Life Story
I was born in Ivory Coast, West Africa to my parents who were serving as missionaries in Mali. I lived in Mali until I was twelve. My memory of an encounter with life in the US was limited to a single furlough for a year during 1st grade. I spent a large amount of time in the car during this year traveling across the country to raise support for our mission work. So the culture shock I experienced when we left Africa to move home to Missouri in my 5th grade year was a rough adjustment. High school years were rocky for me as I changed schools three times and struggled to find my place. Growing up with the world’s perception of both a MK (missionary kid) and PK (preacher’s kid) bred it’s own kind of rebellion in my heart. I got connected with a youth pastor that invested in me and after a mission trip late in my junior year, I rededicated my life to Christ, a journey that never ends.
I had planned on going to university to be a surgeon, but God redirected my path to LeTourneau University to study a childhood dream of becoming a pilot. In my sophomore year of studies I met my wife, Stephanie. After a reconsideration of what I would want my family life to look like, I changed my major to Mechanical Engineering/Aviation Technology Option. Stephanie and I got married after my junior year of college and finished out our time in college in married student housing, graduating together from LeTourneau University.
We moved to Wichita, Kansas for me to begin a job as an engineer at Cessna Aircraft Company. God blessed me with the ability to be a part of the Flying Club at Cessna where I learned how to be a pilot and even became an instructor as a side job. I worked for Cessna for 14 years where my jobs changed, giving me exposure to many different parts of the business, even flying business jets. I finished my time at Cessna leading the CJ4 business jet program. While living in Wichita, all three of my children were born and it will always have a special place in our hearts.
As my time at Cessna was closing out, God moved us to Michigan to take a job with GE Aviation in Grand Rapids. It was a huge adjustment for my family as we started over in every area of life. After a few years, a project led to the development of a new joint venture company that I was asked to lead in 2012. This led us to Dallas and another adjustment for our family. My work requires me to be on the road a lot and so it was important for us to plug in to community. We visited BARA in the first month after moving to Trophy Club. The heart of the church lined up with what God had placed on our heart. We are so excited to be a part of this family of believers and can’t wait to see what He has in store for us in this journey.
My Hope For Bara Church
May God bless the communities of Trophy Club, Roanoke, Westlake and beyond through the work of His servants’ hands and feet. I pray that anyone who comes in contact with us would know that God’s love and His mercy is greater than anything imaginable and that they would come to know Christ and make Him known wherever He leads them.
About Me
Favorite Restaurants
Thai
Sushi
Chophouse
Favorite Drink
Coffee
Favorite Holiday
Thanksgiving
Middle Name
Ernest
Birthday
November 22
What I Like To Do For Fun
Flying
Cycling
Photography
Family Vacation
Favorite Bible Verses
"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with the confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:13
"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need." - Matthew 6:33
