Jared did everything he could to forget the nightmare. Nothing in the dream changed his heart or his habits. When his wife, Carissa, gave him an early anniversary gift, he expected nothing more than a bottle of wine. To his shock, it was a Bible. That’s when Jared regretted ever mentioning anything about the dream.
Carissa had minimal understanding of Christianity, but Jared’s Adventist upbringing came back to him when he dreamed of Jesus coming in the clouds of heaven. The dream ended unhappily when Jared realized he was not ready for Jesus to come.
After leaving his childhood faith community, Jared embraced military life surrounded with lots of buddies and lots of drinks. His career most recently landed him at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington. His responsibilities include refueling military aircraft, mid-flight, from the back of KC-135 refueling planes.
Jared first opened the gifted Bible to mock God and show his wife that the Bible does not really add up. But Carissa questioned him. When trying to show where things do not line up, he started seeing things in a new light. Where the dream failed to change his heart, reading the Bible began to soften him. Jared remembered hearing certain things as a kid. But until now he had never read it. As he studied the Bible, read The Great Controversy and listened to sermons, his childhood training came back.
Carissa had to start with the basics. She did not even know that the ten commandments were in the Bible. Although they both came from such different backgrounds, Jared and Carissa began feeling God move in their hearts at the same time. Together, they chose to let go of alcohol, swearing and more. Both decided to prioritize the Sabbath over advanced studies and careers. Carissa discontinued her graduate studies after being denied Sabbath accommodations. At the right time, God led Jared to a new job without Sabbath conflicts.
On Sept. 4, 2021, Jared was rebaptized and Carissa was baptized for the first time. Surrounded by family and friends, they openly declared their devotion to Jesus.
