I grew up in a little town called Drums, Pennsylvania with my parents and two sisters. I am the middle child of three girls and am blessed to be part of such a loving and nurturing family. I met Jesus Christ in my freshman year at Shippensburg University and my life has never been the same. It was like He shattered the rose-tinted glasses I had used to look through life. I grew steadily in my relationship with the Lord and in the understanding of the truth throughout my years in college. What an amazing mission field the college campus is!
I studied Social Work and began working at the place of my internship, NETWork Ministries. It is a small nonprofit Christian organization that seeks to share in the love of Christ with vulnerable children in our community through after school programs and relational ministry. I have spent nearly five years in this urban context doing a variety of things, such as leading a satellite after school program, a Steps/Dance ministry for girls, a weekly teen Bible study, teaching an ESL class, and just loving on kids as much as possible! This job gave me a greater heart for our nation’s fatherless generation and for people bound to a poverty that is not as much physical as it is emotional and spiritual. Last summer, a desire I had to link American youth to the realities of Third World poverty came to fruition when I took one of our teen girls to India for a month. Being more gifted with adults, I never thought I would work with kids for this long, but truly my heart has been seized! The scripture Matthew 6:21 is true– “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also!”
I have felt the Lord leading me in a different direction in the last year and really starting praying and searching. One day a friend and I were together and we felt like God kind of dumped this idea onto us from heaven! We thought about a prayer tour around the world, going to 12 nations in 12 months, praying for God’s heart, doing ministry, and bridging the gap between the church in America and our brothers and sisters overseas. After praying and fasting about it, I found the World Race online two weeks later!
Since a believer, I have always had a heart for the nations. I get energy from meeting new people and have a gift to make quick connections with them. I am also not the best planner, but prefer to live in the midst of flexible circumstances and “go with the flow.” Although these things attract me to the World Race, I am most excited for this opportunity because of its call to live simply and in community with others, do ministry together and be in complete dependence upon our Maker. Since my interests and passions are so spread out, I hope to gain more insight into how the Lord has made me to serve His kingdom.
I strongly desire to follow the narrow path that is outlined in the gospels and lived out by our Lord. I consider it nothing less than a privilege to serve our Lord and invite others into the relationship that sets us free from sin and death. I know I will be greatly blessed in doing this, but only so that I might be a blessing—in little pockets all over the world.
