I grew up in a home where both of my parents had accepted Christ's gift of salvation by trusting on Him alone to have a relationship with God. I accepted that same gift at the age of three. My parents invited missionaries and internationals into the home often and my mom loves to cook. Through these things God developed a passion for other nations, other languages, cultures and geographies into my heart. In high school God made precise that passion for a particular nation as I took French.
But it wasn't until my second semester at Colorado Mountain College that I surrended the path of my life to Him. I had been meditating on Proverbs 3:5-6 for several weeks : Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not upon your own understanding; but in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight and one winter evening I was sitting in my car by the lake yelling out my heart to Him in frustration... and anger. "What do You want !!! What are You doing !!! I have no idea what You want !!!" When I finished I sat there in silence and God said in His still small voice, "You have your will and I have Mine and Mine will always trump your." And I said, "Ok. I'll do whatever you want."
Shortly thereafter I applied to Frontier School of the Bible in LaGrange, WY where I studied the Bible for three years. It was there that I said that I would be a missionary to France. In 2005 I returned to Summit County, CO and I tried to go to France through any means possible. But God wouldn't open the door. When He finally did in 2007 I applied to and was accepted to WorldVenture as a mid-term missionary to France where I would do two years of language and an internship in ministry my second year. I returned from there August 2010 and was accepted to WorldVenture as a career missionary in November the same year.
