Facts in Brief:

• Full name: Christopher Michael Rolling

• DOB: December 2, 1974

• Place of Birth: Vancouver, Canada

• Siblings: One brother, two sisters, one half brother, two half sisters.

• Religion: Christianity, since 1986

• Home Church: Bellingham Vineyard Christian Fellowship

• Favorite Color: Orange

• Favorite music group: The Grateful Dead

• Favorite song: "Pali Gap" by Jimmi Hendrix

• Favorite town: Bellingham, WA "City of Subdued Excitement"

• Favorite vehicle: Volkswagen Bus

The Life of Chris Rolling by Chris Rolling (abridged)

I was born young, penniless, and without a stitch of clothing. That was particularly troubling considering that it was December and I was born in the frozen wastelands of Canada- Vancouver General Hospital. Fortunately my parents fed me and dressed me in cute little woolen things that my grandmother knitted. Actually, I don't remember very much about that.

In 1996, I started to volunteer with "The Upper Room", a Christian drop-in center for street kids in Bellingham, Washington. During spring break from college in 1997, I went with several of the volunteers on a mission to learn about homelessness and street culture. We posed as homeless travelers and went to Vancouver, B.C. where we lived on the streets for 4 nights. It was one of the best experiences of my life. We brought no money, so we begged and ate in soup kitchens. We were befriended by a number of different street people who became dear to me. I came to believe that everybody on the street was seeking more than just food or nice housing or their next fix - they needed to know that Jesus loves them and life actually has meaning. After my brief time as a homeless man, I seriously considered a lifetime of ministry, even to the point where I considered dropping out of college.

I graduated college in December 1998 with a B.S. in Industrial Technology and a Vehicle Design concentration. At this point, I became sidetracked from my goal of full time ministry. I had an idea that I should pay off all my student loans before going into ministry. I kicked around Bellingham for a while, worked briefly as an engineer out in Michigan, then returned and took a technician's job in Mount Vernon, WA. My job had medical and a 401(K) plan along with other entrapments that make up the American dream.

I was miserable. At the time however, I lived in the Discipleship House, a community living house for college age Christians and people like me who used to be college age Christians. My friends there encouraged me to attend Discipleship Training School with Youth With a Mission (YWAM). I quit my miserable job and fixed VWs while I prepared to leave for Discipleship Training School (DTS) in Jamaica.

I began DTS in September 2001. While attending DTS in Jamaica I concluded that it would be foolish to move back to Bellingham and return to my old lifestyle if I wanted to follow God. One of our speakers for DTS was the base director from YWAM - Haiti, who got me interested in YWAM's vibrant ministry there. I learned that they need a mechanic. After returning to the states after Discipleship Training School, I quickly got organized to return to the Caribbean, and I arrive in Haiti on April 15, 2002.