Out of Tragedy Comes Victory - Lynn and Dan’s Story

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Published on February 20, 2012

Lynn and Dan Wagner reach into the lives of many through the California Aglow Prison Ministry.  It wasn’t always that way. Read on to see how God turned their shattered lives into a powerful testimony. Their story is living proof of the love, forgiveness, healing and restoration available in God.

Lynn’s story:

“I grew up in Santa Cruz, California. All I ever wanted out of life was to have my own children About 4 years after accepting Jesus, I met Dan.  We married and had two beautiful daughters, Mandie and Carrie.”

“In September 2001, our family was driving home from Luis Palau’s evangelical festival, Beachfest Santa Cruz at Main Beach. A woman returning from a wedding reception and driving under the influence drove her Suburban through a stop sign and hit our minivan. The wreck sent Dan and me to the hospital and took the lives of our teen-age daughters.”

“Our lives were forever changed as we entered a very dark time spiritually. As believers we had many questions for God including what our future would look like without children and grandchildren. I remember waking up in the morning and crying out, ‘That woman! How could she have been so careless?’”

“Lisa, the driver of the suburban, was sent to prison for 6½ years. We did not know if she had a relationship with God, so we wrote a letter to her in prison sharing the love of Jesus. She wrote back telling us that she had accepted Jesus in jail the night of the accident. Her mother had taught her growing up about the Lord, but she wasn’t listening. Through the years she spent in prison she grew in her faith, and wrote back to us the exciting things God was doing inside her heart.”

“During this time, a friend invited me to an Aglow Prison meeting.  I heard testimonies by women who had been in prison. I heard how Jesus’ love changed these ladies so they could live for Jesus on the outside. My heart was touched and tenderized by their stories. I felt closer to ‘that woman.’ I was learning to forgive as I listened to each testimony. God was doing His healing work inside my heart.”

“When the time came for Lisa’s release, we wanted to meet her face to face; because she had pleaded guilty at her trial, we never had to appear in court, and had never actually met her. Living in the same town, we didn’t want our first meeting to be accidental.”

“We arranged a meeting with the Parole Office.  God tenderized our hearts towards Lisa, enabling us to forgive her and to desire God’s best for her. This is a work in progress every day as we trust God’s plan for our lives and hers.”

“Together Lisa and I have spoken to different groups sharing God’s love and the story of forgiveness. People are amazed that we could stand side-by-side.  It truly shows God’s work of redemption and reconciliation.”

Dan’s story, paraphrased:

“I guess what triggered my anger and resentment toward God in the days after the wreck were the Scriptures I kept running into, such as Ephesians 6:2,3  “Honor your father and mother--which is the first commandment with a promise--that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.” Nobody had honored their parents more than Mandie and Carrie had, and yet that promise was not for them – why not?”

“Psalms 1:6 “For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous…” Psalms 25:13 “and his descendants will inherit the land.” Proverbs 12:21 “No disaster overcomes the righteous…” Those didn’t apply to us either, so why bother asking God for protection? In fact, why bother asking God for anything? If He couldn’t or wouldn’t protect my precious girls, how could I trust Him with anything else in my life?”

“Someone had told me it was alright to be angry at God – He’s big enough to handle it. What they didn’t say was that I wasn’t big enough to handle it! My depression deepened as I grieved the loss of my girls and my relationship with God.”

“I came to realize that I have a choice of what to believe about God, whether to believe my own thoughts and feelings or to believe the revelation God Himself gave us, that is, the Bible.  My own thoughts and feelings wanted me to believe that God didn’t have the power to stop the accident or that God didn’t know it was going to happen. I thought that He was tied up with other business and couldn’t help us at that time.  I felt like He simply didn’t care.”

“The truth is, God is all powerful and He could have stopped the wreck.  He is all knowing and He knew it was going to happen.  He is everywhere at all times and He was with us in the wreck.  At all times, God is love.”

“It has been 10 years since the accident.  My relationship with God is deeper and more genuine than before.  Lynn and I are involved in ministries that before the wreck would have been unimaginable. We visit our local county jail bringing Bible study, worship and prayer.  Out of our pain and loss, we want to pass on to them that there is hope for a better future than their current circumstances might predict.”

To read Dan’s own words, here is a link to his blog: www.golfgazoo.com/AccordingToHisPurpose.html

Perhaps you are suffering the pain of loss in your life.  We want you to know that God cares and so do we.  We encourage you to reach out to a local Aglow group for prayer support.  You can find a group near you by clicking on Get Involved then Ministries then Local Groups and then choosing your state.  Or you can call our Headquarters office at 425-775-7282 and ask for help in locating the nearest group to you.  To find out more about joining those involved in Aglow International’s Prison Ministry, contact Kathy Johnston by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .