As a city dweller, Vladimir Calderon walks just about everywhere. It fits his active lifestyle. One day, that lifestyle nearly came to a halt as he was leaving his Brooklyn apartment in June 2023. “I was preparing myself to go to the gym that day,” said Vladimir. “I was going down the stairs and my ankle twisted all the way to the right and right there, I just saw stars…It was so painful. Felt like a big stabbing in the foot.”

The 28-year-old figured the pain would wear off, but after a few days, his foot and ankle started to swell, and he decided to see a doctor. “They gave me an X-ray and told me that the foot was all fine,” recalled Vladimir. “One doctor gave me a hard boot where it wouldn’t move, but it wasn’t even working. It was actually making it more painful.”

After two months, his foot still hadn’t gotten any better, so Vladimir went back to his doctor who gave him a brace to wear. “They told me there was nothing wrong with it. I kept taking Advil’s over and over again. Even with the brace, the boot and the pills, I still couldn’t do what I wanted to do,” explained Vladimir. 

He tried to ignore the pain and live each day the best he could. “Most of the times I would stay home,” said Vladimir. “It was just so painful; I couldn’t go out. This injury was controlling me in a way where I couldn’t do what I normally would…go to the gym, take a walk, go get groceries. It made me feel like an invalid person. Pretty much just defeated.”

Vladimir admits his faith started to weaken. “I was just like, ‘God, my pain is really, really strong. I cannot bear it anymore.’ I felt like my prayers were just bouncing off and just not going through,” explained Vladimir. “I felt discouraged that God wasn’t gonna heal me. He probably had more better priorities.”

On the morning of September 19, three months after the injury, Vladimir discovered God did care. “I was in my room sitting, staring at the T.V. but it was not on,” he said. “And then the Lord spoke to me in my heart and said, ‘turn on the T.V. Put on The 700 Club.’ I turned on The 700 Club.” Vladimir continued, “What made me sit still and watch was the anointing was so real. It was so strong. It felt like a warm blanket just came over me and wrapped me up.”

Then host Ashley Key gave a word of knowledge. “The pain is in the middle of your right foot,” said Ashley. “You’re not able to really put pressure on it, but He sees you and He loves you and He’s healing this for you in the name of Jesus. The pain will no longer be there. You’ll be able to walk normally. Test it out even right now, in Jesus’ name.”

“When she said that, it blew my mind,” recalled Vladimir. “I was just like, whoa, am I dreaming? It was so real. I remember me just moving my leg. This is amazing, I just got healed and at that moment, I was able to walk.”

Vladimir was soon back to enjoying his active lifestyle and has had no pain since. He also says the experience strengthened his faith in God. “I felt like I got restored back to brand new, like a factor reset,” said Vladimir. “That pain was no longer restricting me. I felt like I was able to do anything. I feel God’s love even stronger in my life. I see it more visible now. God can heal, and you definitely have to believe. And I’m definitely a testament to that.”

As the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles prepare to clash in Super Bowl LIX, members of both organizations pause to remember that while the pursuit of the Lombardi Trophy is a powerful drive, true fulfillment often lies beyond the scoreboard. 

Ever since he was born, Shivam faced various problems because of his club feet. As he got older, the pain increased.

8-year-old Shivam said, “Even walking was a struggle for me. Every step felt like a challenge. When I tried to play or run, my feet would hurt so much.”

His father said, “He would often fall while walking. It broke my heart to see him like this.”

“Kids teased me. They called me names. It made me so angry and sad,” said Shivam. “I kept begging my dad, ‘Please do something. Please make my feet normal.’”

His Father said, “I had no money to pay for a surgery. I tried everything; thinking, searching, asking, but there was no solution.”

Then Shivam’s father heard about an Operation Blessing medical camp that had arrived near their village.

“That day changed everything,” said Shivam’s father. “They listened to my son’s story and connected us to a partner hospital. They assured us the surgery would be free of charge. I couldn’t believe it! Help had finally arrived!”

Not long after the surgery, Shivam exclaimed, “My feet are straight now, and I can run, play cricket, and laugh with my friends! No one makes fun of me anymore. I feel so happy!”

