Tom Vail

In 1980, while managing a corporate computer center for a Fortune 500 company in downtown Los Angeles, I took a vacation that would prove to be a turning point in my life - a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon.

Two years later, I left the corporate world behind and became a career rafting guide, leading trips through the Grand Canyon ever since. I have also worked as a part-time guide for the Grand Canyon National Park Service, and am a past-elected member of the board of directors for Grand Canyon River Guides.

My time in the Canyon not only led to a career I love, but also brought about a spiritual change in my life. In 1994, Paula, a passenger on a trip shared Christ with me. A few months later, I received Christ as my Lord and Savior and Paula is now my wife. In 1997, the concept of Canyon Ministries was born and we ran our first Christ-centered rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. Since then, we have shared the Canyon from a Biblical perspective with hundreds of people. We have been selected by both Answers in Genesis and the Institute for Creation Research, as well as several other organizations, to provide charter services for their Grand Canyon tours and research trips.