God has provided a vision for me as a teacher and now as an art therapist to bring his presence, represented by light and water, to children. There is so much beauty to enjoy in His created world, and it brings Him great delight to watch his children enjoy creating beauty using all the gifts He has given us. As God delights over his children, he also shelters them, and it is this spiritual protection that provides His peace. I long for others to enjoy His presence and love, which transcends even the desire for an earthly home. His heart keeps prompting mine to invite others into his family. For this reason, I believe God is calling me to work with those whose homes have been transient, that they may find their rest in His eternal presence and their hope in His promise to bring his kingdom here.

Anne grew up internationally, as her parents were international workers in different countries. While her childhood had unpredicted moves and transitions, she outwardly pretended to be brave and flexible. Anne received Jesus’s forgiveness and salvation at the age of ten, and she understood his message intellectually, even becoming baptized at fourteen. She had doubts, though. After reading materials on apologetics, Anne knew the Good News about Jesus was trustworthy, but she also knew a personal connection with him was missing. During the bitterness and loneliness in her twenties (due to a lot of the grief of transitions in her past), Jesus became very real to her, and she experienced the Holy Spirit’s love and grace personally, including through art. Anne became a teacher, and realized how weak she was, and daily prayed for His strength. She went to Egypt to teach international students, and found she needed His strength even more as she heard similar grief stories. As Anne began to study art therapy part-time in Spain, she began to see God working all things for good. He is a healing God who never wastes any fragment of what we experience.