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There were times when non-Christians in our tribe would ask us to pray for them or to pray that we'd find dinner. No one ever walked away when we prayed for dinner or for a challenge. Everyone would come and we never forced them. People would tell me why they didn't go to church and I would answer questions for them.

There were definitely opportunities on the island that I did [talk about God], but they always approached me. Since I won, I have given my testimony on television, in churches, and spoken in schools when I can't talk about my faith. Instead, I say that everyone needs to find something deep within you that will help you get where you need to go and that could be a religious belief.

Why do you believe God placed you on Survivor and allowed you to win?

First and foremost, to show that Christians may not be of the world but we live in it. He placed me in there to let people know that Christians are strong people and we can do anything and everything. We don't have to be vocal about who we are—but in the end, we proclaim what got us there. We know our faith is what got us there.

See Hertz's earlier interview with Survivor contestant John Raymond, the show's first pastor.

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May (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47