The Road to Botswana–
Here's a brief timeline leading up to moving to Botswana:
2000: Had a spiritual reawakening inspired by hearing in one day the stories of Joan of Arc and Columbine victim Rachel Scott (both teenagers who boldly lived and died for Christ), in which I fully yielded my life to God and asked Him to show me my purpose– sang markedly better the next day and started composing piano music a couple months later! After reading a book about Rachel Scott, I felt called to reach out and share Christ’s love like she had
2001: Felt the Lord calling me into full-time ministry, and that music is a gift I’ll use in that ministry; graduated high school; started college at St. Kate’s, studying music education and pastoral ministry.
2002: Started co-leading a Christian fellowship group on campus; felt called to be a long-term missionary; mission trip to Guatemala; felt called to Botswana; felt called to help fight AIDS and help AIDS orphans, but felt I should finish my degrees first
2003-04: Started giving presentations at colleges and churches about AIDS and sharing my calling story; organized awareness/fundraising events with the Christian fellowship group to fight AIDS; started leading worship on campus; went on a two-month mission trip to Botswana
2005: Studied abroad in Bangladesh to learn about development in poorer nations; worked as a counselor at a Christian camp in Virginia; helped organize the Fight AIDS 5K that raised money/awareness for African AIDS orphans; shared about AIDS and my calling story to religion classes at Cretin-Derham Hall High, where I student-taught choir
2006-07: Two Hurricane Katrina relief trips; started as a youth leader and youth band director at my church; started songwriting for guitar/vocals; graduated college with vocal music education and pastoral ministry degrees; joined Youth for Christ to be a missionary in Botswana – music/drama, discipleship, AIDS prevention with youth; completed one-year Bethany College of Missions program.
2008-09: All ready to go to Botswana, but got in a tragic rollover accident during last week at Mission Training International (3 of the people in our van passed away and it broke the top two vertebrae in my neck); recovered in Michigan from my broken neck/injured arm and then mentored 8 freshmen at Bethany College of Missions for a year while I continued recovering and serving as a youth leader, sound technician, and worship leader.
2010: Moved to Botswana!!!
