LEADERSHIP & STAFF

I am pleased to serve at Northwest as the Outreach Administrative Assistant. I joined the staff in July 2017 and have been working in ministry support for over a decade. I enjoy working behind the scenes and preparing the details so that loving God and loving others can happen more easily for everyone. My favorite part of ministry is taking the vision and figuring out how to make it happen. My relationship with Jesus began when I was 16 and publicly declared my commitment to Christ through baptism at 23. It’s amazing to look through the years at how God has and continues to draw me to Himself using every aspect of my life- nothing has been wasted! I am married to my husband Josh and stay active keeping up with three energetic children and a menagerie of pets at home. Each day, I experience a new facet of the unexpected joy of desperate dependence on Jesus, and wouldn’t trade it for anything!

I’m honored to serve as a Refugee Ministry Leader here at Northwest Bible Church. In January 2007, I joined Northwest Bible Church after being resettled in USA from a life of Refugee camps. After being rescued by the Lord from many wars, I was very hungry to find a church where I could go and say thanks to God for His rescue. After getting connected with Northwest Bible church, I became the secretary of the African Refugees Fellowship which later became the African Missionary Fellowship. I joined the Northwest staff in 2012 as an Event Specialist, but I had a burning desire to help refugees more.  Finally, on August 18, 2014, God gave me more time to save refugees, who are where I was many years ago. Prior to my current position, I was privileged to serve refugees when I was working at the International Rescue Committee in Dallas. Although God rescued me from wars, I did not know what it meant to be a Christian. In 2005 God used His voice in miraculous way and I started believing in Him. After getting saved, I had a problem of thinking that I had to work hard to be accepted by God, but later I came to understand that my righteousness is through Jesus Christ alone, by God’s grace, and I surrendered everything to Him. Since then I am desperately depending on Jesus for everything, because apart from Jesus, I can do nothing. I am married with two children, and I am blessed to have a large extended family living here in Dallas. My main dream is to share the message of grace to all I can. I feel like God has created me to preach the gospel to all. I am still serving in the African Missionary Fellowship as one of several leaders, and in my spare time I like to visit my relatives and friends. My favorite bible verse is Ephesians 2: 8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

I joined the team at Northwest Bible in August 2019 and am excited to serve as Interim Refugee Ministry Director at Northwest Community Center. In late 2007, I became friends with a refugee family from Togo. I continue to value my times of fellowship with them, from meals to school graduations. It is now my privilege to serve alongside a team of ministry leaders, volunteers and community partners to assist refugee families in their transition to a new life in Dallas. After working more than twenty years in the corporate sector, I spent nine years in the nonprofit sector -- most recently serving as Director of Operations at an organization which helps adults achieve educational goals and attain financial stability. I was raised in church, yet long held a belief that good works were necessary to enter heaven. I attended college at University of Texas-Arlington, where I enrolled in a Christian Evidences course my Freshman year. It was through that study that I gained an understanding of who Jesus is and accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. My enrollment in Bible Study Fellowship was instrumental in a growing relationship with God. After a few years I began serving as a BSF small group leader, and I was baptized at a Summer retreat. I began attending Northwest Bible Church, was plugged into an encouraging men’s small group, and became a member of the church. I have served on the Northwest Cares Committee, assisting families in our church body through short term financial challenges. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, following the “Big Four” professional sports teams in Dallas and attending UT-Arlington basketball games. Volunteer service is important to me, whether helping out at a local food pantry or facilitating a financial literacy course. I have a pitbull pup and enjoy walking her around our neighborhood on the westside of downtown Dallas. Micah 6:8 encourages me to pursue justice, extend kindness and to be humble as I serve our city.

I count it a privilege to serve as a Refugee Ministry Leader at the Northwest Community Center. It excites me to see how God has given us the opportunity to be a light to so many nations right here in Dallas.  Before beginning my service at the Community Center in July 2020, I served as a missionary in Turkey for 18 years and lived in Central America 7 years. After my family returned from the mission field, I asked God to open a door so I could continue serving internationals, and I was thrilled when He opened the door at Northwest.  I grew up believing in God but carried an important question in my mind: “What’s the big deal about Jesus?” My freshman year at the University of Texas, some girls in my dorm answered my question when they shared 1 John 4:10 with me: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” When I understood what Jesus had done for me on the cross, I committed my life to Him, and it has been my joy to follow Him ever since.  My husband Jose and I have two young adult children who were born in El Salvador and grew up in Turkey. My greatest passion is the Word of God, and in my free time, I write content for my website and freelance articles to encourage women to get more of God’s Word in so they can live their faith out. I also enjoy cooking, spending time outdoors with my white Malti-poo, and drinking chai with friends.

