Ann I was born in Colorado, but grew up in Michigan and Wisconsin. While growing up my family displayed to me that people mattered. They not only told us, but lead by example. Being active at Brookfield Christian Reformed Church meant that I was exposed to mission work - I was particularly interested in Africa and India. I was involved in church things like various service projects reaching out into the community. I spent the summer of my junior year in high school addressing physical, emotional and spiritual needs of a poor community in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In college I spent 2 weeks in the Appalachia area in Kentucky also meeting a variety of needs.
During my high school and college years, I was still interested in going overseas and doing missions work. I became interested in the lives of foreigners who were living in America. After graduating from Calvin College, I made an effort to go overseas as a missionary, but no options were presented at that time. I still had a passion for people and my Sociology degree found me working with Wisconsin Right to Life, a residential treatment center for teenage girls, and various nursing homes.
It was not until ten years after graduating (1996) that I finally went to the Ivory Coast to work with SIL (a literacy and translation agency) for 6 months as administrative support in the main office. Kyle had preceded me to the country by 2 years and we had been writing faithfully (we first met through missionaries John & Nancy Advocaat in 1989) with serious interest in each other and long-term mission work in mind. So we became engaged and returned to Wisconsin to be married.
After pursuing several avenues and agencies, we found that we agreed with the mission goals and approaches of Food for the Hungry and after Kyle's initial trip to Jos, Nigeria (just before Zion was born in 1999) it became clear that Almanah Rescue Mission's work with widows and orphans was a good fit for both of us. More so, being in Nigeria is great place to serve and live our great God.
Kyle I was born and raised in Waukesha, WI. I became interested in missions - particularly the traveling and knowing about different cultures and people. I was involved in church and that exposed me to many missionaries, their lives and the work of sharing Christ's love across the world. Seeing that the world did not revolve around Wisconsin, nor America, I knew there was a bigger world out there. At first, I would talk to the missionaries, that moved to praying for them, then I became aware of the need across the world for missionaries.
I took a detour from missions around high school and went into a rebellious stage, and did not come back until the university years. Throughout the years, I was involved in music and thought I would make a million on a smash hit. Never made a dime, but I did become involved in a Christian Rock band that toured and discovered another mission field right here in the USA. Through the band years I was still interested in foreign missions and it was during my university days that I was able to visit Eastern Europe. It was a three week trip playing volleyball with a Christian team and sharing in the lives of those -many of whom recently emerged from a communist government.
Being involved in that trip and with Elmbrook Church, I became challenged to think of missions as a career. That thought led me to the Ivory Coast in 1994 only a few months after graduating from Uni of Wis at Milwaukee. My major in Geography/Urban Planning helped to understand the culture where I was living. After returning to the States in 1996, I spent time as manager at Kinkos, teaching junior high, and as a child advocate for homeless mothers and children.
Ann and I were married in 1996 and still wanted to get back to continue to some sort of work in Africa. Having our first child, Zion David in July 1999 did not thwart or alter our intentions. Thanks to the prayers, insights, and encouragement of so many friends and family members we were accepted into Food for the Hungry International and given "on loan" to Almanah Rescue Mission. We arrived in Jos on July 23, 2000 and intend to be here for five years, but have enjoyed an "open ended" contract - no deadline to depart!
