For most of my life, I’ve lived as a foreigner. My childhood was formed by an idyllic missionary-kid experience on the shores of West Africa, which led to early high school in Ethiopia and Kenya. I lived most of my adult life in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and had the privilege of visiting many other countries in between.
Though I am technically American, spent some formative years in California, and my husband, kids, and I relocated back to California in 2020, my international experiences mean that I don’t really fit in here either. I am, in a way, still a foreigner. And that perspective has given me a unique outlook on how I should be living the Christian life–as one whose home does not belong to this world. I am not home yet. No Christian is.
I am a trained elementary school educator from The Master’s University. I taught four years in California public schools and served 16 years at Haven of Peace Academy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as teacher, chaplain, board member, and most recently, elementary school principal.
I am married to Gil, a gifted Bible teacher, and we’ve adopted four Tanzanian kids who currently range from middle to high school. In 2020, I started a position with ReachGlobal as a pre-field missionary coach, helping new missionary candidates get off to a strong start as they fulfill their calling.
I am an introvert but I enjoy meeting new people and hosting them for meals. I am a passionate reader and learner, but I’m often too outspoken. I love gardens, Broadway, thrift stores, and cooking, but I am not a fan of sports or coffee and I’m clueless about fashion. I hope we can be friends anyway.
This blog is where I work out my thoughts on missions, adoption, culture, and especially my quest to see all of life through a biblical worldview. I think robust and constructive discussion is one of the best ways we learn, so I welcome your comments or emails. Thank you for stopping by!
To get to know me and my writing some more, try these out:
Exceedingly, Abundantly: The First Decade (the story of how God brought Gil and I together)
Clinging to the Crutch (battling anxiety)
Infertility and the Privilege of Motherhood
The End of Part One (transitioning from a life overseas to a life in California)
The Place That Was Home (my missionary kid life in Liberia)
Why I’m Still an Evangelical
What Adoption Has Taught Me About Abortion
Saying ‘God Called Me’ Can Be Dangerous
I Hate That There Has to Be Adoption
What Have I Done to My Children?
The Scariest Prayer
You can also find more of my writing at A Life Overseas, the EFCA blog, and here at Christianity Today.