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From Small Town Southern Girl to Missionary Mom: Our Journey of Faith, Family, and Homeschooling

I often look back in awe at how a small-town Southern girl ended up on the other side of the world, married to a Brazilian, and raising four children while homeschooling and pioneering a missions base. It’s been a wild adventure, full of unexpected twists, challenges, and plenty of highs and lows. Each step along the way has shaped who I am today and deepened my faith in ways I never could have imagined.

Fourteen years ago, I stepped out of the comfort of my home in the South, not fully knowing what God had planned for me. At the time, I never imagined that my journey would take me to Brazil, where I would marry my wonderful Brazilian husband and eventually find ourselves living in Thailand as missionaries. I thought I had my life all figured out—until God had other plans.

Being married to a Brazilian and raising children in a foreign land has opened my eyes to the beauty of cross-cultural living. Our children are growing up in a unique environment, learning a new language, and embracing the culture around them while we serve in ministry. It hasn’t always been easy, but it has been rewarding. I’ve seen firsthand how God uses the challenges of cross-cultural life to stretch and refine us.

Homeschooling was never on my radar, especially as a missionary mom. At first, I didn’t think I had the skills, patience, or wisdom to teach my kids. I worried they wouldn’t get enough social interaction or that I would somehow mess up their education. Yet, God knew exactly what we needed. Homeschooling has given us the flexibility to be present in our ministry while also providing a tailored education for each of our children. It has allowed us to integrate our faith into their learning every single day, fostering not just academic growth but spiritual growth as well.

As a family, we’ve embraced a life of faith and sacrifice, navigating the ups and downs of pioneering a missions base. There have been moments of pure joy and others where we’ve been tested to our limits. But through it all, God has been faithful, providing for our needs and growing us in ways we never imagined. Each day is an opportunity to trust Him more and to model for our children what it means to live out the calling of the Great Commission.

Leaving my home 14 years ago was a leap of faith, and in many ways, I had no idea how it would unfold. But I have discovered that Jesus meets us in the places where we are most uncomfortable, where our faith is stretched, and where we are called to something bigger than ourselves. In this journey of homeschooling abroad, raising world changers, and doing family ministry, I have found Jesus in ways that I never could have if I hadn’t stepped out in obedience.

Through the highs and lows, we continue to walk by faith, trusting that God’s plans for our family are far greater than we could have ever dreamed.

I’m so grateful to be able to share this journey with you. If you’re a mom homeschooling in a cross-cultural environment, a missionary mom, or just looking for encouragement in your own journey, I hope that you’ll find inspiration here. Together, we’ll explore what it means to be a godly wife and mother, to live out our purpose as world changers, and to raise children who will impact the world for Christ.