Ripped But Mended

Everybody loves a good story. Even better is a God story. Here at First Christian, plenty of stories are just waiting to be told.

We want to share those stories about how God is working through the people of FCC. But as a growing church, we have no avenue to share those stories throughout the entire church, no place to witness the full ripple effect that we can have on others. That's where FCC's Storytellers comes in. So sit back and enjoy getting to know your neighbors here at FCC.

Josh and Jackie Anderson, who have been coming to FCC since August 2005, had Josh's 13-year-old son, Austin, "ripped out of our lives, and us out of his," Jackie says.

After Austin's mother and stepfather, who is Hindu, moved to Pennsylvania, Austin's visits back to Nebraska to see his family, including the Andersons' 5-year-old son, Carson, were reduced to about a week over Christmas vacation and four weeks in the summer. "We naturally were concerned about the influence that his stepdad would have in his life," Josh says. "So we did what we could to expose him to Christ."

That included the Boondockers trip this past summer, which Austin attended as a student and Josh as a sponsor. "When we got back, he started asking questions about God, sins, false idols and forgiveness," Josh says. After talking with his parents and FCC youth minister Marshal Hardy, Austin "felt like God was telling him that getting baptized was something he should do."

And he wanted his father to do the honors. The day Austin got baptized, Josh told him, "I could never be more proud of you than I am today."

But Josh and Jackie's journey to this point started four years ago, when they started attending FCC and got involved in a small group as part of "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. They ended up in a group led by Christy and Hari Dallokoti, which Jackie sees as "an act of God." Hari was raised Hindu, which opened Josh and Jackie's eyes to the Hindu religion.

Soon thereafter, the impact of Romans 6 hit home for Josh and Jackie. "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; because anyone who has died has been freed from sin." They were both baptized on Dec. 18, 2005.

During that "Purpose Driven Life" group, Jackie prayed that God would use her to bring people to Christ. Little did she know that four years later, that prayer would be answered with Austin and others.

Since Josh and Jackie were baptized, her parents, Bobbie and Scott Osborn, started coming to FCC and her mother rededicated her life to Christ and was baptized herself. Jackie's aunt, Carol Jensen, started meeting them at church, and Jackie's sister, Christe, and her two daughters, who live an hour and a half away, also attend when they get the chance. Jackie's nieces, Leah and Mariah, also went to CIY with the FUEL youth.

"Austin getting baptized has been an eye opener for us," Jackie says. "We didn't ever think he'd want to go to church, let alone get baptized. . . . I thought there was no way that the little bit of time he was here would be enough for him to understand the truth about Jesus."

But time and distance are not hurdles with God.

After four years of heartache and prayer, Austin is "exactly where he's supposed to be," Jackie says. "Thank you, God!"

Written by: Tim Pearson

Have you experienced this ripple effect? Have you seen God working through the people of firstCHRISTIAN? Do you know of a story just waiting to be told? Share it with us as part of FCC's Storytellers, either by commenting to this blog or e-mailing fccstorytellers@conpoint.com .