David Ricca is no stranger to the Christian faith. His parents brought him and his four siblings up to know about God, attend church regularly, and understand the Bible. He even had a heart to live missionally at a young age, dreaming of being a missionary pilot. But when tragedy struck his family during his teen years, David found himself spiraling from the faith of his youth. 

As he was in the process of wrestling with God and doubting His goodness, David got invited to attend an evangelistic training event for young adults in Minnesota, which was a long way from his Long Island home. That’s where David clearly felt God calling him back to the faith. After recommitting his life to following Jesus, David found one more benefit of being at the Minnesota conference – he met a guy named Tom Miyashiro. 

Tom recognized David’s freshly restored faith, and he didn’t hesitate to jump in as a mentor in David’s life. As David’s faith continued to grow, he and Tom reconnected in person at a youth event in Virginia where David led a young person to Christ for the first time. God used Tom to fuel the fire to share the gospel that was burning in David’s heart. “Tom encouraged me not to let the fire die, to keep going, to find other opportunities,” David said. 

Following Tom’s promptings and faithful encouragement, David decided to attend Pulse 100, which is a year-long mentorship and training program for young adults who are interested in evangelistic ministry. Tom continued to mentor David and became an integral part of his choice to leave the secular workforce and pursue full time ministry. David said, “When I was trying to make the decision to leave my career, I wanted to count the cost, and Tom was very gracious about telling me what I needed to know. I also had a lot of doubts about myself, and Tom was someone who basically told me he believed I could do it, and I just needed to take that step and do it, because the Lord was with me.”

Now, David is traveling the world as an executive assistant for Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, which is an international discipleship ministry that helps make Christians into mature believers. David’s faith is stronger than ever and his desire to serve God in full time ministry is at the forefront of his mind. This desire has been growing in his heart for years and also stems from his gratitude for the people who took the time to mentor him. People like Tom. 

Because of Faith 2 Faith supporters, Tom was able to build a relationship with David, encourage him to keep the faith, and motivate him to serve in full time ministry through countless phone calls and several in person connections. Of the ministry’s donors, David said, “Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to have this relationship with Tom, and it really is because of him that I got involved in Pulse 100 and ended up in full time ministry. A big reason I’m where I am today is because of Tom, and that relationship wouldn’t have been possible without that support.”