As we celebrate 20 years of ministry and mission as a church, we asked the church to share some testimonies of how the Lord has been at work as they have engaged in life at Crosspoint.

Be encouraged by what Jody Heider shares below…

I grew up with 3 brothers and the most kind, hardworking, loving parents anyone could ask for. My family was the affectionate type, always hugging and kissing. We were a tight knit family. 

My brothers and I began attending church with our neighbors, while our parents went out for breakfast with friends.  I often went to church with my best friend or my cousins. I enjoyed church, but never knew where I felt at home. The summer after I graduated high school, I went with my cousins to a youth group in Gridley. It was then that I first felt the love of God and was baptized in the community pool. My parents came, but I didn’t feel like they understood. I have always been close with my parents and family. It was difficult that none of them had experienced God’s love, like I had.  After summer was over, I attended college.  I no longer had that weekly routine of youth group. I didn’t know how to change my everyday actions or how to continue to study and grow in God.

A year or so later, I met my husband to be, Brandon. He grew up with a large family Catholic family. When we decided to get married, we chose to marry at the Christian church, where my parents married. We knew we wanted to start attending church as a married couple. Since I never had a church that I called home, I let Brandon choose where he felt comfortable attending. He wanted to try something other than Catholic, but everything else is so different from it. We tried a few local churches out and began attending one for a year or so. Then when we started having kids, and it just seemed easier to stay home.

A few years later when our 2 kids were older, we tried out Crosspoint. Our neighbors and friends attended, and we finally took them up on their invitations to join them. It took a few Sundays for us to decide that this felt like home for us. We quickly became members and joined the Son Chasers team. Brandon signed us up for a marriage class through church. We both really enjoyed it and grew in our marriage. I had invited my parents and brothers on multiple occasions but was always met with silence or “maybe sometime”.  As time passed, it again became easy to make excuses to skip church. Weeks turned into months and then COVID happened. I would watch services online, but it felt difficult to keep my family engaged. Once we resumed in person services, our family was back to attending church on Sundays. Something was still missing. I would attend church, I would pray in times of need. I wanted to feel the pure joy and presence of God in my daily life. Why isn’t he answering my prayers, why don’t I hear him speaking to me? I felt lost of how I could grow and was too embarrassed to ask for help. 

Fast forward to February 1, 2022. My mom and I finally convinced my dad to get checked out in the ER. He had had a constant headache for 5 days. I worked just down the hall from the ER. I helped mom get dad settled in his room. I would come back after a bit to check on them. I had been back in my department working, when not long after, the phone rang. It displayed the ER physician was calling. I felt my stomach in my throat and knew this wasn’t good. When I got to the ER the doctor called me in his office to show me dad’s head CT scan. There he showed me, that dad has multiple masses in his brain and that he will need to be transferred to a larger hospital ICU. I can’t even begin to describe all the thoughts and feelings I was experiencing. I sobbed with mom and then stepped away to call my brothers and let my charge nurse know the news. As soon as I got to her office, I collapsed onto her floor. Sobbing in her arms, I couldn’t breathe. 

Over the next few days, dad had a brain biopsy and an emergent craniotomy. I didn’t think he would survive. Because of COVID restrictions our family was not allowed to all be together in the hospital with dad. For weeks we each made daily trips to and from the hospital, home with our family and to work. Brandon and the kids were amazing, supportive and prayed along side me. Pathology results from dad’s brain biopsy revealed that he had melanoma. He was terminal and had days to months to live.

As a result, I leaned into God more than ever. I have never felt more in connected with Him. I just wanted more time with dad. I need him to know God’s love and sacrifice for him. 

Dad was home with us 3 weeks later. He was different than before. My dad had always been the strong silent type. Now he was softer, more affectionate and emotional. This allowed my children and the other grandkids to really feel and see dad’s love for them.  Dad explained how when he was in the ICU, he had never felt more alone, yet closer to God. Those words…said so much. I knew God was working in him. Dad soon gained energy and would walk up and down his street many times a day. He said he needed to talk to God. Two days before dad passed away, he said he told God he was ready. We lost dad and heaven gained him on May 1, 2022, just 3 months after his diagnosis. 

All those years of asking and praying for God to speak to me. Through all this, I have become closer and more connected with God than I could have ever dreamed. I miss my dad more than I know how to say, but I have never felt more at peace. I know where dad is. I will see him again someday in Heaven. Another prayer answered… mom is sitting next to us every Sunday in the Crosspoint living room.