A strange dream startled Lenette Buchanan awake on Saturday morning, April 2, 2005. A powerful message gripped her mind with undeniable urgency: Get up! You must go to the Canyonville Seventh-day Adventist Church today! Take your entire family!
Buchanan had never been in any church before, and had no idea what a Seventh-day Adventist church was, but she knew she had to obey.
She shook her husband Phil awake. Together they roused the other family members—two teenage children still living at home, plus their oldest daughter, her husband, and their two children living nearby. By mid-morning they were ready to go, and at approximately 11:30 a.m., eight strangers walked up to the entrance of the Canyonville Church. The greeters were dumbfounded by the Buchanans’ first question, “When do we go forward to get saved?”
April 2, 2005, happened to be Communion Sabbath at Canyonville. The footwashing service was in progress as the Buchanans arrived. Head elder Jim Knight managed to lead the family into a side room to help sort out their questions and needs. Two weeks prior to the Buchanans' coming to the Canyonville Church, Knight had prayed that God would send him someone to study the Bible with. Their presence that Sabbath was an answer to his prayer.
The Buchanans quickly accepted his offer to study with them in their home. Over the course of the next 17 months old habits of alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and other personal demons fought for the mastery, but in the end great victories were won in Jesus’ name.
On Sept. 23, 2006, Phil and Lenette sealed their commitment to Jesus Christ by being publicly baptized in the Canyonville Church. Two weeks later, on Oct. 7, their daughter Tracey was baptized, joining her parents in the family’s newfound faith.
Russ Salmans had another kind of dream. In 1991, Salmans requested that his name be removed from the membership roll of the Rogue River Adventist Church. Disenchantment with the organized church resulted in bitterness and alienation in his heart, but he never discarded the kind letter, which confirmed that the local church had honored his request, but also encouraged him to return when he felt ready.
Seeds of hope still lay buried somewhere under all the debris of bad feelings he felt. Many years later those seeds began to grow into a dream of reconciliation and restoration.
Russ, his wife Barb, and his stepson Jake began attending Canyonville in search of a church with a Pathfinder club. The entire family soon became active in the newly reactivated club.
Together as family they dreamed of joining the Adventist church together, and on Oct. 7, 2006, those dreams were realized. Russ and Barb officially united with their new church family by profession of faith. Jake dedicated his life to Jesus through the waters of baptism.
Yes, sometimes, dreams still do come true.
The Buchanan family, from left: (front) Ryan, Lenette, Phil and Tracey, as they join the Canyonville Church in September 2006, with Jim Knight and Loren Fenton, pastor, behind them.
From left: Barb, Russ, and Jake Salmans with Loren Fenton, pastor, as they join the Canyonville Church.
