Hello! My name is Elyssa Ranck. I’m so glad you decided to drop by and check out my blog. You might already know me but there’s also a pretty good chance you don’t so this post is to give you an idea of who I am.
First and foremost, I am a daughter of the One True King. That is my identity and everything else is only secondary. Other things may form or stem from my personality but do not change who I am at the core of my being.
Some of the biggest influences in my early life were family, church, and dance. I am the oldest in a family of six boys and two girls and was home schooled from 2nd grade to graduation. I also took ballet classes for 14 years as well as 1-4 years of other forms of dance such as jazz, tap, hip-hop, modern, lyrical, and character. I still occasionally do dances at my church.
I love being outside especially in the mountains. I’ve grown up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia so I’ve always been surrounded by mountains. I go hiking just about every chance I get with anyone and everyone that I can convince to come. (I’m sorry to all my poor, unsuspecting friends that didn’t realize how fast my pace is or how long a mile can be. Thanks, for putting up with me anyway.) Other activities you may often find me doing outside are reading, biking, and gardening.
Over the past several years, I have stayed busy with multiple jobs. For the past four years, I have been working at Sharp Shopper Grocery Outlet primarily as a cashier but also as a bagger or stocker. It was never job I considered having long term but I have enjoyed it while it lasted. During my time there, I made several friends and learned to be a little less quiet and shy. For the past 2 1/2 years, I have had a babysitting job where I helped watch anywhere from 2-17 kids age 5 or younger while their parents took ESL classes. Last year and this year I also worked at Deere Horn’s Homemade Ice Cream during lawn party and fair season (June-September).
I have always felt called to missions but recently God has been changing my idea of what exactly that might look like. (That’s part of the reason I’m now going on the World Race.) I have been on five missions trips prior to this – Mexico, 2007; Chicago 2008; Kentucky, 2011; Mongolia, 2012 & 2015. All of those trips were 1-3 weeks and none of them were nearly as intensive.
If you do know me, you’ve probably asked if I will actually write anything. Yes, in my journal. We’ll see how much I’ll actually blog but I do promise to post at least a few updates. Another question that often goes with that is, “will you remember to take pictures?” Probably not, unless it’s of scenery. The pictures currently on my phone could tell you that I’m great at taking pictures of cool scenery and flowers but almost all of the ones with people were taken when a sibling had my phone. I’ll try to remember to take pictures of people but don’t expect too many of those.
Other random facts (in no particular order):
- I sometimes have allergic reactions to raw fruits and veggies, especially apples and carrots.
- My favorite NFL team is the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- Jessica Torres – another member of my church – will be going on the same route.
- My favorite book other than the Bible is Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.
- I own over a hundred books about missionaries.
- My favorite comfort foods are dark chocolate, cold pasta, and cheesecake.
- I enjoy just about any kind of puzzle but jigsaw puzzles are my favorite, especially ones that are very complicated and/or 1000+ pieces.
- I have taken the Myers-Briggs personality test several times and almost always have a different answer. The only thing that has never changed is the “I” to indicate introvert.
