Christopher Michael Shaffer

Born to Rick and Bev Shaffer

September 9, 1982

His name means "Christ-bearer Who Is 

Like God."

Came to know Christ as his

Savior when he was 3 years old.

Graduated from Bloomsburg University 

Magna Cum Laude with two degrees.

Chris is the second born of our children, and born while we were ministering in Kentucky Teen Challenge. One of the interesting things that happened during his early childhood is that when he was crying or angry a red mark appeared between his eyes in the shape of an eagle.  So because of that we adopted a verse of scripture for him in Isaiah 40:31  "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings AS EAGLES; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."  

The ministry in Kentucky was all girls so Chris had no problem getting a lot of attention.  Of course, Sam also got a lot of attention too because he was only 16 months old when Chris was born.

A very important thing happened when Chris was three years old.  We were then living at 231 North 12th Street in Sunbury, PA and we were having devotions in the front room.  We had just finished praying after devotions and Chris got down off my lap and walked out 

of the room.  Suddenly he turned around and came back and he looked up at me and said; "Dad, I'm tired of being bad.  I want to ask Jesus into my heart."  We prayed with him and he has been following the Lord to this day and he is now 38 years of age and will be 39 in September 2021. 

Chris was a good baby and he and Sam formed a bond early and played together a lot.  We moved to His Farm Fellowship after a 

brief return to Pennsylvania and the friendship between them grew in an environment just made for boys.  Our short stay at His Farm 

ended with me leaving Bev and the boys at His Farm and coming back to Pennsylvania to secure a home and a job.  It wasn't long until we were living at 509 Edison Avenue and I was working at a hat factory while Bev stayed home.  We had very little income at that time and our monthly bank account balance was more of a wallet account than a bank account. We ended many months with under ten dollars in our account, but the bills were being paid.  

Eventually my back gave out and things got really tough.  We had two incidents that stand out in my mind during our stay there.  The first was that we had left Chris in the baby stroller on the porch and Sam came outside wanting to help and he tried to take the baby stroller down the steps like daddy and mommy did.  It was too much for him so he had to let the cart go and it flipped and Chris landed on his face on the sidewalk.  We thank God that he survived that and proved to be alright.  Another thing that was a blessing began with Sam holding onto his ears and crying hard on a weekend day.  We didn't want to take him to the emergency room, so I anointed 

him with oil and laid my hands on his ears and Bev put her hand on his head and both of us prayed for him.  God instantly healed him and he got down to play and his pain never returned.

Chris was our tough guy, and when it came time for a spanking he would never cry during the spanking.  As a result I dubbed him "iron butt."  He was strong-willed and would often frustrate his siblings, his mother and I.  In spite of that he excelled in academics and he was a very good pitcher in little league.  He eventually went on to college and earned magna cum laude with two degrees.  As he grew his spirit became more tempered and now he is a precious young man who is liked by many and he is a very sensitive and giving individual. He is successful at what he does and still single but dating a beautiful young lady and they seem quite happy together.  Update: As the picture above shows he married her.

Chris continues to stay in the Bible and prayer and nobody could ever believe that he was that stubborn youth long ago.  I am sure that if you asked Chris about his life he would tell you that God alone could make those changes and he is thankful that God did and gives 

him all the glory for it.   We praise God for the wonderful changes he made in Chris, a man of God who has made his parents proud 

while living for Jesus.  He has been married now for over four years with a stable family life.  Nancy teaches children in school and Christ has gone on to become a nurse working so that Nancy can quite teaching.  They have been blessed with a third baby boy on December 3, 2019.  A new baby is due in July 2021.  God continues to expand our family and we praise him for it.