You can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep - by: Laura

Who Am I Really???

I have many titles: Some classmates in France think of me as "the American woman", some people call me "Sister", some call me "daughter", so far 2 call me "Mom", some call me "Auntie", one dear one calls me "ROOMMATE!!", and one graciously, loving man calls me his wife.

Friends through thick N thin - my awesome family!

Sister-in-law (a bestie!)

Roxanne - fellow missionary, homeschooling mom, friend (a bestie!)

Love of my life - a very special bestie, of course!

Fun with our two kids - awesome lil friends!

College Roommate (Heather) - still best-ies after 10 years!

Of all these titles I am honored most by the people who choose to call me "friend," and if I am not fooling myself too much, then all of the other titles (including the family ones) I bear, fall into the category of friend as well.

For who are we really without our friends?

I am thankful that my heavenly Father considers me a friend (John 15:10-17 scroll to bottom to read this passage). I hope to live my life in a way that reflects Love, but I know that I am human and am bound to fail quite often. I am not perfect nor will ever claim to be. I am a linguist by profession (oh, lah-tee-dah...just a fancy word for someone who works with/likes languages - not one who is perfect at speaking languages *smile*).

What do I want to do with my life?

God called me to "Be a missionary & Take care of His children" when I was 14 years old. I had no real idea what that meant at the time, but I knew that I loved God and desperately wanted to show Him love. It's been a long road since 1993, but it's coming along now, and God has directed my every step along the way (perhaps that is another story to save for later). So, what do I want to do with my life? Well, I plan to use my love for people and my talents/training to do full-time missions work in West Africa.

Started out ministering to kids in Latin America (Summer 1995,'96,'97)

BA degree in Missions and Bible from CBC 2001
Yes, that's me in chapel on the CBC brochure -
had no idea they were taking my pic

Grad Institute of Applied Linguistics 2008-2009

Bush Mechanics and Electronics Class - Summer 2009

Primary Health Care Course - Summer 2009

This is the plan if that continues to be what's in the Big Man's Will, since I've learned early on that His Will is what's best for my life. So my hubby, Brent, and our 2 kids, Ethan & Claire, will make our home in West Africa in some small little village where life is simpler but still quite complicated I'm sure. We will serve as Bible Translators for a people group who do not even have a written language yet, much less a Bible.

West African women walking

Pics from the village

I'm dedicated to loving & serving God, and I am also big into family. Family can be the backbone of your life (though I know not all would agree.) My family is like that mostly. We're all human, right? Really, I consider my parents and siblings as really AWESOME family - a gift from God. I'm telling you how special family is to me just to let you know how important it is for me to follow the will of God in my life. My dad has stage 4 cancer and was told by doctors that he had a certain length of time to live. I knew this in advance and love my dad so SO much, yet I still chose to move my family to another continent even at this time just to follow the call of God on my life. My dad is so great that he wouldn't have it any other way. My dad knows that this life is fleeting and we all like flowers will fade away one day, but he also knows the importance of living for God, the Giver of Eternal life.

My dad & our kids (Jan. 2011 before leaving for France)

So here I am a whole continent away from my dad, my friend. (He's doing pretty well, by they way.) I'm currently living in France with my family & we're attempting to learn French so that we can communicate well in West Africa.We have a year of French ahead of us and then we return to the States for a short interlude between France and West Africa.

Why did you move so far away when you could be spending last moments with your dad, you ask me?

I really hope to see my dad on this side of eternity again, but I know that if I don't he will be waiting healthily and happily in Heaven with my dearest friend in the world, Jesus. I've seen it with the eyes of my heart (my spiritual eyes - yes, God shows me things.) I can survive on that image for now - my dad living it up for all eternity with Jesus, I mean. (I also am surviving at the moment on a great internet/phone package plan that allows me free calls to my folks in the States! What a great technological age we live in!) In reality when the phone and internet no longer continue to connect me with my dad, what will? Or I should say, "Who will?" The One Who made us all - Are you connected with Him? God really does love you.
Can I introduce you to my Friend?

Sharing my best Friend with other friends around the world - this is what I am really all about! (Yes, even as a linguist I still ended that sentence with a preposition!) *smile*

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As promised:
In John 15:10-17 Jesus says:

If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.
(Compliments of NIV 2011 from Biblegateway.com)