I met Jesus at a time when my heart was in pain. I felt unloved, unnecessary, and like someone who was just in the way, taking up too much space. I felt I wasn't worth anyone’s time, energy, or interest. And those that did show interest I figured only wanted to use me.

I was a teen. My family attended a small country church between Janesville and Denver. My brother and I were often the only children. Most Sundays we were bored out of our minds —so we poked each other's "angry buttons" to stay sane and awake.

I think it was my junior year of high school we were told we’d have a new pastor. His name was Jerry Burrow. He talked about Jesus with a passion I’d never heard. Then he suggested I meet his brother Ken, who was leading a youth ministry with his wife Beth, in Waverly. He said Ken helped teach teenagers about Jesus in a unique way. So I talked my father into letting me try it. I was the ridiculed kid in Janesville, so Waverly sounded refreshing. Maybe I’d make a friend. It seemed worth a shot. 

Changed: Michelle Wheeler • Riverwood Church

My father and I had no idea where we were going when we arrived at the church and met a young man who gave us directions to the youth room. (Spoiler: years later, that "boy" became my husband!) There, I met Ken and Beth.

Ken was open to taking chances with kids, finding their interests, and allowing God to draw their hearts to Him by allowing the teens to have input in how the group did things. He discovered I had an interest in music and asked me to join the worship team. I loved it! I didn’t really know Jesus at the time, but I enjoyed feeling useful.

For Ash Wednesday of that year, Ken asked Stacy, one of the youth helpers, to share her testimony. She shared of a time in her life of feeling unloved and scared, because she found herself pregnant and considering an abortion. She then shared how several people in her life told her God had led them to pray for her, but they didn’t know why. This led Stacy to confess all the hurt in her heart, because she felt seen by God. Stacy then took the opportunity to say to those of us listening that God also sees each of us.

Afterwards, a friend leaned over and shared she’d had times when she’d been suicidal. I knew that feeling all too well. I’d had many times when I stared at a puddle wondering if I was a mistake and wasted space. I grabbed my friend and went to find Stacy. I asked her about this Jesus who said she has value, and to see if this Jesus also saw my friend and me.

After Stacy answered my questions, I gave my life to Jesus that night and I’ve never been the same. God flooded me with hope and joy I had never known. Has the road been easy? No, but God does not promise easy. He promises to fill us when we feel empty and always be there when we turn to Him. 

I’ve made plenty of mistakes, not showing my Savior honor at times. But I’m so thankful for His grace. He calls me friend, and I don’t deserve Him.

When I was nineteen years old, I took a job in a factory making kayaks. This job was roughly sixty miles from my childhood home, making it my first experience feeling like I was living someone else’s life. The men and women I worked with came from much different backgrounds than I had. For instance, Jeff had been a minor league hockey player in Canada and was missing several teeth, while Craig was covered in tattoos and lived in his car. I, on the other hand, had grown up in a rural area with a close knit community of Christian families.

My parents took their faith seriously. Dad brought our family to the same non-denominational church every Sunday. I remember waking up early on Saturdays to find Mom in her chair reading the Bible before starting her day. I grew up with the Christian faith at the center of my family's life. So I didn’t feel like I had anything in common with the rough work-crowd I was now spending long days with.

That is until I met Mitch.

Mitch and I got scheduled to work on the same kayak-building team. Our team wiped down giant iron molds with rags soaked in chemicals and measured out scoops of brightly colored plastic powders. We then loaded the kayak molds into an enormous rotisserie oven that would melt the plastic powder and form it into the shape defined in the mold.

Changed: Nate Laun • Riverwood Church

This regular routine allowed us to talk and learn about each other. He had grown up as an only child of a single mother. I had three brothers and parents who were happily married. His childhood was spent in urban areas of Bellingham, Washington and Phoenix, Arizona. I had lived in the same house on the same small island my whole life. On the surface, Mitch seemed just as different from me as the rest of my coworkers. But we quickly learned we both shared a passion for learning more from the Bible and growing spiritually.

It was through my friendship with Mitch that God began to change my perspective. God used this new friendship to teach me that the diversity displayed in nature extended not only to humans, but also to those who responded to His call. God hadn’t limited his saving work to only one race, nationality, gender, intellect, upbringing, or even age group. There wasn’t only one formula of life experiences that led to an individual choosing to live their life in fellowship with the Creator. God could truly save anyone. Mitch and I were proof of that.

