I'm just a girl...
in the Middle of North Dakota,
in the Middle of the Midwest,
in the Middle of North America,
loving students.
Growing up in North Dakota, I always had big dreams of leaving and living anywhere but here. (I still long for the Southern Californian weather and beaches, especially when its -30 degrees in the middle of January). But as a friend-the dear Crystal Kirgiss-once told me, the Middle is a great place to be.
I love to write. Writing has always been a release for me. I can still picture what my first journal (or diary) looked like and how it was a space for me to dream, to process, to grieve, to be me. That journal with the gray kitty on it and a lock still sits with me in spirit every time I begin to put words down on a page.
I love students and people who love students. I think Middle School students are some of the best people in the universe. Because my Middle years weren't so great, I desire to be that voice cheering on Middle Schoolers today that they got this, that they're loved, that they're worth it, and they have so much to offer the world.
I love the youth ministry world. It’s an incredible group of people. I’m grateful to have been welcomed into that world by my friend, Paul Nather, who put me in a place to learn from the best. In fact, I could go on and on to write Hallmark card after Hallmark card to thank people like Paul and others who have given much to the youth ministry world. In 2014, I continued my higher education degree and began seminary at Fuller Theological Seminary completing a Certificate in Youth Ministry. After taking a break from higher ed for a few years to focus on being mom, I dusted off my Trapper Keeper and went back to school, this time at Sioux Falls Seminary where I completed a Master's of Art in Bible and Theology in 2021.
There’s room for more voices and more perspectives, because more and more students are in our midst who need to know they’re loved and created with purpose. We can do more together. We're better together. Let’s join together, let God's Kingdom come, let God's will be done, and let’s turn the world upside down.
I love to write. Writing has always been a release for me. I can still picture what my first journal (or diary) looked like and how it was a space for me to dream, to process, to grieve, to be me. That journal with the gray kitty on it and a lock still sits with me in spirit every time I begin to put words down on a page.
I love students and people who love students. I think Middle School students are some of the best people in the universe. Because my Middle years weren't so great, I desire to be that voice cheering on Middle Schoolers today that they got this, that they're loved, that they're worth it, and they have so much to offer the world.
I love the youth ministry world. It’s an incredible group of people. I’m grateful to have been welcomed into that world by my friend, Paul Nather, who put me in a place to learn from the best. In fact, I could go on and on to write Hallmark card after Hallmark card to thank people like Paul and others who have given much to the youth ministry world. In 2014, I continued my higher education degree and began seminary at Fuller Theological Seminary completing a Certificate in Youth Ministry. After taking a break from higher ed for a few years to focus on being mom, I dusted off my Trapper Keeper and went back to school, this time at Sioux Falls Seminary where I completed a Master's of Art in Bible and Theology in 2021.
There’s room for more voices and more perspectives, because more and more students are in our midst who need to know they’re loved and created with purpose. We can do more together. We're better together. Let’s join together, let God's Kingdom come, let God's will be done, and let’s turn the world upside down.