Some documentary stories stay with you long after production wraps.
Ross Golding's story was one of those films.
Breakdown to Baptism became more than just another Signs and Wonders testimony documentary. It became a deeply personal reminder of how fragile life can feel during mental health struggles, and how powerfully faith, surrender, and human connection can reshape someone's future.
This is the behind-the-scenes story of filming Ross Golding's documentary in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
How We Connected With Ross Golding
Ross's story came to us through Allison Evans, one of the producers and core members of the Signs and Wonders team.
Allison has become an invaluable part of this mission, not only volunteering her time but also helping identify several of the documentary subjects we've featured in recent productions. Her ability to recognize powerful testimony stories and meaningful people has been instrumental to what Signs and Wonders has become.
Allison lives in St. Thomas with her family and attends Island Fellowship Church (IFC), a vibrant Christian community in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Through church and mutual friendships, she became close friends with Ross Golding and his wife. At one point she told me:
- "You really need to hear this guy's story."
So she connected us.
I reached out to Ross, and we scheduled an initial Zoom conversation to discuss the broad outline of his testimony and determine whether it would translate into a compelling cinematic documentary narrative.
Normally, I budget around 45 minutes to an hour for those initial calls.
Ross and I talked for nearly two hours.
The Story Arc Behind Breakdown to Baptism
From the beginning, Ross was incredibly open and authentic.
He shared how he had co-founded a travel business that initially experienced major success. As the business grew, so did the lifestyle surrounding it. But when COVID-19 hit and global travel shut down, everything collapsed financially.
The pressure became overwhelming.
What began as anxiety evolved into something far darker.
Ross described it as a panic attack that simply never ended.
He developed debilitating neurological symptoms:
- severe anxiety
- muscular fasciculations
- twitching throughout his body
- weakness
- mobility issues
- intense depression.
Doctors ran MRIs and neurological testing while trying to determine whether he had a serious disease such as multiple sclerosis or another degenerative neurological condition.
At one point, Ross genuinely wondered if this would become his permanent reality.
As a former collegiate baseball player whose identity was deeply connected to athleticism and physical capability, the thought of losing mobility devastated him emotionally.
He talked openly about the fear of not being able to throw a baseball with his son again.
Those moments immediately stood out to me as emotional anchors for the documentary.
By the end of our conversation, I knew this was a story we needed to tell.
Traveling to St. Thomas to Film the Documentary
My brother David and I flew down to St. Thomas to film three Signs and Wonders documentaries in just four and a half days:
- Ross Golding
- John Thompson
- Maynard
It was one of the most demanding production schedules we've ever attempted.
Because St. Thomas doesn't have the kind of film equipment rental infrastructure you'd find in larger production cities, I had to travel with virtually all of the gear we would need for the shoots.
The production package included:
- two Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K cinema cameras
- Aputure lighting
- audio equipment
- RØDE wireless microphone systems
- boom microphones
- stands
- batteries
- portable filmmaking gear compact enough for airline travel.
Outside of David helping conduct interviews and Allison assisting throughout the process, I was essentially operating as a one-man documentary crew:
- cinematography
- lighting
- audio
- directing
- setup
- teardown
- gear management
- production logistics.
And all of it was happening in the Caribbean heat.
By the end of every shoot, I was absolutely drenched in sweat. It became an ongoing joke during the trip because I was basically soaked nonstop while hauling gear around the island.
But despite the exhaustion, there was something incredibly meaningful about the entire process.
Building Trust Before the Cameras Rolled
One of the reasons the interview with Ross became so emotionally powerful was because of the relationship we built before filming.
On the flight down, I remember telling David how excited I was for him to meet these men.
I had already spent hours connecting with Ross emotionally through our conversations beforehand. I walked David through each documentary's emotional structure, story arc, and themes so he could help guide the interviews naturally during filming.
That preparation mattered.
Because when Ross finally sat down to tell his story on camera, something profound happened.
The Emotional Interview That Moved Everyone in the Room
As Ross began revisiting the darkest period of his life , the depression, the anxiety, the suicidal thoughts, the fear of leaving his wife and son behind , the weight of those memories visibly hit him in real time.
Ross is what most people would describe as a "guy's guy."
Former athlete.
Competitive.
Strong personality.
Not someone who naturally wears his emotions openly.
Which made the moment even more powerful.
As he spoke, he suddenly began fighting back tears.
Then the emotion overtook him.
He apologized repeatedly while trying to regain composure, but we immediately reassured him there was absolutely nothing to apologize for.
Those moments were real.
And honestly, none of us were unaffected by it.
As Ross cried while sharing his story, I found myself behind the camera crying too.
I had personally experienced long seasons of depression earlier in my own life, and hearing Ross articulate those feelings so honestly hit me deeply.
David was emotional as well.
By the end of the interview, all three of us embraced in what felt like one of those rare moments where filmmaking transcends production entirely and becomes something profoundly human.
It genuinely felt like we were witnessing something sacred unfold in real time.
The Baptism Scene That Felt Divinely Timed
One of the most remarkable parts of Ross's testimony is the moment that inspired the film's title: Breakdown to Baptism.
At the height of his physical and emotional suffering, Ross suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to leave his house and walk down toward the ocean.
Even that was difficult physically because his symptoms had severely affected his mobility.
But he obeyed the prompting anyway.
When he arrived at the beach, a bishop was there baptizing people in the water.
What made the moment extraordinary was this:
The bishop had reportedly not performed baptisms at that location for approximately six or seven years.
Yet on the exact day Ross felt spiritually compelled to leave his house and walk there, the bishop just happened to be present.
That moment ultimately became the turning point in Ross's surrender to Jesus Christ.
Interestingly, one of the aspects of Ross's story I appreciate most is that his healing wasn't instant in the dramatic way people sometimes expect miracles to happen.
After his baptism, Ross absolutely felt emotional relief and peace begin entering his life.
But many of the symptoms remained initially.
The healing happened gradually over time.
And honestly, that made the testimony feel even more authentic and relatable.
It wasn't performative.
It wasn't exaggerated.
It was raw, human, emotional, and real.
Why This Story Matters
As filmmakers, there are certain productions that remind you exactly why you do this work.
Ross Golding's story became one of those experiences for us.
It's a story about:
- mental health
- anxiety
- identity
- surrender
- fatherhood
- depression
- faith
- healing
- hope.
More importantly, it's a reminder that sometimes the most powerful transformations begin not when everything instantly changes, but when someone finally stops carrying the weight alone.
And for Ross, that journey began with surrendering his life to Jesus Christ in the waters of the Caribbean Sea.
About Signs and Wonders
Signs and Wonders creates cinematic Christian documentary films focused on real stories of redemption, healing, faith, and transformation.
Through documentary filmmaking, testimony videos, and cinematic storytelling, our mission is to share authentic human stories that point people toward hope.
If you have a testimony story you believe should be told, we'd love to hear from you.
