I grew up in an unsaved home, basically knowing nothing about God or His Word. When I was in 4th grade new neighbors moved in next door and through the witness of their children I first learned that there was a God who loved me. I was surprised that these children talked about God all of the time and even went to church several times a week. Shortly after this my mother went back to work outside of the home and my sister and I had to spend several afternoons a week at a babysitter’s house. I quickly learned that these people and their children talked about God as much as our new neighbors did. When their church had a Vacation Bible School, my parents allowed us to attend with them and I learned that not only did God love me, He wanted a personal relationship with me through Jesus Christ His Son. I heard the Gospel every night that week, but it wasn’t until the last night, through seeing a skit about being lost in the dark and the only light being found in Christ, that I was a lost sinner in need of Christ’s forgiveness through His death on the cross. When an invitation was given I went forward to talk to someone about what it means to be saved. I accepted Christ that night at the age of ten and wondered right away what should come next – I felt like saying a prayer wasn’t the end to what it meant to learn to walk in the Light. Since the kids next door always talked about all this “God stuff” too, I told them that I had gotten saved and didn’t know what to do next. They immediately said that I needed to start going to church and that their mom would pick me up on Sunday morning. I am so thankful that not only did they pick me up that Sunday, but that this family drove my sister and me to every service at Faith Bible Church in Sprakers, NY, for many years. It was at this church that I was discipled and eventually followed the Lord in baptism. Through the direction of a faithful youth pastor and his wife who went above and beyond in mentoring me, I attended a Bible college in New York and first became interested in serving the Lord in full-time ministry.
I am married to my best friend, Breck, and we have two children, Josiah and Charity, who graduated from Ankeny Christian. We love spending time with them and our three beautiful grandchildren. Breck and I have been involved in Christian school ministry in three different states for about the past 27 years so we are very passionate about Christian education. After my children were both in school I went back to college at Faith Baptist Bible College to earn a bachelor’s degree in Biblical studies and counseling and then a few years later I completed a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with coaching and middle school endorsements. I completed a Master of Arts in Education with a Talented and Gifted endorsement from Morningside University in 2017.
A Scripture passage that has been important to me both as a parent and as a Christian school educator is found in Psalm 78. “Tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done…that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.”
I am married to my best friend, Breck, and we have two children, Josiah and Charity, who graduated from Ankeny Christian. We love spending time with them and our three beautiful grandchildren. Breck and I have been involved in Christian school ministry in three different states for about the past 27 years so we are very passionate about Christian education. I am excited to work with the families and staff here at ACA!