Though our backgrounds were so different (the political ideologies Mitch and I had been raised in were on opposite ends of the spectrum), the spiritual discussions we had while working helped both of us grow closer to Christ. They also piqued the interest of Chris.

Chris had grown up in a household where the only "spirituality" in his life had been built around alcohol and marijuana. But as he joined in our conversations, his interest grew and eventually he bought a Bible and started bringing it to work. And just like the different colored plastic powders that came out of the oven molded into the shape of a kayak, I saw Chris begin to change. And just as each kayak that came out of the oven had the same shape, function, and purpose, I learned God has always had a much greater plan for humanity than we could ever imagine, giving us shape, function, and purpose.

I grew up going to a traditional-style church and would have called myself a Christian all my life. I prayed for things I wanted, believed in God, and even believed Jesus died on the cross for my sins. However, looking back, I can see that Jesus was more of a concept than a reality to me, someone to pray to than to truly know. He was a "get out of hell" free card rather than a personal Savior and friend. But I could not have told you why Jesus needed to die for me (honestly, it seemed a bit excessive).

Therefore, my faith was not a solid ground to stand on. In those crazy high school and college years where we discover who we are and what we believe, I found myself insecure, making poor choices I thought would lead to fulfillment, acceptance, and happiness, but ultimately left me empty.

After graduating college and getting married, Cory and I began church shopping because we thought that’s what we were supposed to do as young adults. (More likely, it was God’s sovereignty!) A co- worker of Cory’s invited us multiple times to her church in a denomination very different from the ones we grew up in. We finally accepted because she was so persistent!

It was at this church where I understood the gospel for the very first time, although I’m sure I’d heard it plenty of times before. I finally understood how my sin separated me from a Holy God, and that He invited me to repent and reconcile to Him. We were welcomed into a small group of young marrieds who became the closest group of friends we’ve ever had, and they helped us grow exponentially in our faith. I became very excited about my new faith, and those closest to me would probably tell you I was a bit over the top in sharing about it.

Changed: Cheryl Badura • Riverwood Church

I’ve walked with Jesus exactly half my life now. I used to be so disappointed that I missed Him for so many years. I was jealous of friends who had found Jesus at a young age and had not made some of the mistakes I did in my teens. But now I see it as a blessing, because I remember what it was like not to walk with Jesus, and I don’t want to go back.

Today it is clear to me how He saved me from myself and changed the trajectory of my life through His saving grace. Not only am I finding it easier to love and enjoy people more than I used to (I used to be incredibly self-focused and judgmental), but I have grown to put my focus more on Him: His kindness and compassion, His mercy in salvation and sanctification (making me more like Him), rather than on me striving to clean myself up trying to be good enough.

Don't get me wrong: Life is still hard sometimes. I still struggle with some of the same sins and unhealthy thought patterns I did before following Jesus. But what has changed in me over the years is that Jesus has become more beautiful to me. He is my hope, the steady Rock I can trust. I am imperfectly and slowly learning to surrender all to Him. But I'm learning my identity is Child of God, and that is the one thing in this life I can never lose!

From Sept 10-24, we will be returning to the book of Acts with a series called "Changed." In Acts 8 & 9, we will see three vastly different people whose lives are changed by the one life-saving gospel.

However, that news of Jesus's death and resurrection didn't just change the lives of people in the first century but continues to change lives in the twenty-first century. To give you a glimpse of this life-changing gospel still actively working, we have asked four vastly different people within the Riverwood family to share their stories of how the gospel has changed them. To kick things off this week, we have invited Cuong Dang (pronounced "kuh-ung dong") to share some of his spiritual story.

I grew up in a non-Christian family. Like most families in Vietnam, we practiced worshiping ancestors and the local gods of the land. Did we really believe in their existence? Maybe. I personally never really did. But it was more about, as the Vietnamese proverb goes, “Where there’s worshipping, there’s efficacy; where there’s fasting, there’s peace.”

Changed: Cuong Dang • Riverwood Church

When it was time for college, I went to Yonsei University in South Korea. It was the first university in South Korea and was established by a missionary. As a result, all students must take an introductory course to Christianity and attend chapel services for two years. I was curious; at Christmas in my first year, I went to the school’s bookstore, bought a Bible, and started reading. The four gospels were “foreign” to me. They did not really leave any impressions and were hard to understand. What I loved most, though, was the book of Proverbs; I loved reading the wisdom therein. But that was the end of Christianity in my life at the time. I went through college listening to the world and carrying out its (and my own) desires.

