I grew up on my family’s farm in Oklahoma. I spent summers and school breaks driving tractors and working in the cattle corals. This was great motivation for me to obtain a college degree and eventually, a career indoors with air conditioning. In 1996, after graduating from the University of Oklahoma, I moved to Houston, Texas. It was there that a metamorphosis began. With God's leading, I began a process of shedding years of shame and self-doubt. It was a time of discovering who He created me to be. Life with Jesus began to take on a deeper meaning than just parties, boyfriends, or stuff. I began to see value in people and in serving others. Then, in early 2005 I took my first trip to an emerging nation, India. That experience changed my worldview. I had seen documentaries, I had read articles, but this was different. I was there. I could smell the refuse on the street, I could see the smoke rising from burning trash, I could feel the desperation in the children’s eyes. Next was Mozambique in 2007. I visited children in a hospital where their families provided the best they could, but the images of those babies in pain has haunted me. They wouldn’t even cry because they knew no one could help. That trip began an ache in my heart. Then, in 2010, Haiti was hit with a devastating earthquake. Immediately I started making plans to partner with the rescue efforts. After connecting with a medical team, we spent 10 days at an orphanage turned make-shift crisis center. Having been tremendously impacted by the great needs of the children, I returned to Haiti just a few months later bringing a team with me to assist. It was then that I knew that one day God would lead me to work full-time helping children that have no one else to care for them.