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One
of my favorite pastimes as a young girl was
reading. I
loved visiting the library and even though
it was several long blocks from our house, I’d
check out stacks of books so high that
before I reached home I’d end up crying
from the sheer weight of carrying them all.
I finally solved that by hauling books by the
wagonload in our red, Radio Flyer.
We
were the last family on our block to get a
TV, and by then I was in seventh grade!
Because we had been TV-free, we kids learned to create our own
fun. You’ll
read about one of those adventures in Secrets
About Guys (that shouldn’t be secret)!
My activities were more
subdued than those of my brothers, but equally creative. From
kindergarten through high school, I aspired to be a fashion designer and
illustrator. In tenth grade,
my journalism teacher encouraged me to pursue writing but I was too
focused on my chosen career to hear her.
Though
our mother faithfully brought us to church,
I didn’t begin my personal search for God
until I was out of high school and working
for a large company – not as a fashion
designer – finances put that dream on
hold.
Interestingly, one of the tasks of my job was editing the company
inter-office newsletter.
One
day, a co-worker brought me a book, The
Cross and the Switchblade, by David Wilkerson, and I learned from
it that God still speaks
to people as He did in the Old Testament! What
a thrilling discovery! No
one had ever told me God was so available!
I figured there must be others who also didn’t know and, being
a communicator at heart (though still not
realizing it), I could hardly wait to tell
them. I
prepared for my new vocation by applying to
Bethany
Fellowship
Missionary
Training
Center
(now Bethany College of Missions), in
Bloomington,
MN.
After graduating, I moved
to northern
Ontario
and served with an inter-denominational ministry to Native Americans.
I was a house parent for teen girls, served as a camp counselor,
helped plant a church, did crisis intervention, counseling, jail
ministry, and hospital and home visits.
I also edited the mission newsletter and wrote articles for a
denominational publication. I
loved the work and I loved the people!
You’ll
find out how I met and married my hero,
Kevin, in Secret # 10 of my book! We
served together in
Canada
for three more years and had two sons, Aaron
and Andrew.
After returning to the States and settling in a
Wisconsin
city, our third son, Luke, was born.
For four of our child-rearing years, we retreated to a rustic
setting in a remote area of northwest
Wisconsin. God
truly blessed us “in the city and in the
country.”
Both places were a paradise for boys,
loaded with adventure!
Then
Kevin’s job took us to the
Florida
panhandle, where, for almost six years, the
guys in my life and I had more adventures,
including surviving Hurricane Ivan in
September, 2004!
Some people guess that’s why we
moved back to the
Midwest
in January, 2005, but it was really my
husband’s job!
While
raising our sons, my primary focus was on
being a wife and mother.
Teaching an adult Bible class, and
article and column writing, added variety;
(Click on Articles
for links to some of them.)
and speaking
at ladies’ and girls’ retreats gave me a
chance to mix with females!
Now that our sons are young men, I’m
excited about having even more time for
communicating.
Can you blame me? After
all, I’ve been living with only guys for
twenty-four years!
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