As Outreach Minister, I'm honored to lead staff and volunteers who impact the world with the hope of the Gospel. Northwest's outreach makes a real difference in real lives through the Northwest Community Center, our sports and fitness ministry, local community partnerships, and alongside global missionaries. I became a follower of Jesus at an early age and my faith continued to grow at home. After college, I spent a year doing mission work in Spain and Russia, which ignited my passion for ministry. This led to partnering with parachurch organizations, marketplace ministry, serving in churches in Minnesota, and earning my masters in theology. God called our family to Northwest, which led us on a cross-country, mid-pandemic move to Dallas in December 2020. It's a joy to see people fall in love with Jesus and to help believers live out their call to love others well. I enjoy spending time with my wife, Marit, and our three kids, Elise, Silas, and Jens. We thrive on exploring our surroundings through community events, parks, and museums. You can often find us cheering our kids on at a swim meet or baseball game, and we love all Minnesota sports. Go Vikings!

I am thrilled to serve as the Sports & Fitness Minister at Northwest since 2007 and that Northwest has been my church home for more than twenty years. In 2007, I transitioned out of the corporate world to focus my time fully on ministry to high school students. In 2013 I transitioned to the new role of Sports & Fitness Minister to develop the Sports & Fitness ministry where I get to combine my love for sports and fitness with my passion for outreach and discipleship. Without outreach, I would have never known who Jesus was and without discipleship I would have never grown in my faith. When I was 15, I was introduced to Jesus through the outreach efforts of an old man who loved Jesus so much that he wanted to share Christ with everyone around him (whether he knew them or not). Knowing that athletes require more than just attention to their physical build, l am honored by the opportunity to address their spiritual needs as well. I strive to utilize the platform of sports and fitness to show and share the gospel and ultimately ignite the potential of athletes beyond the field of play. 

It is an honor to serve as the Refugee Ministry Leader at Northwest Bible Church. Growing up surrounded by numerous cultures, the Lord stirred my heart for people of different backgrounds from a young age. In college, the Lord broke my heart for the nations and opened the door to proclaim Him all over the world. It is a humbling privilege to share the Good News message of salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus alone to a hurting world desperate for hope and yearning for truth. Through a sequence of God-ordained events, I came to Northwest after graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary.  I was raised in a loving Christian home and accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior when I was four years old. Throughout the years, I have served in various ministry capacities from worship to young adults ministry and most recently, equipping and discipleship. I love to tell people that I am glad the Lord is writing my story because He is much more creative than I am! The verse which marks my life is Genesis 28:15, which highlights God’s steadfast character and faithful promise to be with me in all places and circumstances. I am passionate about connecting believers with those in their community, and the opportunity to love and serve the nations in our backyard is a blessing!  Exploring God’s creation through action-packed activities such as scuba diving with sharks and zip lining in the middle of the jungle brings me immense joy! An avid traveler, my bags are always packed for the next adventure. In quiet moments, I enjoy reading mystery novels and solving logic puzzles. A music aficionado, I will often be found singing and jamming away on the piano. My daily prayer is for my every breath and heartbeat to bring glory to God!

I am grateful to serve as the Missions Minister at Northwest! After working in the finance industry for eight years, I was thrilled to put my passion into my workplace and my career. When I was in high school, I began attending church because I loved the company of my friends that were there. In college I grew in my faith and my excitement for living out God’s great commission, participating in various mission trips to Boston, New York City and then Perth, Australia. In this role, I have loved further expanding my desire to bring the gospel to those who are looking for the truth, and equipping leaders to do it too. I am an avid, life-long Texas Rangers fan and have become an Oklahoma Sooner fan through marriage to my wonderful husband, Bryce. I have two girls, Etta and Lily and I enjoy spending my free time being Mom and simply enjoying our family. The Lord has reminded me lately that I am beloved, and I can rest in His unchanging, never stopping, always and forever love. Psalm 127:2 reminds me He calls me beloved, and He desires for me to rest in Him.

I grew up near Chicago and came to Texas in 2020 after graduating from Ball State University in Indiana. Growing up I participated in tennis, gymnastics, and dance, and loved the freedom and feeling that participating in sports gave me. I'm grateful for my position as Sports & Fitness Coordinator because it allows me to build a connection with people through the foundation of Jesus and sports. I found Christ during my parents divorce and was baptized when I was 13. One of the verses that continues to bring me through my journey with God is Philippians 4:13, “I can do ALL things through Christ, who strengthens me.” No matter the obstacles and trials I face, with His guidance I know that I’m able to conquer anything that may come my way. I still like to dance, and these days I also enjoy reading, watching Netflix series, and playing with my dog, Chewi.