I am very blessed to have been raised in a loving Christian home and accepted Jesus as my personal savior at age 4. Church was a vital part of my family’s life. My parents met a family at church that had kids similar in age and they also enjoyed being with. They were the Shoemaker’s! Needless to say, Dan and I grew up together and later became high school sweethearts. We have been married for 21 years and I’m blessed to say, he is not only my husband but my best friend. Our first 10 years of marriage Dan and I enjoyed travel and pursuing our careers. I had the pleasure of working in management for both Kemper Insurance and General Electric. God opened many opportunities which stretched and challenged me personally and professionally. Then God answered many years of prayers and waiting by giving us two boys. During the boys preschool years I worked part time at our church as an administrative assistant. I enjoyed using the gifts and talents the Lord gave me for His Honor & Glory and saw that some of my corporate experience had a significant impact in that position. Time has gone quickly and Gabriel & Brandan are now elementary age and keep Dan and me very active. Now I’m living the phrase…..”kids keep you young!” I never thought I would climb a mountain, shoot an air soft gun or give skate boarding a try.
In 2005 Dan & I felt the call to move to Arizona. We didn’t know why, and honestly I wasn’t up for the change since we were surrounded by 30 immediate family members all living within 15 miles of each other. Family has been such a big part of our lives and we wanted that for our boys. So I tried to ignore the calling and basically put my fingers in my ears. Then God spoke louder to me through circumstances and made it very clear to me that I was being disobedient. I claimed to pray for wisdom and direction for our family’s future, but when He gave it to me, I decided to do my own thing and make my own decisions. So I had to repent to the Lord and to Dan regarding my disobedience. So in late February 2006, we put our home up for sale as an act of obedience. We were told that our home wouldn’t sell for at least 8 months and we would probably have to come down in price. Four days later we received an offer on our home, for the price we wanted, no contingencies and needed to be out in 30 days. God gave us clear direction and now was the time for us as a couple to act in obedience and move to Arizona without having jobs. We arrived on Easter Sunday, 2006 and started attending Desert Springs the following month. We were so grateful that our kids found a church within our community that they felt comfortable with, considering all the changes they too went through.
Early in 2007, I began working here at Desert Springs in Children’s Ministry. It has truly been a gift from God. There is no greater joy for me than to share with children God’s love and to introduce them to a relationship with Jesus. It is also a great blessing to see these kids “grow-up” in their person and their walk with Jesus. We’re so fortunate to have a great team of volunteers within Children’s Ministry that serve so faithfully and have a passion for the Lord and love for teaching children.