Well….this is going to be fun!
To sum it up, I’m a born and raised, proud Virginian and soon to be ex-Army officer with an affinity for great food, college football (Go Dawgs), and of course Jesus Christ 🙂 I crave and pursue adrenaline-producing activities and really anything outdoors that keeps me active.
My most joyful moments typically involve, in some way, those closest to me because I absolutely adore people and building relationships. I’ve never been accused of diffidence or introversion. I am ecstatic and humbled that God is providing this opportunity for me to go out into the world and share His Gospel…the very hope that makes life worth living.
Now a little more detail. I grew up in Richmond, Virginia, loving every minute of having the beach to my right and the mountains to my left. You see, you have the Left Coast and then you have the BEST Coast! I had the All-American childhood, raised in a Christian home with two supportive parents and a younger sister. I was definitely a tomboy who preferred to play outdoors rather than with dolls in my room.
When it came time for college my father, in all of his infinite wisdom, told me that I was going to apply for a ROTC scholarship to which I replied “Yeahhh, um no. I’m NOT going into the Army.” Here I am 12 years removed from that conversation and 8 years spent in the Army. Guess who won out? Best.Decision.Ever.
I attended the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs) on a ROTC scholarship and upon graduation received a commissioning. I have lived in Maryland, Germany, Virginia, Alabama, and Georgia during my career and have had the distinct “pleasure” of experiencing both Iraq and Kuwait. I am a Logistics officer and have done everything from work on both a Battalion and Brigade-level staff to command 250 Soldiers in a Logistics company.
After some fairly significant events involving both my personal and professional life God led me home to Virginia to take a Recruiting Command back in the summer of 2013. Essentially I oversee Army Recruiting for Richmond and the surrounding areas. It is easily the best job I have had since coming in back in 2006. However, I knew pretty immediately after arriving back in RVA (Richmond, Va for those who are unaware) that this was probably going to be my final assignment; yet, I had no idea what God had in store for me. Over the next year the Lord began working inside of me and really putting missions and the extensive opportunities involved in furthering His Kingdom at the forefront of my heart and mind. Missions continued to present itself through conversations with family and friends, opportunities to participate in short term trips, and sermons at church. I had never really put much thought into long term missions but as the year went on and I was introduced to the World Race through a close friend I began to wonder if it was possible.
Still, any time the thought of going on the race would enter my mind I would immediately dismiss it. “I have a full time job.” “I can’t take 11 months of leave to go out onto the mission field.” “Literally everyone will think I’m nuts because I’ve NEVER thought about long term missions.” “I am FINALLY home after being gone for 11+ years.” “I have a serious boyfriend.” These are all thoughts and excuses that would marinate in my brain but I was still praying for true discernment about what exactly the Lord was trying to tell me.
On 12 October 2014 I received the answer I had been praying for for what seemed like forever. I opened the World Race homepage as I had done SO many times before and there it was in bright orange. “September 2015 Routes Released.” It hit me as quickly as a lightening strike. This was it, this was my answer. Have you ever experienced clarity in an answer to a question you have been asking over and over? If so then you know exactly what I mean. I was supposed to begin the lengthy process of exiting the Army and simultaneously apply for the World Race. Here I am one month later and life has changed, and continues to change, tremendously. My family and closest friends have been told the news, my paperwork to get out of the Army is currently in the works, my loft has boxes everywhere as I prepare to move in with my amazing and gracious aunt so that I may save money, and I was officially accepted onto the race on 24 October 2014.
For those that know me you know that A). I plan EVERYTHING and B). I do not make rash decisions. Everything about this commitment would say otherwise; yet, I have an overwhelming sense of peace. God has calmed my anxieties and laid to rest my inhibitions dealing with financial insecurity, separation from family and friends (again), and a general lack of control over my future. Quite frankly it is ONLY due to the Lord’s intervention that I am able to take this step at this point in my life, and for that I am truly humbled. I know without a shadow of a doubt that everything in my life has led up to this point. The years I have spent in the Army and away from home, the environments in which I have lived, the leadership I have had the privilege of developing and utilizing, and the struggles that forced me to make a very conscious decision regarding my Walk. Most importantly He has used the past year and some very important people to prepare me for this transition, and I look forward to the next year as preparation for the most exhilarating, terrifying, beautiful, and humbling experience of my 30 years continues.
Ready or not, here I go. Let the countdown begin!
