About Me
"Where are you from?"
I always dreaded that question growing up. I wished I had a simple answer to give to people when they asked me, but answering that question really wasn't that simple.
I grew up in Brazil as a missionary kid. However, even in Brazil we moved around a lot, and every 4 years we came back to the United States for a year and lived in Illinois (I counted once, when I was twenty-two I had moved over 30 times). I came back to the United States permanently when I turned 18 to go to college. I chose to study Elementary Education at Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, IA.
During my childhood I had the privilege of being homeschooled, going to a Brazilian private school, an American public school, an American Christian school, and a boarding school in Brazil. I count those all as privileges, because it gave me a well rounded view of learning. Learning can happen anywhere- if you are willing to learn!
I have always been a curious person, I believe my mom inspired this in all of us from the time we were little. Curiosity is what helped me be a problem solver and learn many new skills. It is also what helped me adjust to new surroundings and people. There is always something new to learn!
The year before I graduated from Faith Baptist Bible College, I married the love of my life, David Whitcher, who had grown up in Mexico City as a missionaries kid. He was at the same college studying to be a pastor and missionary. The year after we married we moved to California and he pastored a church in Carpenteria for two years.
A couple of years later we felt God was calling us to be missionaries, to help churches in the United States start Spanish ministries. We applied to Baptist Church Planters out of Elyria, OH, and soon began our ministry with them. We traveled all over the United States and enjoyed our ministry helping churches learn to reach their Hispanic communities.
4 years into our ministry David began having health problems. After 2 years of doctor's visits, many emergency room visits, and week-long stays at the Cleveland Clinic, we finally figured out that David had suffered Carbon Monoxide poisoning from a broken flu pipe in our basement. This was what was causing all his medical problems. We consulted professionals in this area, tried many treatments, but finally it was concluded that the damage from the Carbon Monoxide poisoning was permanent. It was time to adjust our lives to make the best living situation for him and for our kiddos. Enter, Texas!
My parents had just finished turning over their church plant in Brazil to a national pastor when all of this was coming to an end, so they informed us that they felt God leading them to move back to the United States, to live next to us and help me with the kids as I took care of Dave. We were grateful and began thinking about where we would like to live. After many discussions, trips, looking for houses, etc... we ended up in Forney, TX and have loved it! We have now lived here the longest we have lived anywhere in our lives- 8 years. Wow!
When we first moved to Texas...
... and now.
After about 2 years here in Texas, adjusting to our new normal, learning more about Dave's disability and what helps him cope better, Dave began being able to take care of himself. We then decided it was time for me to go back to work. I had been volunteering at our kids' school for a couple of years (once a teacher, always a teacher), so I decided that our school system would be the first place I would apply. I applied and close to the end of the summer I had a job at my kids' school as a Bilingual Title 1 Aid and a few weeks after that I became a 6th grade ELAR teacher.
A lot has transpired since then and you can read the rest of my teaching story here.
