Hi, I’m Melanie! Whether you know me or not, I’m glad you stopped by.

A little bit about me…well, first of all, I just love Jesus. I am who I am because of Jesus. However, if you must know more–I have spent most of my life growing up in Springfield, Missouri. I have two incredible parents, two sisters, and a spoiled lap dog named Lexi. I went to college at Missouri State University and am now a Registered Dietitian. (Side note: I don’t just drink water and eat vegetables. I love biscuits and gravy, bacon, and chocolate.) My oldest sister is married and she and her husband are both in medical school in Memphis, Tennessee. My younger sister is a junior in college studying music composition. She will probably be famous someday, just you wait. In my free time, I love hiking, writing, adventuring to new places, reading the Word, leading Bible studies, sharing the love of Jesus with people, and going on mission trips.

In the past few years, I’ve done quite a bit of international traveling for various mission trips including places in Central America and parts of Africa. In 2011, my church started working among an unreached people group in West Africa. I have been able to go back to the same West African village several times and the Lord has given me a heart for sharing the gospel with people who’ve never heard His name before. There is just something so amazing about watching someone hear the gospel for the very first time. My heart for working among the unreached was what propelled me into applying for the expedition route.

This is going to be a crazy journey that I am just SO excited for. As I have been preparing this, the Lord has continually brought me back to Romans 10:14-15, which says, “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!’”

We are going out to the hardest, most unreached places to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ that the world may know Him. So here we go with hearts and lives completely surrendered to Him. Let’s do this.