High school was pretty rough for me. I spent those years struggling with identity and friendships, so when I graduated, I declared I would never go back. Of course, God, with His sense of humor, had other plans. During college, He revealed how my pain from high school could be used to pour into the next generation. I began to see how my testimonies could help other girls know they aren't alone in their trials, and God could use me to disciple them. I became a Young Life leader and worked as a high school teacher after I graduated college.… Read More
Children
-
-
To most, I am known as simply "Coach." As the local high school's football coach, I spend a great deal of time with high school boys. Many of them come from broken homes and could very easily end up on a very bad path. However, I realize the Lord has placed me in this particular job at this specific school to pour myself into these boys and help them become all they can be. For many of them, I am the closest thing to a father they will ever know. That is why my office door is always open. My players know they… Read More
-
It’s been said that life can change in an instant. For me, a trip to Africa in 2012 altered the course of my life forever. On that trip, I was introduced firsthand to orphans. I had read about them and seen videos, but actually holding a child who did not know the love of a family stirred my heart. Already a mother to two beautiful girls, my heart was pulled in the direction of international adoption. In 2013, my husband and I started the long and difficult journey of growing our family through adoption. We knew we were being called to adopt… Read More
-
I'll never forget the day in Guatemala when my missions team came across some children on the street. In an effort to build relationships with the kids, some of my teammates started chatting in their limited Spanish. I sat down with a boy who was a little separated from the group, and after exhausting the few Spanish phrases I knew, a teammate told him I was an art teacher. He jumped up, ran home and returned with a pack of crayons. We sat on the curb drawing animals, trucks, and whatever else he could think of. God showed me that art… Read More
-
I thought I knew what it meant to follow Christ and to take up my cross. But, over the years, I have learned that God often gives us ministry opportunities that we've never asked for and certainly never wanted. When my heart was broken as a young single woman, God gave me a ministry I never wanted. He gave me a group of women with broken hearts to come alongside. Ministering to other single women was incredibly rewarding but also vulnerable and painful. Years later, God called me to a new ministry in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. I never imagined spending… Read More
-
I kind of stumbled upon being a camp counselor. As a teacher, I have my summers pretty free which I treasured. I usually traveled, took some time off, and prepared for the upcoming school year. A few years ago, our pastor said we had a bunch of kids that wanted to go to summer camp, but couldn't because each church had to send a counselor for every so many kids. Apparently, no one could take a week to go. I didn't even pray about it. I had the time, I am good with kids, and I know the Lord sometimes just drops… Read More






