Special Series: Touched By Grace

JaNae Video
JaNae had grown up in the LDS church, but started partying in high school, which continued until she had children. As a single parent, JaNae started having difficulty with her teenage son. But she never expected to hear that he had been committed a murder. He got saved in prison, and told JaNae, “You need to get Jesus, He can forgive me.” Since then JaNae has found the Lord, and shares that in Him she has found unconditional love and an anchor in the storms of life.
Bob Video
Dropping out of high school to join the Navy, Bob spent years working in a shipyard and as a submariner. But he was plagued by acute alcoholism: “I was only drunk once, [but] I was drunk for 13 years.” His marriage dissolved, his relationship with his young son suffered, and finally Bob sobered up. But it wasn’t until years later that he, along with his wife Sandy, surrendered to the Lord. He was given a deep sense of peace, along with a ministry at Calvary in television and radio.
Rachel Video
Growing up in southeast Idaho, Rachel was raised LDS, married a return missionary, and was sealed in the temple. She explained that there was much she didn’t understand: “It was overwhelming, but I was told that it would feel overwhelming, but the more I went, the more I would understand.” Yet she longed for her family to be grounded in God’s Word. When she married her husband Kevin, they began searching together, and wound up finding a deep joy and fulfillment in Jesus that she had never known.
Christa Video
Christa started doing drugs at thirteen to combat depression and loneliness. “It seemed like no one in the world loved me.” She attempted suicide several times, but the Lord had a purpose for her life. She got pregnant at 18, and continued to use drugs into her second term. Finally, feeling hopeless and guilty, Christa cried out to God: “I know You can help me.” She clung to His promises and trusted Him to provide. “He is so faithful” she says. “There’s nothing better than having a relationship with your Creator.”
Jane Video
Jane and her siblings were abandoned by their mother, spending years in an orphanage before going to live with her mentally-ill father and prostitute stepmother. In the midst of abuse and neglect, Jane began drinking and partying. She married during high school, had an abortion, and was divorced by 20, realizing, “My life is empty.” But the Lord was working, and she found Christ through a local ministry. Now, the shame from her past “is totally gone, and I’m free to be who God created me to be.”
Dan And Nancy Video
Substance abuse, relational strife and grief plagued Dan and Nancy. After losing a son to suicide, Nancy struggled to keep the family together as Dan reached rock bottom – nearly killing himself. With open hearts to the Lord, they felt His abundant grace.
“It was a miracle,” Nancy said—their lives were completely changed. Dan and Nancy now serve in Pure Word addiction recovery and jail ministries.
Gordon and Roxanne Video
Gordon was a rancher turned cop. Far from her Christian upbringing, Roxanne returned to the Lord after their two children were born. After years of praying, Gordon received Jesus and found purpose and peace.
It was God’s grace that brought them through the loss of their son to minister to others. Gordon is now an assistant pastor at Calvary and they both serve in ministry.
Dave and Jaime Video
With alcoholism, adultery and abuse in Dave’s family, “it was chaos.” Drugs and alcohol slowly consumed his life as an adult. When Jaime’s father was paralyzed in a farming accident, she withdrew from her family, and started “calling on Satan,” she says, with a tangible spiritual darkness taking over her life.
Some time after Dave and Jaime had moved in together, they were changed through finding Jesus.
Scott and Tanya Video
Tanya was into the partying scene. “I was a lost sheep,” she says. When Jesus got a hold of her heart, her life was transformed and she began to pray for her husband, Scott. After attending a service where Pastor Rick inadvertently spoke to him, he relized God was trying to get his attention.
“I was thinking about myself all the time,” he says, but “God’s grace is perfect.”
Logan and Suzanne Video
When Logan and Suzanne were sealed in the temple, “we were looking for our families to accept us.” Yet, they remember coming out of the temple and saying, “[We] never want to go back.” From there, they were searching for God for fifteen years. Finally, “we found the Lord together,” they say.
Now their relationship with Jesus is a daily experience of love through His Spirit, the Word, and prayer.
Grant and Hillary Video
The day Grant told Hilary he was leaving the LDS church for Christianity, “I was positive that was going to be the last day of my marriage.” They were good Mormons, but when Grant went looking for answers, Hilary thought he was destroying their family.
He prayed that Hilary would find Jesus, Hilary was praying for Grant to return to Mormonism. Ultimately, Hilary couldn’t ignore what Grant was showing her.
Earl and Carla Video
Earl and Carla lived for their faith. Earl went on a mission, married Carla in the temple, and served faithfully in his ward—even as a bishop. Yet when he noticed discrepancies between his Book of Mormon and the 1830 edition, doubt began to grow. As he researched, he concluded that Mormonism couldn’t be true.
Earl shared his findings with Carla, though it took some time, she also saw the truth.
Val and Francine Video
Val and Francine grew up in Mormon families who pushed them to lead strong LDS lives. They married in the temple and were very active in their ward. When Francine’s brother shared Christ with her, she was open, accepting Jesus in 1990. Val’s stake president told him to divorce Francine. He was taken aback, and starting having doubts. Francine patiently prayed for him, and he received Christ in 1998.