Right after Jim and I married in 2006, we began asking what God’s will for our lives might be. We were ready to go anywhere and serve in any way, as long as we got a clear calling from God. I started serving as communications coordinator at International Teams in their U.S. office. As a part of this role, in 2008 I attended the International Teams leadership conference in Manila, and Jim accompanied me. It was at this conference, over dinner with Tim Sliedrecht, the leader of Team Beyond in Uganda, that we were told of open positions on his team that perfectly fit our skill sets in baking and music. God certainly had our attention! We visited Uganda for two weeks that fall, saw God confirm our calling, and started planning to join the team upon our return to Chicago. God blessed us with a son, Elliot, in November 2009, and the three of us landed in Uganda in June 2011.

Watch video footage of our exploratory trip to Uganda in 2008