by Shannon Ness
Coordinator, The Salt Company

While going through a particularly rough situation, Carley met with Anna, a student from Salt Company for hot coco. During their time together, Carley realized that she was not living a life that glorified God and that she deeply needed to press into Him to get her through this tough time. She was living a life that was full of anxiety, lacking of loving relationships, and consistent of a self-centered attitude. Following their meeting, Carley attended Salt Company. Bryan was covering 1 John 3:1-10 within the Children of God series. He was talking about his newborn daughter Abigail, and how fiercely he loved her and how she brought him so much joy without even knowing how much she was loved by him. Bryan continued to say that the same thing is true about our Heavenly Father. Hearing about loving father-daughter relationships is something close to Carley’s heart because her relationship with her father is practically nonexistent. As Bryan was speaking, Carley realized that God loved her like a Father loves his children, or how a father should love his children. Her image of a father was one that was drunk, constantly angry, and lacked encouragement and love. She had yet to experience the love of a good good father.

Bryan said, “…that we should be called children of God…because left to ourselves, I can think of a lot of of other words to describe our relationship with God: sinners, strangers, maybe enemies. The view of God that I used to have in my life was a domineering figure, shaking his head in disapproval, or maybe one of anger, waiting for me to mess up so He can punish me. That is NOT God, so if that is your view of God I want you to erase it from your mind, because that is not God.” Immediately Carley began weeping. She never knew a father who loved her so much, who knew she was not perfect, yet loved her unconditionally. She felt like she had been fatherless, but that God wanted to claim her as His own. She was overwhelmed with the idea of being adopted as a daughter of God. Her baptism symbolized her desire to be in relationship with God and to be known as His daughter.

by Randyl Meyer-LaMaack, Coordinator, Veritas Church

Sam* grew up in a pretty normal home in rural Iowa with two older brothers and two loving parents who instilled their Catholic religion into the boys from a young age.  Sam was a good kid with good morals who stayed out of trouble.  Growing up, he thought that is what made him a good Christian.

Sam was in 8^th grade when his oldest brother, Alex*, went off to college at the University of Iowa.  Sam was excited to see Alex when he made his first weekend trip home.  He wanted to hear all about college life and Iowa football, but all Alex could talk about was Jesus.  Sam quickly grew tired of hearing about The Salt Company and about the guys in his brother’s Connection Group.  Sam was really annoyed and just wanted to have a “normal” conversation with his brother.  A few years later, Matt*, Sam’s middle brother, left for college at the University of Iowa.  Soon after, all Matt wanted to talk about was Jesus.  Sam was even more bothered now, two brothers who wouldn’t stop talking about God was too much.

It was finally time for Sam to go to college, and, in keeping with family tradition, he chose the University of Iowa.  His two older brothers were both still in Iowa City and he was excited to live close to them again.  As school started up, he decided to try out The Salt Company and see what it was all about.  His brothers wouldn’t stop talking about it, after all, and he needed to see for himself what the big deal was.

Sam’s heart slowly started to change as he heard the power of the gospel preached for the first time in his life.  His eyes were opened as he witnessed college students passionately worship Jesus.  Sam was quickly drawn into community, joining a Connection Group and attending Freshmen Group, where he saw people who were once dead come alive because of the redeeming work for Christ.  Sam saw these people, his friends, living a life radically devoted to Jesus.  He still wasn’t sure.  With pride in his heart, he held fast to his morals and believed he was still a good person, but he just wasn’t ready to accept Jesus.  He needed to figure it all out, first.

Then, one Thursday night at Salt, it clicked.  The sermon focused on the story of the Prodigal’s Son.  Sam had heard the story before, but tonight was different.  Tonight, the story of the older brother, the good, moral and self-righteous brother, was told right alongside that of the younger, irresponsible brother.  That brother needed the never-ending grace of Jesus just like the younger brother received.  And Sam was overwhelmed with the realization of God’s love for him.  His Heavenly Father loved him so much and there was nothing he could possibly do to change that.  He realized that he couldn’t do anything to make God love him more and God promises that He will always love him no matter what. And Sam believed.  Sam gave in, gave up his self-righteousness and gave his life to Jesus.

