Short Bio:
I was born in Honduras on October 15, 1981. My father was a pastor there, but he registered both my brother and I as Costa Ricans since that is where he is from. When I was about 4 years old we moved to Costa Rica. For the next 12 years Costa Rica was my home. It was such a blessing to live in such a beautiful place. In 1998 my father was once again called to be a missionary, but now to the United States. We moved to New Jersey that year. My father still works as a conference official in New Jersey.
I graduated from Columbia Union College and married my college sweetheart! We then moved to Michigan where we both got graduate degrees, his in Divinity and mine in business. Now we live in Richmond and love being a part of this church community.
Favorite things to do:
I love shopping, watching TV, making cards and playing games. Lately, I have been spending a lot of my time taking long walks while pushing Luke in the stroller!
Favorite Color: Red/Burgundy and Turquoise
Favorite Food: I love Central American foods, such as tostones, rice and beans, tamales, pupusas and pickled cabbage salad…(made myself hungry just thinking about it).
Favorite Verse in the Bible: Job 19:23-27
“Oh, that my words were recorded,
that they were written on a scroll,
24 that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead,
or engraved in rock forever!
25 I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
Favorite Woman in the Bible and Why:
I really like the story of Tamar. She was a victim of horrible circumstances with her first husband being such a bad person that God struck him down, and then her second husband also being struck down. Then her father-in-law, Judah, tries to cheat her of her right to marry his third son, but she would have none of it. She takes matters into her own hands to level the score and ensure a safe life for herself. She pretends to be a prostitute and gets Judah to spend the night with her. She is smart enough to get proof that he is the one who has fathered her child, and therefore, he cannot deny her a place in his house.
I think her braveness is one of the reasons she is one of the 5 women mentioned in the lineage of Jesus. She could have just meekly went back to her father’s house and lived out her days as a widow with no one to protect her, but she took her place in history by choosing to demand a place in society and not just take what seem to be given to her.
What do you need from your fellow women from church:
The last couple months have been very interesting because I have been pregnant, and then in February I had my baby boy, Luke. Many of the women at church would come up to me and tell me stories about their children and their pregnancies and it was nice to learn new things about them through their stories. I love learning more about people because I think we all have great stories to tell and wonderful adventures to share.
Story of faith:
As a pastor’s child I have been in the church all my life. Church is just something I did, but God was not really that important to me. I felt like He was there, and that eventually it would all “click”, but in the mean time I just lived my life. I never did anything bad, but I had no purpose or spirituality in my life.
My Junior year in college I went on a mission trip and met this great guy. His name was Brian Han. He was the chaperone for a high-school group that joined us on the trip. I found out that he had left a promising career in medicine to become a Youth Pastor. He was so passionate about God, and had the kids sing “Make me a Servant” every evening at vespers. He wanted them to remember that they were on earth to serve others.
The final day of our trip we went to the beach. A tidal wave came to shore and caught a bunch of people from our group in it. Pastor Han went in to the ocean to try to save some of the students, but he was not a strong swimmer. By the time they pulled him out of the water it was too late. They tried everything to bring him back, but he was gone. As the paramedics pulled a towel over his body, I crumbled to the ground. I felt like his death was my fault. That God was trying to get my attention and now an innocent man was dead. After much prayer I realized that God did not “make” Pastor Han die to get my attention, but that his death left a vacuum that in God’s work that needed to be filled. I realized that the best way to honor Pastor Han’s life was to become a better friend of God the way he had been. In this way I would be able to carry on the good work he was doing in my own way.
This experience was the beginning of my new life with Christ. I started to seek His guidance and will for my life in a new and earnest way.
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