In 2007 Dwayne and Melisa Mauk moved into a quiet neighborhood in Coon Rapids, Minnesota. After getting settled they started to make friends in the neighborhood. One of their neighbors, Ellen Bjork, and her grandson, Brandon Krogstad, became their good friends. After a couple of years, while discussing where the Mauks worked, it came out that Brandon had joined the Andover Church in 2006 during an evangelistic series. Due to various reasons, Brandon had stopped attending but was still searching.
Several years later when Ellen retired, she was also searching. She and Brandon began attending The Edge Christian Worship Center. There Ellen became friends with Lynette Hubin, who worked with the Mauks at that time in the conference office. Shortly afterward, Pastor Rob Lechner and his wife, Dee Ann, came to pastor The Edge and got to know Ellen and Brandon. Ellen joined a Bible study group and continued her search for a personal walk with the Lord.
The Mauks increased their prayer efforts for their neighbors, especially for Ellen and Brandon, and oftentimes the Lord would open the door for little discussions. When the Revelation Speaks Peace meetings were being conducted in downtown Minneapolis, she told the Mauks that she was definitely planning to attend on the weekends. About a week into the series she made the announcement that she wanted to be baptized and that Brandon was rededicating his life through baptism as well!
It was with great excitement that the Mauks were able to be a part of these baptisms, especially since this was the first experience where they had been instrumental in helping people make a choice to follow Christ and be baptized. It was also a reminder that sometimes it takes many people and much time for a person to be brought closer to Christ.
This article was also published in the June 2015 print edition of OUTLOOK. It was written by Dwayne Mauk, associate treasurer for the Minnesota Conference.
