I was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. I came to BC in 1990, starting in Vancouver, then settling in Abbotsford in 1992 to raise my family. I’m married to Al and have four sons.
I began my journey with Teen Challenge in 2009, hearing about the ministry at a church outreach. I began volunteering at Teen Challenge wherever I could be of help. As relationships grew, I began mentoring. Once I saw my first “life transformed” over the course of a year, I couldn’t contain my excitement for what God was doing through Teen Challenge. I had to shout it from the mountaintops! And so, I did, as I worked part-time in Community Engagement. My two days a week turned to four, quickly. I pinched myself every day, “Lord, do I really get to do this every day?” I still feel that way! I then became the Centre Director of the Abbotsford Women’s Centre where I served for five years.
I am currently the Chief Executive Officer. My passion remains the same – to be a messenger of hope, to love men & women back to life and to reclaim God’s precious children to the lives they were designed to live – healed, whole, restored to God and their families.
Favorite Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Even though I grew up in a Christian home, in 2006 at 23 I joined the Okanagan Men’s Centre as a hopeless drug addict. The following year, upon graduating Adult & Teen Challenge Society of BC, I began interning full-time. Within the next year I was teaching and leading outreaches in the Okanagan. Giving back to the program that saved my life felt amazing, I had finally found purpose, living in what I could only understand was the call of God for my life. Shortly thereafter I became the Program Director for the Okanagan Men’s Centre, bringing many joys and difficult situations into my life. God was faithful.
In 2011, I had the privilege to join our Executive Director on a trip to El Salvador. A trip that would eventually change my life forever. Seeing how other Teen Challenge locations operated around the world gave me a better understanding of how His kingdom works. Seeing the gratefulness people had amidst overwhelming poverty also hit me hard. Later in 2011, I was presented an opportunity to go and spearhead the opening of the Vancouver Island Men’s Centre. This was an incredible challenge and although the Island Centre had to shut the doors in 2014, it wasn’t for nothing. The Centre graduated 11 men and impacted countless families.
In 2014, I headed back to the OMC as the Events and Vocational Coordinator. This was a shift for me, as the previous seven years I had been primarily focused on ministering to the students and now I was getting a crash course into the business (financial) side of Adult & Teen Challenge Society of BC. In 2016, I became the Centre Director for the Chilliwack Men’s Centre, and God continued sanding down my rough edges and molding me into who He desired me to be.
In 2017, I met the love of my life Bonnie, we were engaged by July and married by October. Throughout our courtship we had also agreed to accept a position with Adult & Teen Challenge in Central Canada. We moved in November and were there for five and a half years in varying capacities: Store Manager of a SuperThrift Store, Program Director, Centre Director, Development Director. While Bonnie spent time as a counselor, Program Manager and Program Director.
God’s faithfulness continued and a miracle happened in 2022, Bonnie and I welcomed our first and only child, Ava who joined us in November. Ava joining our family led us to the decision to move closer to our families in BC and through prayer an opportunity to work for Adult & Teen Challenge Society of BC became available. I find myself humbled and honoured to be serving BC in this capacity back it all began.
Philippians 2:1-11 is my life’s sacred text – here is just a few verses from that passage: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:3-5 (NIV)
I have been with Adult & Teen Challenge BC as the Director of Finance since December 2017. At the time I was in a different season in life when I felt a strong urge to look for a job. I had other plans, but as usual God had better plans for me. I could not shake the feeling, so I decided to honor His nudging but only insofar as applying for one job: this one.
God has blessed me and I am excited to be a part of this Christ driven ministry that helps people find freedom and transformation from life controlling addictions. I am thankful to be a member of a team that is very motivated, invested and passionate about our mission. Our vision of opening a Women’s and Children’s Centre in the Okanagan is something I look forward to seeing come to realization. Expanding our care to children and giving mother’s an opportunity to be near their children during the restoration process is exciting to think about.
My favorite Scripture is Psalm 17:8-9 (NIV) “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.”