His father said, “I can’t express how grateful I am. Seeing him walk and run like other children, it’s like a dream come true.”

Shivam said, “I can do everything by myself now. I feel free, like a bird soaring in the sky, without pain or fear of falling. ‘Thank you so much’ to everyone who made this possible.”

What a beautiful example of how CBN partners share the love of Jesus around the world with people in need! If you’re not yet a partner, we invite you to join us today. Help bring God’s love through initiatives like clean water wells, medical missions, feeding programs, and so much more—all in the name of Jesus! Join us today and become a part of what God’s doing through CBN partners. 

REBBECA

Rebecca grew up in Sydney Australia the oldest of seven children.  At eight, she gave her heart to Jesus. When Rebecca was just thirteen years old, she opened for Christian artist, Carman, in Australia. Her dad was a concert promoter, but when his career suffered a devastating blow, the family lost their home and life savings. They moved to America and started over while surviving on very little. The family took odd jobs to make ends meet with the boys’ raking leaves and she and her mom cleaning houses. 

Every dollar earned went into the family’s cash stash. Meanwhile, her dad reached out to music executives in the Nashville area, and she began to audition for them. One executive, Eddie DeGarmo, asked her to sing at the People’s Church in Franklin, Tennessee. 

After her performance, she signed her first development deal with ForeFront Records. For the next twenty years, she toured often doing interviews, songwriting, recording, and book writing at the same time. God did remarkable things during that time in her life, but the pace of her schedule was daunting.

She became a spokesperson for the True Love Waits movement and publicly shared with thousands of people the importance of honoring God in all areas of their life, including dating. As her career soared, Rebecca continued praying for the spouse she believed she would have one day but did not anticipate how long and painful this process would be. 

As she entered her thirties, she was exhausted from singing about a guy who may or may not exist. At thirty, while on tour, Rebecca realized her voice could not be pushed anymore. Her friend extended an invitation to Rebecca to move to California with her. To give her body time to heal, Rebecca accepted her offer and moved to California. Little did she know, five miles away lived a Jesus loving bassist named Cubbie Fink who would become her future husband.

CUBBIE

Cubbie grew up in a Christian home, but he did not accept Jesus as His Savior until he was a teenager. To find peace, he looked to world religions and philosophy but came up empty. It wasn’t until his junior year of high school that he began attending his youth group. His youth pastor was patient with his questions about Jesus and consistently cared about him. At a worship conference later that year Cubbie finally gave his life to Jesus.  

He struggled with depression which stemmed from his childhood. When he was five years old his family moved to Bakersfield, California. His childhood memories were vivid except for his time in Bakersfield. He still recalls the day police cars showed up and arrested his next-door neighbor. Cubbie had been to the neighbor’s house and even played with his daughter several times. However, his memories from those times were blocked. The trauma that took place in his neighbor’s house would plague him for years to come until he found healing.

A LOVE STORY

After high school, Cubbie went to South Africa to do missions work. He helped to build an orphanage for children affected by AIDS as well as teach in the local school. Cubbie stayed in South Africa for two years. He then attended Vanguard University in California, a school he applied at and had been accepted to before doing missions work, and pursued a degree in film. In 2009, after he graduated, God opened another opportunity outside of TV and film.  He was asked to be the bassist for the band Foster the People. The band broke through in 2011 with Pumped Up Kicks, a hit that peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Despite all the excitement of being part of the band, Cubbie longed for someone to share his life with. However, finding a godly woman in LA was proving to be more and more unrealistic. Then one night at a wrap party for a TV series he had been working on he met Rebecca, a girl that his roommates had been talking to him about for months. 

As she came into the room their eyes met, and it was magical. Cubbie invited Rebecca to a show the following week not expecting her to come, but she did. They started dating in 2010 and spent most of their time talking and watching movies. It was a season of rest which Rebecca needed after being burnt out from twenty years of doing music. Nine months after dating, Cubbie asked Rebecca to marry him on Christmas morning with a Hallmark style proposal. Rebecca said, “Yes!” 

