I grew up in Bettendorf, with my parents and sister. I attended a small Baptist church growing up, that my family was involved in. I was saved as a child, but I did not grow in my faith until I became an adult. In 2008, I married my husband Ethan, and we started a family. We now have four wonderful daughters, who we homeschool. 

I have always loved working with children. I started working with children as a teenager, babysitting for neighbors. I worked at a Christian daycare here in the Quad Cities for a while before becoming a stay-at-home mom when my first daughter was born. My first two daughters started in public school, where I volunteered on the PTA. There were many things we loved about their school but felt God directing us to bring them home and teach them. 

I felt God’s call on my life in May 2018 to work with children and families for Him. This call came shortly after my family began attending First Baptist Church – Bettendorf. It was at this time that I, and my family, surrendered our lives fully to the Lord. I am now enrolled at Spurgeon College through Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary pursuing my Bachelors in Christian Ministry. 

Since we joined First Baptist Church – Bettendorf, our family dynamic has changed as my husband and I have learned to be the primary disciple-makers in our home. We seek to be as involved in our children’s spiritual growth and development, as we are in their physical and mental development. This shift has been more rewarding than we could have imagined, and the closeness to each other and to God grows stronger each day. I cannot wait to see where God leads His church in Children’s and Family Ministries. My prayer is to remain simply a vessel for Him, and for families to worship the Lord together. I want to Biblically train children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6), to count them as co-heirs and worship alongside them (Mark 9:36-37, Matthew 18:10, Luke 18:15-17) and to help equip parents to be the primary disciple-makers in their children’s lives. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).