I grew up in an amazing family, I could not speak enough to how grateful I am for the family I have been given. Growing up I lived in Salem Oregon. I always use the phrase that I was born in the pews of Salem Alliance Church, where my family had begun attending before my older brother Aaron (center left) was born. My mom, Diana (far left), and dad, Mark (far right in the wedding picture) had strong faith in Jesus, and new the importance of church. This was instilled in my brother and I’s own lives as we grew up. I also usually tell people that my relationship with Jesus really began with my parents faith in Jesus before I was born, or began creating memories of my own. They believed that our Lord was a God who loved his people, even in the midst of our brokenness and sinfulness that we were born into. They also believed that God was a god who cared for his children in our own lives. Very early on I was impacted by the Lord’s healing, giving me a clear definable moment in my life to always look back and know that He is really, and cared for me.

In later elementary years, I remember understanding the Gospel of Christ on the Cross truly for the first time. I had believed in him for many years at that point, but it was in fourth grade, where I made the decision fully understanding the sacrifice of Christ, his love for me on the cross, and that I was forgiven for all my sins that I had committed and would commit in the future. For the first time, I understood that my salvation was secure in Christ.