About the Agents of Transformation Series
This post is part of our Agents of Transformation blog series—a collection of stories and reflections exploring what it means for Canopy Life students to become Godly, Innovative, Emotionally Healthy, and Relationally Rooted leaders who can transform their communities.Want to explore more stories like this one? [Click here to read the full series.]
To learn more about what it means for our students to become Agents of Transformation in Kenya—[Click here to view our online magazine.]
In 2007, Loren Hildebrant—pastor, friend of Canopy Life, and former Canopy Life board member—was simply a father, watching his sixteen-year-old son face unimaginable adversity. What followed was a testimony of faith, resilience, and the power of a healthy relationship with God—one that Loren now shares in this powerful reflection.
A Father’s Story of Faith and Adversity
On July 31, 2007, my son Ben dove into a swimming pool and fractured his C5 vertebra, damaging his spinal cord. The injury left him paralyzed from the chest down. Within days, he had spinal surgery, was told he would likely never walk again, and was transferred to Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta to begin an intense season of rehab. At just sixteen years old, Ben was experiencing adversity unlike anything he could have ever imagined.
Adversity Will Come. What Is Your Life Built On?
Adversity is inevitable—but how we respond depends entirely on the foundation we’ve built our lives upon.
Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” But I would add at least one more certainty: adversity.
Jesus used the image of a storm to show that everyone—no matter who they are—experiences adversity. He said:
Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. (Matthew 7:24–27)
Those who hear His words and put them into practice build on a foundation that stands firm in the storm. But those who build on sand—without the truth of Christ—collapse in the face of hardship.
A healthy relationship with God—one rooted in His Word and presence—does not guarantee a storm-free life. But it does create an unshakeable one.
Being the son of a preacher, Ben had heard the words of Jesus and, acting on those words, surrendered his life to Him as a child. In the biggest storm of his life, the foundation of that relationship was tested—and held. The storm of rehabilitation, recovery, and concern for his future raged against Ben.Throughout the difficult years of rehab and recovery, Ben never stopped declaring the goodness of God. His healthy relationship with God didn’t start in adversity, but it was revealed through it.
Building a Godly Foundation at Canopy Life
Adversity is a daily reality for many Kenyan families. According to the CIA World Factbook, the average annual income per Kenyan is $5,700—or less than $475 a month. Poverty, hunger, and hardship are common, especially in rural communities.
At Canopy Life Academy, students are not defined by their adversity. They are becoming Agents of Transformation, equipped with the tools to shape their communities through character, innovation, and faith. One of the most important traits? Being Godly—having a healthy relationship with God.
Through discipleship, spiritual mentoring, and intentional leadership, Canopy Life students are learning to build their lives on the solid foundation of Jesus. And just like Ben, their stories of transformation are becoming beacons of hope for their families, friends, and futures.
Ben Today: Walking by Faith (Literally)
Miraculously, Ben learned to walk again. He still deals with the effects of his spinal injury—walking with a significant limp and limited use of his right hand—but his foundation remains unshaken.
Today, Ben serves as the Area Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in a county near Atlanta. He’s married with four children and continues to inspire others through his faith, resilience, and example. He’s my son—and my hero because of how I watched him handle adversity with the strength that only comes from a healthy relationship to God.
And the same God who carried Ben through adversity is at work in the lives of students at Canopy Life.
About the author of this article:
Loren Hildebrant is the Director of Outreach at 12Stone Church in the Atlanta suburbs and served on the US board of Canopy Life International in 2022-2024. He’s been married to Sharon since 1987, has four children, three of them married, and is “Bubba” to eight grandchildren.
