Most people who know me well know that I am a natural encourager with a big laugh and a willingness to listen to whatever is on a person’s heart. I grew up in New Mexico with three siblings and parents who loved Jesus. I trusted Christ in Elementary school through the influence of my family and the church we attended. But it wasn’t until my first year of college that I understood what it means to surrender my whole life to follow Jesus. After that, I learned to rely on God’s word as my daily nourishment for life, to share my faith and help young believers grow. After getting a degree in Speech Communication, I felt that God was calling me to full-time ministry of evangelism and discipleship. I worked with Cru, Campus Crusade for Christ’s college ministry, for 33 years. During this time, I also got a Master of Divinity from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, MN, and led a program that trained the next generation of leaders for Cru nationally. For the last three years, I have been working with The Navigators, focusing on staff development and member care. In 2007, I married Ron Besonen and we started our life together in Colorado Springs, CO. We adopted our son, John, from China in 2010 when he was two years old. We are active members of our church and volunteer with the AWANA program that John participates in. We have a golden doodle named, Penny.