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"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long." Psalm 25:4,5

On a noisy, bumpy bus ride, I found myself opening The Word and reading this passage over and over again. I was frustrated with the group, with the church youth weekend retreat. Had I missed God? Suddenly, my mind understood the meaning of the words, and my thoughts slowed. This was the seeking of my heart-to follow the Lord in all His doings. The verse continues to quicken my spirit due to a strong desire to follow the Lord. The following is a brief glimpse into the history of my Christian experience, including salvation, Christian growth, devotional life, and Christian service.

I was born into an Assemblies of God church family as a pastor's daughter. Many of my early memories are in the church, either playing with my dad's fish or setting up "people" in the senior pastor's office with his son. They are good memories and I am thankful for Christian parents.

When I was about 5 years old, our church performed the Heaven's Gates Hell's Flames drama, and it was then that I understood I wanted Jesus to be in my life. I raised my hand to show my desire for salvation several times in order to make sure the pastor had seen my hand. I wanted to make sure I was saved, but how? It continued to be a question in my pursuit of understanding God's grace.

I was baptized at age 12 by my father, who was at that time, a children's pastor. We attended church on Sunday mornings and evenings, as well as Wednesday evenings where I was a part of a group called Missionettes. It was during this time that I read through the entire Bible, studied Susanna, Tabitha, Anna, Ruth, and other women in the Bible, and read a lot of missionary stories. I began to develop a sense of calling to be a teacher overseas. Missionaries were such incredible heroes in my eyes; I wanted to have faith and experience miracles just as they did.

I learned many Bible verses when I attended Des Moines Christian School and Youngstown Christian School for many years, as well as being a part of Junior Bible Quiz, a program where young people memorize facts and verses of the Bible and compete for fun.

I started a Bible study in middle school and was a leader of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in high school. I had the privilege of leading devotions at several different schools and churches and found each opportunity rewarding and valuable. I sang, "How can I ask for more?" during graduation and felt blessed by the Lord to use my voice for Him. At church, I had the opportunity of being a children's worship and group leader, as well as a counselor at church camp and church lock-ins.

I attended Evangel University in Springfield, MO where I began my teaching education. I led devotions on my floor and served as vice president of my class. During my first semester of my junior year, I left to study abroad in Costa Rica. I was tired of learning Spanish in a classroom, but more importantly, I felt a strong prompting to go. I traveled to Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Cuba where I studied Spanish culture, politics, people, and language. The experience opened my eyes to many new worlds. I struggled with questions over the United States, God, and women. I met my future husband and we had many conversations about Evangelical and Lutheran faith. My Costa Rica experience was a season of "wrestling" with faith.

Panama was a time where the Lord molded my heart with a new love and awareness of His mercy and grace. I enjoyed teaching at Crossroads Christian Academy amidst the struggles of teaching overseas. The incredible diversity of my classrooms presented many challenges as well as the school challenges of being young and growing incredibly fast. As teachers, we were faced with the task of writing a curriculum map for each subject. Being a first year teacher, overseas, and writing curriculum maps so the school could become more accredited was exhausting! I am so glad that I serve a faithful God. He showed Himself present time and time again. I have wonderful stories from my work with the students and teachers. Leaving CCA was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do, even though the work was challenging! I grew in the Lord in such a special way. Panama will always be very dear to my heart.

As we begin a new season in Ankeny, my excitement grows as I know the Lord has good things planned for us. Looking back on my Christian growth, I am blessed to have the assurance that the Lord has held us in His hands through all the ups and downs of life. The Lord has shown his faithfulness time and time again, and I look forward to the day when I will join Him in glory. Yet, as I continue this walk of life, I continue to pray for His mercy, strength, wisdom, and path to guide me, as I put all my hope in Him.

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