A couple years later, during the last year of college, I started reading literature classics and came across Les Misérables. Unlike the musical, in the book, there is a long section at the beginning portraying the life of the bishop who later gave the candlesticks to Jean Valjean. I was incredibly moved by how he lived and had a burning desire to become someone like him. I told myself, “This is the kind of man I would like to be.” And the redemption of Jean Valjean is the transformation I would like to undergo. My heart was convinced.

Shortly after, I finished Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. My head was convinced; it is arguable that Christianity could be true. And that was when I knelt down and prayed my first prayer. It went something like this, “God, I don’t know if you’re real, but I hope that you are. I don’t really believe, but I hope that I do. I want to become someone like the bishop or Jean Valjean. So please if you are real, grant me the faith. Please help me to believe.” (Later, I realized that my prayer was like what is in Mark 9:24.)

That was the start of my journey. I have come a good way both in terms of how I live and what I believe about Him. I have made many mistakes along the way, had to revise some of what I had believed, and know I am probably still wrong about many things. But God’s existence is always deeply evident, and the desire to know Him and grow in love and obedience towards Him is firmly in my heart (Hebrews 11:6).

Cuong is married to Sarah, who served as a missionary in Vietnam. They make their home in Waverly with their three children.

Last week, we introduced you to Azlyn McCarthy, our new missionary to Togo. This past Sunday, we introduced you to our second new missionary family, Josh & Hillary Smith, missionaries to Cambodia. But just as we did last week with Azlyn, we'd love for you to get to know the fun Smith family! Here are their answers to our simple "questionnaire."

Hometown: Largo, Florida

Connection to Riverwood: Fellow MBI graduates with Jake & Grace Epley

Your "one-sentence job description”: Joyfully serving Christ among the poor and lost in Cambodia

Meet Josh And Hilary Smith • Riverwood Church

Why you are in Cambodia: We are in Cambodia to share the Gospel, disciple people, and care for the poor.

One thing to know about Cambodia: Just 42 years ago, Cambodia experienced a devastating genocide called the Khmer Rouge

One cultural difference between Cambodia and Iowa: At weddings, it is common for a male and female actor to pretend to have an intense argument while the bride, groom, and family members laugh. Laughter is the universal language here.

One way Cambodia and Iowa are similar: People love eating bacon

Favorite Food: Papaya Salad

Favorite Book, Movie, or Hobby: Lord of the Rings

Favorite Verse in Scripture: John 3:16

Meet Josh And Hilary Smith • Riverwood Church

Something you are currently praising God for: Riverwood partnering with us in spreading the Gospel to the unreached!

Something you are currently struggling with: It seems like every other week, one of our family members has a "new" sickness.

Anything else you want Riverwood to know about you or your ministry: We need you! We could not do our ministry here without your support, so thank you so much for your prayers and financial commitment to help us!

This past Sunday we introduced you (via video) to our new missionary, Azlyn McCarthy, missionary to Togo, Africa. But we’d love for you to get to know Azlyn a little bit more! We asked Azlyn a few questions, and here are her answers.

Hometown: Ankeny, IA

Your “one-sentence job description”: Working under the umbrella of a church planting team, my main focus is on equipping disciple-makers among the Deaf population so that the Deaf may meet, know, and follow Jesus.

Why you are in Togo: To follow the Lord’s call on my life to make disciples among the nations and to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

One thing to know about Togo: The Togolese people are some of the kindest and most welcoming people in the world!

Meet Azlyn Mccarthy

One cultural difference between Togo and Iowa: Togo has a collectivistic mindset, and collaboration, especially among family members, is essential for everyday life. America in general has more of an individualistic mindset.

One way Togo and Iowa are similar: During certain seasons, there are cornfields all over!

Favorite Food: Pizza!

Favorite Book or Movie: Hinds’ Feet on High Places by Hannah Hunard

Favorite Verse in Scripture: Proverbs 31:8-9

Something you are currently praising God for: Exciting movement taking place in Deaf ministry!

Something you are currently struggling with: How to balance relationships in the States while being fully present in Togo.

Anything else you want Riverwood to know about you or your ministry: I have a German Shepherd named Caspian that I brought with me from the States. He’s the best guard dog!

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