This was the question asked every time we did something well on a mission trip to Houston after Hurricane Harvey. So, to answer the question;

I was born one blustery February evening in Columbus, Ohio. I have been blessed with a very full life. I am the child of two church workers. I have two little brothers, both of whom I love very much. Well, I say little, but one is 6’7 at age 19 and the other is 6'3 and only 14. So, younger is a better descriptor for them. I have been further blessed to have known Jesus my entire life and to have been called to Him through my baptism about two months after I was born. The Church has always been my home, and as I have grown, it has become more evident that it is a place and a people who fill my bucket every time I am in their presence. 

I am currently studying Christian Education in the DCE program with a double minor in Studio Art and Lutheran Theology. I am not sure where the Lord will take me, as there is also the potential of Seminary on the horizon. Whether it ends up that I am serving in the parish as a DCE, with a missions company, on a college campus, or somewhere unforeseen, I trust that God will open the doors he wants to open in my life. 

I find great comfort even through the unknown because of the fact that Jesus is our God made man. The New Testament is filled with places in which we see him struggle with things that we struggle with. He felt lonely and afraid too. A couple of verses both break my heart and help me to see that my God is a God who walks alongside me. One example is John 6:66-67. People who were following Jesus leave when the going gets a little too rough and the lessons get a little tough, and Jesus turns to the 12 and asks “are you going to leave me too?” This question is one that I feel myself crying out when I consider the moves and changes that have occurred in my life. However, not only does Jesus know what it means to feel abandoned (see his sacrifice on the cross), but he also has promised that nothing can separate us from his love (Romans 8:38-39). We will not be left. 

Another verse that speaks to this feeling is found in Luke 9:58, “And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.’” In my adventures between college and working at a summer camp, I have felt this verse often. After moving so many times growing up, I am constantly reminded that this world is not my home. I am not meant to be in love with the world. Because I follow Jesus, I too may often have no place to lay my head. However, I have comfort in the hope of the resurrection, and that God provides for His people our daily bread. Death has been conquered, and I have a beautiful home waiting for me. With the Lord, I lack nothing (Psalm 23).

There have been many times in my life that have reminded me so strongly of the love that holds me tight and will never let go. Like everyone, I am a product of my circumstances and my genetics. However,  I am so grateful to have a God that works all things for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28), and I cannot wait to see what the works that Christ will do through me.