Although she loved Cubbie, she was still a little bit afraid to make such a huge commitment. She asked God to confirm this marriage for her and He gave her peace. On April 23, 2011, they were married in California. “For Cubbie and I both, God guarded our hearts and bodies by allowing us to grasp the concept of the sanctity of marriage and knowing that sex was reserved for our future spouse,” shares Rebecca.

WINTER SEASON

At thirty-five, Rebecca retired quietly from music in 2012 due to her ongoing vocal issues. She needed time to heal, and she wanted to start a family. Almost immediately, God allowed her and Cubbie to conceive. When their daughter Gemma was born, they were so excited. During this time, Cubbie was gone a lot with band life (eleven months of the first year of Gemma’s life). Rebecca was at home adjusting to a new baby’s feeding schedule and the challenges of motherhood.  

When the tour for Foster the People ended in 2015, the band decided to move on without Cubbie. Tensions in the band had been rising, due to the rock and roll lifestyle and mindset which distorted and eroded the foundation of the band. Cubbie was in disbelief that they let him go. For the first time in decades, he did not know what was next. 

His confidence and identity were shaken. He fell into a state a season of struggle with depression, so Rebecca encouraged him to see a counselor. During this time, he discovered a mental block in his childhood. He recalls, “I wanted to ignore the pain, but I could see how my actions and overreactions were affecting my wife and daughter. I had to find healing.” 

Meanwhile, Rebecca was trying to be a mom and carry the weight of everything with Cubbie. She says, “Truthfully, I felt shocked and quite afraid.” Things were compounded when they decided to start trying for a baby after his departure from the band and she miscarried twice. They were both so exhausted and overwhelmed from their hurt and confusion that they hardly had anything to offer each other. 

SPRING SEASON

In 2017, Rebecca said yes to a show on a cruise ship in Alaska. Both she and Cubbie thought it would be a good change of scenery after all the difficult years they had faced. Although she still had major vocal issues at the time, the performance went well. She also felt God prompting her to share with the audience about the hard struggles she and Cubbie had been going through over the past few years. As she allowed herself to be vulnerable, she felt something shift in her soul. 

“I could see God’s light like I used to in my shows before pain and fear had overshadowed my ability to fully sense His nearness. God and I were again connected through music, and I felt His joy and pleasure in me as I continued to lead that room full of people in worship,” shares Rebecca. Afterwards, she felt God had called her back to music. 

Her and Cubbie decided to move back to Tennessee where they started accepting offers for shows. Cubbie became the executive producer for her latest album Kingdom Come. Almost immediately following the cruise, Rebecca became pregnant again and had another daughter followed by a son two years later.                                         
In 2024, Unsung Hero – a story about Rebecca’s family became a hit movie and received the Dove Award for Film of the Year. In the film, Rebecca played the part of an airline attendant. She would be on set for half a day then she would go home to take care of her kids and homeschool them. Cubbie was part of the producing and directing team for the movie. He watched the film usher in healing and redemption for Rebecca. 

It was a special time for them both to work together and see their talents intertwine. 
Over the past year, they are both more intentional about their emotional, mental, and spiritual health which has provided more freedom, peace, and joy for each of them. Together they are asking God to reveal, “What are healthy no’s, so we have space for our best yeses as a family.”

To find out more about Lasting Ever and The Finks click the Link! https://www.RebeccaStJames.com

CREDITS

REBECCA ST. JAMES: Co-author, latest, Lasting Ever, (David C. Cook, 2025); Grammy and Dove Award winning Christian recording artist with more than two million albums sold; Her latest album, Kingdom Come, Hosts a podcast called Practice Makes Parent with Focus on the Family; Rebecca and her family’s story along with her brothers – Grammy Award winning duo For King and Country was featured in the 2024 hit movie Unsung Hero; Married to Cubbie; Children: Gemma, Imogen, and River
CUBBIE FINK: Co-author, Lasting Ever, (David C. Cook, 2025); Executive producer on Rebecca’s most recent studio album, Kingdom Come; Part of the producing team and directing team of Unsung Hero, the 2024 hit movie which received the Dove Award for Feature Film of the Year; Former member of the multi-platinum Grammy-nominated indie-pop band Foster the People; Married to Rebecca; Children: Gemma, Imogen, and River