Big Announcement!

Am I crazy? I believe not, but my kids would say yes to many of my adventures. My hubby would agree with them.

Sometimes my ideas are my own, and I have a knee-jerk reaction, which isn’t always smart. Then there are times I feel like God is nudging me, and I hesitate and delay. That’s when He gets more assertive and opens doors I can’t deny or delay.

So, when my adventures are an assertive push from God, then I answer. Like now…

I love being with people, and I absolutely adore encouraging others. However, I often question my purpose and how I can serve others as I believe God is asking me.

“I believe there’s a calling for all of us. I know that every human being has value and purpose. The real work of our lives is to become aware. And awakened. To answer the call.” Oprah Winfrey

I spent a lot of time after my book, Baseball Family, came out, trying to find my footing in how to get the message out to the world.

David and I spent time in the Dominican Republic coaching baseball and living in the culture, but we were never truly immersed. Our experience was more of tourists.

When we visited to help kick off Compassion International’s youth baseball season, I felt the Lord tugging at my heart to spend more time learning Spanish, church Spanish. Conversations started about how I could accomplish it, but the idea waned over that year.

Then, in the fall, I returned to donate copies of Baseball Family to the 275 Compassion churches there and met Pastora Keren, who invited me to speak to her book group. No one ever followed up, and I thought the opportunity had disappeared.

At the beginning of 2025, I prayed that God would expand my speaking. Following 2020, many churches disbanded their women’s groups, reducing opportunities to speak. I missed being with the women’s groups and prayed for the Lord to open those doors.

In March, I heard from Pastora Keren, and between two trips in April and June, we presented Distraction Detox: Trading Inner Chaos for Peace to eleven groups. When I say we saw the movement of God, I literally mean we saw the chains broken from so many people, it was miraculous!

You can learn more about the 2025 conferences in Freedom from Emotional Toxins Has No Borders.

During the events, I had a translator but felt like the women who spoke no English had more they wanted to share with me. I saw it in their hugs, tears, and eye contact. The small whisper from the Lord and the encouragement from the women tugged at my heart to learn more Spanish.

“We live in a world where bad stories are told, stories that teach us life doesn’t mean anything and that humanity has no great purpose. It’s a good calling, then, to speak a better story. How brightly a better story shines. How easily the world looks to it in wonder. How grateful we are to hear these stories, and how happy it makes us to repeat them.” Donald Miller

One of the groups we saw the biggest impact was the women who serve in leadership. Behind the beauty of the Dominican Republic are women on the frontlines of faith, leading in their churches, caring for their communities, and loving “the least of these.”

Many of these women live in deep poverty themselves, yet they continue to pour out all they have to serve others.

The core group of leaders feels a call from God to Bring Hope to Women Who Bring Hope to Others by offering fifteen conferences across the country in the next two years. David and I committed to help raise funds for the endeavor. We’d love for you to join us!

“God did not direct His call to Isaiah, Isaiah overheard God saying,  “. . . who will go for Us?” The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God’s call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude.” Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Who will go? Send me, Lord.

This is my prayer…and my call. I will be leaving for the Dominican Republic for three months, with one trip home for a speaking engagement in Bonita Springs, FL, in January. I return in March for another speaking engagement in Maryland. Then home.

“If God gives you something you can do, why in God’s name wouldn’t you do it?” Stephen King

It is a daunting task to relocate for an extended period to serve at a church and immerse myself in a language I know only a little, not enough to have deep, heartfelt conversations.

God doesn’t ask if we are capable; He asks if we are willing. I know all things are possible with God.

“But beware of this about callings: they may not lead us where we intended to go or even where we want to go. If we choose to follow, we may have to be willing to let go of the life we already planned and accept whatever is waiting for us. And if the calling is true, though we may not have gone where we intended, we will surely end up where we need to be.” Steve Goodier

I know that I will be out of my comfort zone in many things, but I know that this is a calling to purpose and serving.

Please pray for me as I prepare to begin this journey. David and I are leaving for the Dominican Republic on January 9th to spend three nights alone praying about the time we will be apart. On January 12th, I will move into a missionary’s house at a church in La Romana.

This is just the beginning of the story God is writing. If you’d like to follow along as it unfolds, join my newsletter and follow me on Instagram. I’ll share what I’m learning, where God is moving, and how purpose often meets us on the other side of obedience. Thank you for being part of this journey.