Hi there. My name is Katie (otherwise known as Kathryn, and to a select few as …well, if you’re a teammate you’ll find that out). I’m a 23-year-old Carolina girl born and
raised in the small mountain town of Boone, NC. For four wonderful years, I got to be a student at UNC-Chapel Hill,
where I studied (though I don’t remember much about that, hehe),
played, worshiped God, sang, danced, laughed, cried, cheered really
hard at basketball games and made some of the best friendships in the
world. I was raised by strong, faithful Christian parents and have
two older siblings: a brother who went to Duke University (if you know
anything about college basketball, you understand why this is a
problem),
and a sister whose footsteps I followed in when I went to Carolina. I
also have some really crazy, fun and loving extended family, whether
they be the many Irish Catholics scattered in the Carolinas and Florida, or
the Cajun branch down in Louisiana (whom I don’t get to see near
enough!)…
…I can’t pinpoint the exact time and date of my salvation, but sometime during my freshman year of college I just came to realize that the only thing worth really living for was Jesus Christ. So, I gave my life to Him, and ever since then I have been constantly overwhelmed at what the Lord has done for me–all
the way from my salvation to the countless blessings He has poured out
on my life!
At UNC I studied editorial journalism but I especially loved my
multimedia and photo classes. My first post-college job was a ten-month
multimedia journalism internship in Eastern Tennessee, from which I
learned a lot about the profession, a lot about myself and a lot about how I would–and would
not–fit into the profession! For a couple of months after that ended I
was unemployed and not really sure about ANYthing in life…so then God
brought me back to Boone and gave me a short-term job with Operation
Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, which is a Christian
international relief organization headed by Franklin Graham. (“It’s all
about the SHOE BOXES!”…Well not really–it’s all about Jesus–but the
shoe boxes are a conduit through which we get to open doors to share
Jesus. Feel free to ask me about it anytime!) During this time I once was called the “crazy intern” by a fellow employee, which I much appreciated.
Through working with S.P., God began growing in my heart a desire to
just GO to the nations and SERVE…in whatever way possible. To forget
about building a career. To forget about ‘meeting someone’/ getting
married/ having kids (for a while at least). To forget about the
comforts of my American small-town existence. To forget about MYSELF.
God has a way of speaking through many different voices…and now, He
has led me to this crazy Jesus adventure, the World Race…He has given me the opportunity to just go
and serve, to learn how to love, to see and smell and hear what God is
doing all over this wide world, for and through His people the church.
I can hardly believe it. …But I sure am excited!
—
anyways…here are a few things about me that fellow July 08 World Racers will know soon enough…
~ I sometimes get in very quiet, non-talkative moods that last an entire day, for no particular reason.
~ At other times I’m chatty and super-friendly and love hanging out with people and doing anything with friends!
~ I am a night owl and it takes me a couple of hours to really get going in the morning.
~ I am usually good at organizing things, including finances, although sometimes I need a jump-start to begin.
~ I am more the lead-by-example gal rather than the very vocal/ active leader at the front.
~ I am nearly always up for trying anything new!
~ I sometimes make funny faces at myself in the mirror.
—
these are a few of my favorite things, in no particular order…
LAUGHING ~ my extended family despite (or because of) their craziness ~
doing anything at all with my friends ~ dancing, whether swing,
salsa, or anything to the rhythm ~ singing out loud in my car, with or
w/out passengers ~ lattes (iced in the summer, hot in the winter) ~
taking lots of pictures, and occasionally video, and then playing
with/editing them ~ experimenting with page design and multimedia ~
being outside in God’s beautiful world ~ camping/ hiking/ walking/
biking/ exploring~ ADVENTURE ~ making new
friends ~ sunsets with clouds on fire ~ snow gently falling in
moonlight ~ UNC basketball…GO HEELS! ~ family ‘friendly’ rivalries ~
the fact that i can drive a stick shift in stilettos, in the mountains
~ fun earrings ~ being a Carolina girl ~ roadtrips and open roads ~ the exciting hustle
& bustle of city life ~ the peace and beauty of nature ~ good music, sung passionately ~ smelling
good ~ realizing it when I get to be a part of something waaaaay bigger
than I am ~ that my friends sometimes know me better than i know myself
~ being alongside my siblings and friends as we grow in Christ and
overcome challenges and see how different all our lives have become,
yet how wonderful they all are because of Jesus!