*Names have been changed for anonymity

by Abigail Armstrong, Coordinator, The Salt Company – Iowa City

Bethany is a sophomore at the University of Iowa and a Salt Company student leader. Just last year Jesus radically changed her life. “I had believed Jesus my whole life, but didn’t give up my choices to Him. I was praying, ‘Show me Your love’ when I came to college, realizing I was so broken. Jesus radically transformed me. He transformed the way I received love, my speech, my friends, what I did with my body… my ENTIRE lifestyle. My friends from home are shocked, they cannot believe the life I am living.” In January this year Bethany’s eyes and heart were opened to the nations. Desiring to jump boldly into what God is doing globally she went on several missions trips in the Spring and the Summer, but after feeling restless was counseled to not forget about the place God has her currently planted. She then got involved with IFC, International Friendship Connection, The Salt Company’s international ministry and has been completely blown away by God’s love for His people and His faithfulness in bringing them to a place where they can know Him.

Within the last 5 months, Bethany has met 3 women from the Middle East. The country they are from is a place where it is dangerous and illegal to believe and talk about Jesus. The first woman she met introduced her to two more friends along the way. They are all here with their husbands to study English and get graduate degrees at the University of Iowa. They have felt so alone and their only real friends are their husbands in Iowa City. They were so hungry for community and a deeper truth and peace that they had not found in their lives, so they flocked to Bethany seeing there was something different about her. By God’s power they are deeply seeking Jesus. One pulled Bethany aside after dinner and asked her to tell her about Jesus. One of the friends had even read the Gospels on an illegal website before she came to America and went to a Family Group not even knowing what it was about. Family Groups are a place where international students get together with American students to talk about the Bible and share what God is doing and who Jesus is. When she was leaving she told Bethany, “This is what I was looking for!” She has asked Bethany to start reading the Bible with her! One of the women even found her way to church in her full cultural dress, thirsty for truth.

“ It is humbling to see Jesus loves people even more than I do. Even though I am swamped with all of my activities and schoolwork, I am willing, so God can use me in the midst of the crazy,” said Bethany. He has brought these women to a place where they can talk about their doubts about their family’s religion and hear about Jesus. They are tired of living by constricting rules and no hope for something greater. The verse that is on Bethany’s heart is Acts 17:26-28

“And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way towards Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us, for ‘In Him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are indeed His offspring.’”

*Names and origins have been concealed to protect the identity of the women in the story.

by Jenn Lee, Ministry Leader 

Coming to the Freshmen Kickoff was a big deal for Sheila. She was not only new to campus, but she was also not alone; she was pushing a stroller that was carrying her nine-month old daughter. As she made her way to the event, she could not help but be overly anxious about how people might respond to her or if they would even welcome her.

Pushing the stroller across the lawn of Central Campus, she spotted two girls standing under a sign that read “Off-Campus North.” Since she lives in North Ames, she made her way towards them. One of the girls spotted her, and greeted her with excitement.

As the two of them began to talk, it became quite obvious that it was in God’s perfect sovereignty that Sheila’s first encounter with Salt Company was with this specific Salt Company student leader, Elle. Because just like Sheila, Elle also got pregnant when she was in high school.

Among the hundreds of students and the large number of Salt leaders at the kick-off that night, these two young women crossed paths. Their stories are uncannily similar, and in the same way Sheila was unsure if she would be welcomed, Elle was worried if her story would push people away or make it harder to lead. But God is good. So even in the midst of hard situations and all kinds of emotions associated with teen pregnancy, he has provided the opportunity for both Sheila and Elle to feel known and understood by someone else.

We are praying for the relationship between Sheila and Elle to flourish, and that Elle would become a means by which God draws Sheila into a relationship with him.