Michelle’s Bio!

Once upon a time, on April 28 1980 in sunny Southern California, I was born to 2 loving Christian parents(they just celebrated their 32nd wedding anniv!). My parents, Dave & Sharon, were fulltime missionaries on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ before they met & God brought them together from across the United states:a midwest boy from Illinois & a Cali beach girl. They raised me up in the truth & I asked Jesus to come into my life & be my Savior when I was 6yrs old. Each day since then my relationship has grown. I grew up thinking being a Christian was just about attending church on Sundays. As i learned Christianity was about a relationship, not a religion, i began to realize that God wanted me to live ALL OUT for Him Monday-Saturday, not just on Sundays. And learning that He isn’t a  big police officer up in the sky, checking attendance on Sundays. His LOVE for me remains constant. There’s NOTHING i can do to make Him love me more or less. Amazing isn’t it? The more I learn about who God is, how much He loves me &  see His faithfulness in my life the past 30yrs, I simply fall more in love with Him!  He is my best friend,my Heavenly Father,my biggest fan,my Creator, my Lord & Savior & my true love!  Through the rough times & struggles in my life, He has NEVER left me & has always protected me, guided me, listened to me & LOVED me UNCONDITIONALLY! My parents are very supportive of my World Race trip & are prayer warriors,which i am very thankful for! I have a 23yr old sister named Rachel who is one of my best friends & i love her more than she will ever know! God blessed me big time when He picked out my family & friends!

 

I am  very PASSIONATE & ADVENTUROUS person who loves the outdoors, sports/competing/coaching, serving others, sharing the Gospel wherever i go,being goofy, traveling, being challenged,making people smile & laugh,meeting new people & learning each day what it truly means to fully surrender every area of my life to Jesus! The last 5.5yrs I have been a Probation Volunteer at a Juvenile Hall facility where I go into the units & teach Bible study every Monday night to the incarcerated teens. The last 3yrs I have helped teach special ed children, kindergarten-2nd grade. I have a heart for youth ministry & making a difference in the world, one life at a time. God’s word says that He has a purpose & a plan for every life He created, & my mission is to encourage people in that as I live out mine!
I have had the awesome opportunity to travel & serve on 5 different overseas mission trips over the last few years to Namibia, England twice, Thailand & Uganda! My faith & my walk with my Lord grew tremendously.

CHRISTIANITY IS NOT ABOUT A RELIGION….IT’S ALL ABOUT A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST MY SAVIOR!
 
I look back on my life &  i notice patterns of compromise & impatience on my part. Trying to wait upon the Lord for answers to my prayers & desires but losing faith & growing impatient when i didnt get MY WAY. I see areas in my life where i made poor decisions based off emotions & lack of faith. Trying to take my life in my own hands & take control. I can be such a control freak! Since the age  of 16, i have struggled with idolatry—->looking to relationships with guys to make me “whole, content, happy, loved, accepted, comforted,rescued, & satisfied.”  That was the idol that i bowed down to & worshipped, on & off again. After a relationship broke up, i’d feel empty & hurt, soon looking for another opportunity to jump into a relationship with a guy again when a charming, good looking guy said & did the “right” things i wanted to hear & see. Many of the relationships were NOT healthy, & i ended up giving alot more than i got back. I found myself being a victim of an abusive situation  at one season in my life (ages of 23-25) & had to get out! The Lord definitely rescued me from that & healed me. But i can still see some effects of it. Why was i settling for less than God’s best? Because i grew impatient & wanted to take matters into my own hands.  God clearly showed me a year ago that this was a stronghold in my life & i needed to repent. He is jealous of my heart & wants to be my True Love. Only He deserves to be worshipped & put 1st in my life. Only He could satisfy the deepest longings of my soul. Only He could love me  perfectly & NEVER hurt me or leave me. He accepts me & loves me uncondtionally. He thinks im beautiful, just the way He made me. I am fearfully & wonderfully made! His thoughts of me outnumber the grains of sand!  He knows my thoughts, even before i speak them. He knows when i sit down & when i stand up.(Psalm 139)  I am finally holding up my white flag of surrender to the Lord. I surrender this area to the Lord, & rest of the areas of my life! He knows the desires of my heart, better than i do! I’m learning to trust Him & have faith in Him on a deeper level than ever before & i know that this World Race experience will only GROW it more & more. It’s one thing to SAY we trust Him, but do our actions in our life SHOW it?In a world that advises us to trust ourselves & do what WE WANT…may we as believers stand out from the crowd & want God’s will to be done, not ours. Lord help me trust you & have faith like a child!!
 

 

 

 

 

Hill Tribe women in Thailand

Gulu, Uganda..another soul saved

showin’ love to the kiddos