Hello! Welcome to my blog.
My name is Grace Veker, I’m 22 years old, I’m from Edina, Minnesota and I’m so excited to be walking through this life with my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ!
I was raised in the Lutheran Church in Edina with my loving parents, Kristin & Steve, and my three younger siblings Tryg (20-Wheaton College), Erik (19-Wheaton College), and Siri (17-Edina High School).
I became serious about my faith during the summer after 7th grade through a camp experience at Camp Wapo. There, I learned what it looked like to have a personal relationship with Jesus and how to have Him in my everyday.
In high school, I loved going to church and being a part of the youth group, however there was a disconnect between who I was on Sunday and who I was on Friday night. I got caught up in the drinking scene which led to unhealthy habits in a lot of other areas in my life including a distance from God.
When I went to college, I was still indulging in the pleasures of my flesh, but I started to get plugged into a Christian ministry at Emory University called Reformed University Fellowship (RUF). For the first time, I encountered people who weren’t going to leave me where I was – they pushed me and encouraged me to pursue a more intimate relationship with Jesus and did not leave me in my sin. On one of the retreats, I finally decided that I was going to lay down my life before Christ, no longer following my own will, but submitting to His perfect will for my life & obeying his commands.
I then worked at a Christian sports camp in Pennsylvania called Summer’s Best Two Weeks. While teaching kids how to glorify God through sports, I also learned how I could use my own athletic abilities to further the Kingdom of God.
My junior year, I studied abroad in Dakar, Senegal. It was a transformational experience and stirred a passion within me for travel and learning about other cultures. I also had the privilege of getting to speak with my Muslim host family about Christ as my heart broke over the lost in that country.
The following summer I did a Children’s Ministry internship with Nappanee Missionary Church in Indiana. While I learned that the office job probably isn’t for me, through the discipleship I received all summer by incredible staff and awesome fellow-interns, God solidified my calling into missions.
I finished up at Emory University this past year and spent the summer at home with my incredible family before launching on the race in September of 2014. Thanks for checking out my blog and I hope it encourages you wherever you are in the world!
Forever His,
Grace
