Born and raised in Virginia Beach, I developed a love of nature—God’s creation—at a very young age, but I wasn’t enthused by the theology I was being taught. Even then I wondered, “How could this God and the Creator I know be the same person?” Though I left the church as a teenager and wandered well into adulthood, those seeds of faith continued to be nourished in subtle ways. It was on a trip to Arizona, hiking through forests and canyons, that those seeds sprouted, grew, and blossomed, and God brought me back to Him.

And it was a love of family and longing for community that ultimately brought me back to the church. Now a few years into seminary (with a few more to go), I’ve taken the leap from working full-time in government contracting to working full-time in children’s ministry at Restoration. What started out as a volunteer endeavor two churches ago has quickly turned into a career path. There is little more rewarding than helping parents plant seeds of faith in their children that we as a church can then nourish as they grow.

Being outdoors in nature remains one of my favorite ways to connect with God and nurture my own faith, so when I’m not at church, in class, or studying, you’ll likely find me exploring Virginia’s mountains, valleys, and waterfalls.