About Us

Testimony

Having both become believers as children, we began dating in high school and were married after my junior year in college at the ripe old age of 21. We came from different families with different backgrounds.

As with most couples, these differences became challenges once we were married. However, our challenges were more beneath the surface. Although we virtually never fought, our first Weekend to Remember conference in the fall of 1998 taught us that it was because we were avoiding difficult subjects. Among other things, we learned how to discuss conflict safely so that there wasn't as much fear associated with disagreement. That conference was a pivotal point for us in preventing future problems.

We also started listening to the FamilyLife Today broadcast about 1996 and always found help and encouragement through the topics being discussed. As the parents of a growing family, we were especially looking for materials that could help us deal with current parenting struggles and prepare for future ones. We found practical help on a myriad of topics including: parenting a strong-willed child, dealing with anger, making holiday times more meaningful, and preparing for adolescence. Among our favorites, the Passport to Purity was a remarkable resource.

In 1997, we began considering the possibility of adopting a child to add to our three birth children. Our prayer was simply that the Lord would make clear if that was His will for our family. The next morning we both independently were listening to FamilyLife Today when they discussed the need for international adoption. As they ended the show, their last words were (paraphrase) "consider if you have room in your family for another child and if so, consider adoption." That pricked both of our hearts and we immediately felt confirmed in moving ahead with that adoption and eventually another.

Our family has been impacted by the ministry of FamilyLife. We have personally seen marriages brought back from the brink of divorce and abandonment. We have also seen God use a person's need for help in their family to bring them to faith in Jesus Christ as they witnessed the truth of God's Word and the love of God's people. We believe that this ministry has a critical role to play both in creating a family reformation but also in reaching the lost with the gospel by meeting their deepest needs.