris stood in the Moscow airport with Bibles from Brother Andrew hidden in his luggage. One wrong word and he'd vanish into the Gulag.
That moment in 1971 launched a lifelong mission that would take him from Soviet checkpoints to secret baptisms in nations where conversion means death.
Mentored by Brother Andrew, the legendary "God's Smuggler," and shaped by a family legacy of radical obedience stretching back to colonial Massachusetts, Leland helped pioneer Youth With A Mission. In 1974, burdened by the spiritual shallowness he saw in young believers, he brought a vision to his cousin Loren Cunningham. He conceived and together they co-designed the Discipleship Training School, a program that has since shaped over one million students worldwide.
Along the way, he lost his friend Keith Green in the 1982 plane crash that shook the Christian world. Paris was one of the first to arrive at the scene. The untold details of that day and its lasting impact on the missions movement are revealed here for the first time.
But this is more than adventure. It is a field manual for an age adrift.
With a foreword by Don Stephens, founder of Mercy Ships, Love Shines reveals the "Fixed Point" that has anchored believers through centuries of persecution: the unchanging Word of God.
Today, through Global Bridges, that mission continues in the world's most restricted nations.
The torch is extended. Will you carry the light?
"Every Gen Z Christian in America should read this book."
- Abigail DeJarnatt, Founder, Counteract USA
"These pages breathe faith, sacrifice, and authentic missionary zeal."
- Lance Wallnau, Bestselling Author and Strategic Advisor
"His work is evidence that Jesus can change the trajectory of an entire nation."
- Max Bowman, Former Assistant Head Coach, Buffalo Bills
