MYRON FRIESEN

When I was 5 years old my cousin dove into a swimming pool at a church youth group party. He broke his neck and drowned. That night I asked my mom, “what would happen if I died during the night?” I accepted Jesus into my heart before I went to bed. Spiritual values have always been a part of my life as well as my wife Lisa’s, and we both asked Jesus into our lives at young ages. Lisa is from Cedar Falls and I am from Mt. Lake, MN. We connected at Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) while in college at South Dakota State University. We were married by Pastor Dan at First Baptist Church on the corner. We ended up in Osage, IA, which is not what I had in mind while in high school....read the rest of the story

JEFF & PAT SWARTZENDRUBER

We recall an incident that happened with our two children when they were in high school. Beth was the one who was totally involved in church, every activity. She was there and loved it. John’s approach was more basic, Sunday and Wednesday with his time otherwise spent with friends, many of them not saved. One day at the dinner table Beth asked John, “Why do you spend so much time with those dirtballs?” His immediate response was, “How else will the dirtballs get saved it we don’t spend time with them?” ...read the rest of the story 

RENEE TINK

I remember so clearly the first time I attended First Baptist Church (now Prairie Lakes) in Cedar Falls shortly over eleven years ago. God had made it very clear to our family that we were to step away from the church that my husband had attended for 45 years, and that I had been attending for over 30 years. Leaving our church home was never anything that my husband and I thought we would ever do...read the rest of the story 

BROOKE TRENT

When I was in college, I signed up for a May Term trip but unfortunately I had to cancel after the refund date. That meant that I lost my $900 deposit. My boyfriend (now husband!) Andrew Nordstrom was in the same situation. It was disappointing to lose the $1,800, but we had no choice than to just accept it. Flash forward five years: My husband and I were in graduate school, living on student loans and family generosity...read the rest of the story

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