Tell us a little bit about yourself and what God has called you to do? I’m a follower of Jesus, 6th generation Floridian, pancake eating, yoga loving, bibliophile! I serve with an amazing team at CURE International. We’re a Christian medical non-profit and we do two things, heal kids and tell them and their families about Jesus! It’s crazy rewarding to see these sweet little ones take their first steps or come out of a life-saving brain surgery. But what really dissolves me to tears is when I read stories of the families coming to know the Lord through their time at CURE!
Where do you live and have you lived anywhere else? I was born and raised in the Sunshine State and went to college in Greenville, South Carolina. If you need a weekend getaway, I highly recommend Greenville. You won’t regret it. My husband and I now live in New Smyrna Beach, Florida (our first home!!) and before we got married I lived in Pennsylvania (where CURE is Headquartered), and Brussels, Belgium (working at the European Union).
How do you carve out time with God everyday? I love early mornings. I set the automatic brew on our coffee pot the night before so I can wake up, immediately pour myself a cup of coffee, and cozy up with my journal and bible. I find that if I don’t spend time with the Lord first thing, I rarely create the space later in the day. My priorities get all out of whack!
What is your best organizational/planning tip? I LOVE an organized pantry. I recently invested in baskets from the Container Store with some clip on labels and it’s been a dream. For example, I have a basket with all my baking supplies and it’s so easy to pull the whole thing out and get to work! Not to mention my pantry looks about 150% cleaner.
What is your family’s favorite go-to easy meal? Really easy? Thai take out. Moderately easy? Paleo Maple Dijon Chicken. YUM.
Tell us your favorite God story (in your own life)? Most recently it would have to be meeting my husband! We were scheduled to Skype for 15 minutes to network about how our organizations could work together which turned into a 2.5 hour laugh-a-thon. Yes, during work hours…don’t worry I’ve been forgiven! I never thought I would meet someone through work, that sounded too cliché for my taste. But the Lord has a great way of turning around my “never evers” for His glory and my good. Only He could have orchestrated it!
What are your 3 favorite books, other than the Bible of course? Only three? I’m forever re-reading the Harry Potter series. I can’t get enough of JK Rowling’s creativity! Elisabeth Elliot’s Passion and Purity completely wrecked me in all the right ways. Streams in the Desert is the daily devotional I use and it’s a meaty little guy packed with wisdom.
What is your favorite Bible Verse? Psalm 32:7 “You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.” The Lord showed me this verse when I was 13 and I’ve clung to it ever since. I love that God not only protects, but He provides our shelter in Himself. He is the covering over our lives when the storms of life come. And if that intimacy of covering and protecting us wasn’t enough, He reminds us that He’s near. The Psalmist says God SHOUTS deliverance. God never leaves us, He is always with us and ready to be our hiding place and protector.
We are dying to know . . . your very favorite thing about marriage! Just one?! I have a laundry list of why marriage is so awesome! Barry is from London so the majority of our dating and engagement was done with an ocean between us. As simple as this is, I so deeply cherish just having him near! More specifically, I love being able to go on walks together to debrief our days.
“You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me form trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7