Life in Peru!

My Story

In January of 2023, I moved to Iquitos, Peru to work as the Program & Missions Coordinator for Rise Together International. Through this role, I have the opportunity to help create a faith-based mentorship program for 80+ children living in extreme poverty as well as coordinate and lead short-term mission teams. I could not be more excited for what I get to do here, but this journey really began six years earlier.

During my sophomore year of college, I went on my first international mission trip. I quickly realized that missions would be a part of the rest of my life, I just did not know in what capacity. As I continued to go on short-term trips, my passion for overseas missions grew; however, I knew that it wasn’t my time to transition into international missions full-time. I finished college, then went on to get my Master’s degree and work for an incredible church in Georgia. Over these first few years out of college, I grew so much in my understanding of leadership, my desire for ministry, and my confidence in who God created me to be. Although I still had a desire to be overseas, God taught me how to be content, to be present, and to trust His timing.

Now, I can see that God was at work in another way as well… While I was in high school and college, my sister, Bronte, took several short-term trips to Iquitos, Peru and quickly developed a love for the people there. I remember her coming home and sharing stories of the extreme poverty she saw and her desire to help. Long (but incredible) story short, this desire developed into her and her husband, Zach, moving to Peru full-time and starting Rise Together International.

Over the course of 2022, I began to think, pray, and have conversations about what my desire for international missions was going to look like in my life. At the same time – though I did not know it – Bronte and Zach were having conversations about the potential next steps for their organization. As we started to talk, we realized how much my desires and these goals aligned. What started as light-hearted “one day” conversations between us turned into intentional “why not now” conversations, and the rest is history…

I am honored to be able to live out the passion that God planted in my heart six years ago, and I am so thankful that it is alongside my sister and brother-in-law and the organization that I believe in wholeheartedly.