Our Family Mission

What would compel our young family of four to step way outside of our comfort zone and board a plane to Ecuador to spend a week hanging out with a group of orphans? God’s voice. This is our story about hearing God’s call, pushing aside fear to listen, and allowing an unplanned experience to change our family forever. In December of 2010, I boarded a plane headed to Ecuador with my husband Ryan and two young children, Ethan and McKenzie. A year before getting on that plane, I would have laughed at the idea. I was not that person, and we were not that family. God decided to change the game. It seemed simple enough... go to an orphanage, play with some kids, and bring home a few lessons. Mostly, our kids would learn to appreciate the blessings they had been given and to not take things for granted. What parent does not want that for their kids? God had so much more planned. He used this trip to challenge me on the kind of Christian I had been and, more importantly, the kind I desired to be. He pushed my boundaries as a mother and reminded me that it was my job to encourage my kids to be bold in their faith and live the life God has planned for them. To accomplish this, I needed to be in that place myself. I thought I was there. I was wrong.