Dustin:
I just turned the monumental age of 25, and I will
try to give you some insight into my life before you get to read about my much
better half. I grew up out in West Texas in Denver City before moving up to
Canyon, TX. I have been truly blessed with an amazing family that includes my
mom, my dad, and my little sister. They have all definitely had a profound
impact on the person I am today, and I owe a lot of who I am to their
unconditional support and love. I have also been lucky to be surrounded by some
really solid friends throughout my life that I still and probably will always
go to for council, encouragement, and a guaranteed good time. When I graduated
from high school in 2004, I moved to Richardson, TX, and attended The
University of Texas at Dallas. I graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Historical Studies. After college, I moved back to Canyon to marry my
wonderful wife and to start our journey through life together. Other than that,
I am still a kid, and I am sure that will never change. I am a college
graduate, but I have hardly finished learning, and I also hope that never
changes. I am a married man who loves his wife, and I am still trying to figure
out how to express that to her with every aspect of my life. I have a great
job, but I do not plan on settling on a career path or a life plan for years to
come. My spare time is fleeting, but I do my best to take advantage of every
moment of it by spending time with friends, playing just about any sport
imaginable, reading books, watching movies, playing board/video games, and
suffering well through all of the things my wife chooses to pursue. On top of
that foundation, I live my life to chase after God’s will and glorify Him in
any capacity that I can. Even though I struggle and fail at every turn, I hope
that growth never ceases, and the pursuit never ends.
Traci:
There have been many people in my life who have shaped me
into the woman I am today. I grew
up the youngest of four children, two older brothers and one older sister. We were all born and raised in Canyon,
TX. My parents have been married for over 35 years and have created a family
that has been instrumental in my growth as a person and as a Christian. Because of the influence at home and
church, I accepted Christ and was baptized at the age of seven. I am confident that in that moment,
Jesus saved me from my sins and I became His daughter, but not until I became a
teenager did I truly grasp what all of it meant. In high school, I had an amazing group of girl friends who
encouraged me, challenged my faith, and lived life with me. These are friends that I still talk to
on a regular basis even today.
After high school, I attended West Texas A&M University and studied
elementary education. During this
chapter in my life, Dustin and I were married and began this beautiful thing
called life together as a couple.
I graduated from college in May 2009 and became a first grade teacher
the following semester. I have
been so blessed with the people I work with and have learned so much about the
simplicity of life by teaching six and seven year olds. As far as my free time
goes, I love to spend time with my family, spoil my nieces and nephews, and
grab coffee with friends, scrapbook, read, watch movies, and act goofy with
Dustin. I am excited about this
new chapter in life and know that God is going to do amazing thing in my soul
as well as in the souls we will serve.
Us:
little over 2 years now, and it has been an unbelievable ride so far. We met
way back in high school, started dating, went to prom, laughed, cried, and then
someone (cough Dustin) was an idiot, so we went our separate ways for a season.
Since all of our friends were always together, we eventually had a chance to
spend some time around each other and actually became quite good friends.
Looking back, this time spent developing a friendship that was absent the first
time around was a real blessing for our relationship going forward. We finally
started dating again, and we knew that this was going to be forever. It was all
a crazy, beautiful dance that we can now see was being choreographed by God the
entire time to really prepare us for our life together. We would not trade the
journey for anything. We still live in Canyon in a cozy little rent house that
our dog, Samson, graciously sees fit to share with us. Traci works as an
elementary school teacher, and Dustin works as a project manager for a
construction firm. We attend, worship, and serve at Hillside Christian Church
in Amarillo, and we wade through life with a small group of couples that have
really helped us grow in the short time that we have been able to spend with
them. We cannot wait to see what God has in store for us and our teammates on
the World Race, and we are so excited to chase after God’s will with them.
