I grew up on a small farm in rural Kentucky, where, early on, my three siblings and I learned to care for animals, tend the garden and preserve food. These experiences, combined with a strong work ethic and the joy of hard labor, laid a solid foundation that has served me well throughout life.

When I was 5, my father learned of Adventist Frontier Missions and signed up for their newsletter, which grew into the magazine. As I grew older, I eagerly read the mission reports and dreamed of serving. At 17, after finishing homeschooling, I had the opportunity to spend a year as a Student Missionary in South Korea.

That year wasn’t easy, but God used it to teach me perseverance and trust in Him. By the end, the experience left me with a deep passion for missions, and I longed to continue serving, but I followed my parents’ advice to attend college first. After earning my BA at Southern Adventist University, I taught in Memphis. Yet the desire to serve was always in the back of my mind. Although I realized God was still calling me, I knew I was stalling. After a powerful weekend at GYC, I signed up with AFM and began my journey to career service.

In 2007, I completed AFM’s summer training and launched as a missionary to a creative access country, where I began a total of 15 years of service between there and Cambodia. Those years profoundly shaped my life. My understanding of normal shifted, and my heart is now divided between countries, with friends and family living all around the world.

In 2022, I returned to the U.S. and began serving missionaries and our donors from the AFM home office. I pray I continue to connect, serve and share God’s love in this role.