My Story

I was born (1963) in Idaho Falls, Idaho to Ralph and Beverley Lawrence, and grew up in Portland, Oregon. My father is a retired Methodist Minister and my mother is a Violinist. I have two brothers, Alan who lives with my mother in Portland, Oregon, and my bother Doug who lives near my father in Boise, Idaho. My parents divorced in 1974 and my father re-married Audrey in 1975. I met my husband, Dennis while studying Elementary Education at Oregon State University in the Fall of 1981. Dennis completed his BS in Mechanical Engineering in March of 1983 from OSU. We were wed on June, 18, 1983 in Portland, Oregon. Dennis started his first engineering job at Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, CA and I finished my BA in Liberal Studies (1987) and got my teaching credential (1989) from California State University, Northridge. Dennis completed his MS in Applied Mechanics from CSUN in 1989. Our daughter Emily was born on August 30, 1988 and our son Craig was born on February 21, 1991. Emily was also born with aniridia and cataracts. We started homeschooling our children in the fall of 1993. Emily graduated in June of 2006 and is a junior at Master’s College. Craig will be graduating on June 12, 2009. This date will mark the culmination of 16 years of homeschooling! Dennis and I celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary on June 18 of last year.

I grew up knowing who God was and knew that God loved me. But I did not have a relationship with God. God was there longing to have a close relationship with Him, but I only came to God when something would go wrong or I would have a laundry list of requests for Him. On March 5, 1982 I committed my life to Christ. From that day forward I have lived my life fully for Christ. "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Gal. 2:20 NASBU. My life was transformed as I grew in my faith and learned to yield to the Holy Spirit’s leading. I cannot imagine going through all that I have without a close intimate relationship with God.
He is my strength when I am weak! 2 Cor.5:7-9 says, “7 for we walk by faith , not by sight —
8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.”