I was born in India, was adopted into a multiracial family (white American parents with siblings from Colombia and South Korea) and have lived most of my life in Oregon. Growing up I was homeschooled and attended church (mostly reformed) most my life (though I currently attend a Mennonite church). In college I studied psychology (B.S.) and counseling (M.A.). Much of my time after college has been spent working as a crime victim advocate, teaching English as a second language and living overseas working as a teacher or missionary. At this point in my life I am back in Oregon, teaching occasionally, writing when inspired, reading lots of books and sorting through the changes I’ve made as a result of my life experiences so far.

I’ve always been one to have a lot of questions yet have found answers are generally more difficult to come by. I have spent much of my life reading about subjects related to human rights and the atrocities people are capable of committing. This includes but is not limited to subjects like the holocaust (as well as other genocides), human trafficking, child soldiers, violence against women (too many types to begin listing), and the civil rights movement.

Beyond just reading about these things I have also sought to go out and do something to help people who have been hurt in various ways. This has lead me to work as a crime victims advocate which involved working with victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. Also during the years I spent living and teaching overseas I have had opportunities to do things like volunteer at a shelter for women and girls at risk for being trafficked. I have also gone on short term trips to witness first hand the injustice people are facing in places like the Middle East. My point being I am trying to do something besides just get angry at the terrible things I see going on in the world. And much of this blog will probably be spent articulating the anger I’ve felt as a result of the pain and suffering I’ve witnessed in this world.

Despite the fact that I will probably end up writing about some fairly heavy and depressing subjects I have my reasons for why I still have hope. My faith is in the person of Jesus Christ who continues to offer both confusion and clarity as I look at so many of the disturbing things happening throughout this world. However though I maintain my faith it continues to be an ongoing struggle to hold onto it (especially in the last few years).

Ultimately regarding this blog I hope to just be able to summarize the various things I read and think about mostly for my own benefit and processing. Though I hope that if anyone does end up reading this they will have learned something useful and maybe even been challenged by my sharing the things that continually challenge me.