I grew up in a Christian household so at a very young age I knew about Jesus. I attended Sunday school and youth groups and summer camps. I’m very thankful that my parents raised me from the start knowing Jesus and they continued to teach me and others at church taught me. At the age of about 11 I attended a church summer camp and it was at that camp during a pastor’s message that I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me and I felt it was time and I was understanding more what it means to accept Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. I went forward that evening at the camp altar call. The next weekend I was baptized at my home church.

About 15 years ago I got very active in my church at that time with their children’s ministry. I helped lead children’s worship and led small groups. From the time of being a teenager I had a heart for missions and ministry work and took my first missions trip at age 16 to Haiti. Then followed many years of going on mission trips all over the world and leading mission trips. I’ve been to places such as Costa Rica, Swaziland, Brazil, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Uganda, Cameroon, Tanzania and El Salvador. I’ve always loved working with children and also helping adults that lead children’s ministry.

I started working with KidZ in November of 2012. I got connected with KidZ through a children’s pastor in Jacksonville. I was doing a lot of ministry work in Africa at the time and this pastor thought attending a KidZtitute would be very helpful to me. So I attended a KidZtitute in Oregon, and then a year later I went on a short-term missions trip with KidZ at Heart to Kampala, Uganda. Then I was asked to move full-time to Kampala, Uganda and I did- I lived there for 4 years and then another 2 years in Tanzania.

I’m most excited about seeing local leaders all over the world that are fully trained now go out within their own countries and teach KidZ at Heart trainings to others.