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My Story

I was born and raised on a dairy farm in Northern Minnesota. I grew up in a nondenominational church that my parents started in my grandparents’ home and, at the age of 8, I accepted Christ as my one and only Savior. I always had a strong conviction of right from wrong but my relationship with Jesus did not truly grow until I was in my late 20s.

I attended Minnesota State University of Moorhead where I completed my degree in elementary education. When the time came for me to find my first job, I accepted a 2nd grade teaching position in Frisco, TX. My plan was to get experience for 3 years and then move back to Northern Minnesota. Little did I know that God had another plan for me.

Following my first year of teaching, I began dating another teacher and she soon became my wife. God used Julie to draw me back to attending church on a regular basis and, at the age of 28, I was baptized. As my relationship with Julie grew, our relationship with the Lord grew.

As newlyweds, God had placed it on our hearts for Julie to be a stay-at-home mom. This set me on a journey to find a new career outside of teaching. God used this journey to teach me how to depend on him. Through the ups and downs of several careers, God finally provided a career that would allow Julie to stay home. Two days later our daughter, Kate, was born and two and half years later our son, Blake, was born.

As Julie and I got deeper in our faith, we felt the call to use our gifts as educators to serve the church. We began teaching God’s word to the children at our church. The more we taught, the more God taught us His word. We quickly developed a desire for children’s ministry and, for the next 11 years, God used us to serve our church families in Prosper and Frisco, Texas, and Omaha, Nebraska. In December 2019, God brought us back to Texas where we were able to reconnect with many of our close friends at The Trails Church and serve as the Directors of Trails 56.

I have now been serving in children’s ministry for the past 14 years and it never gets old to see children grow in their love for the Lord.

My Hope for The Trails

I hope to walk alongside parents in raising children to be disciples of Jesus and help foster family discussions about the Gospel.

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