About Me

Hello!!

My name is Katie and I started this blog to update friends and family while I spend three months working with a church in Pamplona, Spain!!  We will be opening the doors to ‘La Roca’ - a community center in the heart of Pamplona focused on reaching out to students on the campus of the University of Navarra – Pamplona.



Pamplona, Spain - October 2012

A little background…

Hometown:  Green Bay, WI – Yes, I love the Packers and am still trying to forget the image of Brett Favre in a Minnesota Vikings jersey.  Both of my parents live in Wisconsin and I have two older siblings who are married and live in Wisconsin.

 

College:  University of Wisconsin-Madison!! I am a Badger and had an amazing experience at the UW.  I had the opportunity to study abroad in London for a semester and was a member of the UW Marching Band.  I graduated in 2008 with a degree in Finance. 

 

Madison to NYC:   After graduating from the UW, I moved out to NYC for a year to work for Morgan Stanley.  It was an incredible year!  I met wonderful people and loved living in the city.  I started work the summer of 2008, shortly before the recession began.  Living in the city during the recession was an eye-opening experience.  Watching people lose their jobs and wealth overnight made me ask what I was living for.

I had been raised in a Christian home, but fell away from my faith in college.  I questioned religion and Christianity.  Why is Jesus the only way to heaven?  Did Noah's Ark actually happen?  How do I know the Bible is the Word of God?  The questions went unanswered and I went about my life focused on career success.  The experience in NYC made me think about God and I thought - there must be something more to life than making money and entertainment.  I started going to church again, read books to answer my questions and started reading the Bible daily.  God came into my life in an entirely new way.  It was the first time I understood what it was to have a personal relationship with Christ.

NYC to Bloomington, MN:  After NYC, I gave my life 100% to Christ and he has done amazing, amazing things!!  I moved back to Madison, WI for a year and then Minnesota.  I have been living in Bloomington, MN for the last 2 1/2 years and absolutely love it!! I found a wonderful church called Evergreen and live with three girls in a house we named 'The Lighthouse'. God has blessed me with a loving group of friends and family and I could not be more thankful!!

The original reason I moved to MN was to work for General Mills.  I worked there until December 2012 and felt blessed by the incredibly kind and intelligent coworkers I was surrounded by!  I enjoyed my job, but after my first mission trip to Pamplona in October 2011, God started to lead me away from Corporate Finance.  I had planned on going back to school this winter to become a teacher, but during my second trip to Pamplona, felt peace and leading from the Lord to return to Pamplona to join Pastor Dom in opening La Roca!  I left General Mills in December 2012 and am excited for 3 months in Pamplona and am praying to see what's next!

Why I am going to Spain:  I am very thankful and blessed to have the opportunity to work with Pastor Dom and his team as the Pamplona ministry enters an exciting new phase!!

Pastor Dom is a former minister from the University of Florida.  He planted the church in Pamplona four years ago and it is currently the only evangelical ministry on campus.  He reaches out to students through weekly English Clubs, Bible studies and events.  Until now, all meetings and events have been planned in public facilities but in November 2012, he signed a lease for his own building!!  This is a huge step forward in growing a community on campus.  The ministry center will be called 'La Roca'.  It will be a place for students to study during the day, meet for coffee, use free internet and do language exchanges.  English Clubs and events will be hosted at this location and most importantly, it will be a place where the Good News of Christ can be shared.  There will be worship, prayer, Bible study and fellowship time.  I am very thankful for this opportunity and cannot wait to see what the Lord has planned!!