God is our shepherd; Even when we lose our way, He can herd us back. In today’s episode of Changing, our host Donald Kelly meets with Cristina Cano to talk about how she lost her way, but returned to Christ.

Cristina’s Story

• Cano grew up in a Christian family and went to church with her parents regularly. However, when she was almost 16, she began to doubt God’s existence.
• What officially made her break away from the church, however, was a particular lesson she was taught one day. Specifically, Cano’s pastor told her that women are to be submissive to men, per traditional teachings.
• After leaving that service, Cano told her parents that she wasn’t going back to church. Her parents, having raised her to question EVERYTHING, simply stepped back and didn’t force her to go to church or be a Christian.
• For about two years, until the time she was nearly 19, Cano left the church and never returned. During that time, her family respected her decision and left it as is.

During The Break

• During that two year gap, Cano didn’t do anything AGAINST the gospel.
• Cano also didn’t feel free during the break. She found the church to be a source of pain that she freed herself FROM, but it didn’t translate to her feeling any more free.

Returning to Christ

• Cano’s return to the gospel began when she was lying on her bed one day. As she laid there, she heard a voice say “I love you”, that she instantly recognized as the Lord’s voice.
• After hearing that voice, Cano decided to visit the church one more time. One of the elders who was preaching had given up playing football at a college level to become an elder in the church. Cano began to wonder why someone would give up that life, and as a result, decided to read the Book of Mormon.
• As she read through the book, she read with purpose and sought to answer some questions she had, and all of her questions were answered as she read. After she read about halfway through the book, Cano stopped and prayed.
• As she was praying, asking God if the book was true, she felt incredible WARMTH and LOVE. Arms wrapped around her and she heard “Welcome home.”
• From this return to Christ, Cano began to work as a missionary for the church and spread the loving word of God.

If you want to learn more about Cristina Cano, or her work as a missionary, you can connect with her on Facebook. If this podcast speaks to you or helps on your journey to change, let us know by leaving a rating or review. Share your testimony or contact Donald at donaldckelly09@gmail.com, or contact him on Twitter or Instagram.