I’m not normally one to celebrate New Year’s much. Case in point: I went to bed at 9:30 last night. But given that it’s not only a new year but a new decade (I sort of see the argument of you who disagree with that, but you’re still wrong), I’ll jump on the social media bandwagon and share some personal and professional highlights from the past ten years. See how many you can pick out as ways that God was preparing me for the role I presently hold.

2010 [year 2 of my stint as a GEO Missionary at Ysleta Lutheran Mission (YLM) in El Paso, TX]
June: attended I.D.I.O.M., a conference sponsored by Lutheran Bible Translators
October: Mediterranean cruise

2011
April: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, promotional visit on behalf of YLM
June: Sicachique, Chihuahua, Mexico visit
July: hosted a short-term team from my home congregation, St. Paul’s Des Peres, at YLM

2012
January: last day at YLM; moved back to St. Louis; first day as a Marketing Assistant Concordia Publishing House (CPH); short-term team to Joplin, MO
October: attended 30th anniversary gala at Ysleta Lutheran Mission in El Paso, TX

2013
July: chaperoned the LCMS National Youth Gathering in San Antonio, TX
October: bought my first house!; half marathon #1 (2:01:37)
November: short-term team to El Paso, TX

2014
January: promoted to Marketing Manager at CPH
March: short-term team to El Paso, TX [co-leader]
April: brother’s wedding!
May: CPH launches its Spanish-language study Bible, La Biblia de la Reforma
November: short-term team to El Paso, TX

2015
March: short-term team to El Paso, TX [team leader]
August: short-term team to Chile [team leader]

2016
January: Association of Lutheran Mission Agencies (ALMA) conference
March: short-term team to Belize
May: became an aunt to Reed Edward!
September: St. Paul’s Mission Board scouting trip to Panama
October: half marathon #2 (1:51:11)

2017
January: ALMA conference
January: Baptism of my 2nd godchild, Edward (Ned) John
May: attended Panama FORO
November: attended Panama FORO

2018
January: ALMA conference
February: received Solemn Appointment as a Career Missionary
March: began week 1 of missionary orientation in St. Louis
August: deployed to Santiago, Dominican Republic
November: traveled to Puerto Rico to witness my first OIM short-term team in action
December: family arrived in the DR for a visit and brought my cat, Freddy!

2019
January: hosted my first OIM short-term team
May: helped put on the 2nd annual CMSCR Theological Symposium
September: welcomed Assistant Volunteer Coordinator Courtney Zalmanoff to the field
November: hiked the Inca Trail

God only knows – literally – what the next decade will hold. One thing I do know for certain is who will be holding me: