My husband Kurt and I have been married for 3 years and have been attending CHBC since we moved to the area in 2021. We have loved being a part of CHBC and are so grateful for the strong Biblical teaching and the immediate warmth and welcome we have felt, which we were not expecting from such a big church! We spend a lot of our free time hiking with our sweet puppy Maple, playing board games, and connecting with our neighbors and nearby family. Both Kurt and I grew up in different parts of the world (Kurt in Micronesia and myself in South Africa and then Australia), so we enjoy connecting with others who are from different cultures, especially when there is food involved! During the week I work as an occupational therapist and spend most of my days crawling around on the floor with play-doh stuck to my knees. I love supporting kids and their families as they navigate the ups and downs of life.

I grew up in South Africa and honestly just assumed that I was born a Christian because that’s what most of the people I knew said they were. My family moved to Australia when I was 16 years old and I was faced with being in a large high school where very few of my new friends went to church. This forced me to reassess what I believed and why I believed it and started me on a journey of experiencing God through reading His Word on my own and with the help of other followers of Jesus. I came to realize that I wasn’t as perfect as I thought, and that God was more full of grace than I could ever have imagined. 

I have been encouraged by the effort so many put into making CHBC feel like a big family. My prayer is that God would use me to help others within our community and beyond know that they are seen and loved, both by our loving Father, and by his people.