My husband and I have been blessed with 3 sons who are married to three wonderful daughters-in-law! Shaun and Kathy have three amazing children: Mark, Caleb, and Audrey (our ONLY granddaughter) --live in Cleveland, OH. Zachary and Connie have two equally amazing sons: Scott and Cole--live in San Antonio, TX. Cody and Alisha thankfully live here in Mesa, AZ!!

My grandmother had a very strong faith even as a young girl, so when she had grandchildren, she gathered us up and took us to church. It wasn’t, however, until I was a junior in high school and attended a lay-witness mission that I heard the plan of salvation. That night I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

My husband, Mark, and I served 6 churches over almost 50 years together in Canada, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, and Upstate New York, then retiring to Arizona. I was a computer teacher and worked with the homeless. In our churches I taught Sunday School, VBS, was on Worship teams, and tech teams. We housed visiting missionaries, but I never thought I would become one!

In 2020, I asked my women’s pastor if there were any part-time positions at our church. They were not hiring, but she forwarded me an email from KidZ at Heart saying they had some open positions. I applied, interviewed with Gordon West, KidZ founder, then interviewed with a couple other staff members, attended their fall retreat, met more wonderful staff persons. I have been with KidZ ever since.

“…the LORD looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7. With a heart that wants to help kids fall deeply in love with Jesus, I am excited to see how God is going to use KidZ in the future!