When I’m not at church, one place you might find me is a local coffee shop. I’ll basically drink coffee from anywhere, but my favorite thing about local coffee shops is that they all have their own unique decor and twists on specialty drinks.

I also LOVE sports. Sorry Houstonians, I’ll never lose my love for the Boston Red Sox, but beyond the professional and college sport spectating, I really enjoy a good game of softball, pick up basketball, or Ultimate Frisbee. I also just really enjoy being outdoors and enjoying nature, especially some sunsets!

I also enjoy writing, though it doesn’t happen as often as I wish it could. I like to write about what I’m learning, so I am looking forward to opportunities to write and share what God teaches me as He also gives me opportunities to teach the kiddos here!

I started my journey with Jesus at the age of 5. I still remember very clearly the moment that I knew I needed Jesus because I was a sinner. God used John 3:16 as a way to help me understand the simplicity of the Gospel and the need to turn my life over to Him.

But life wasn’t perfect for me. During my childhood I had the privilege of learning a lot of solid Biblical knowledge, but I missed out on some significant discipleship opportunities. Spiritual disciplines weren’t a priority, and I didn’t really know what it looked like to take what I was learning about my faith and apply it to my every day life.

In the beginning of high school, I found myself in a place where I wasn’t exactly walking with Jesus. I made it look like that on Sundays, but during the week, I did my own thing and acted my own way. At the start of my junior year, God sent an intervention in the form of a Life Action road team. During their visit to my church in September 2008, God helped me to see that I needed to stop trying to live a double life and be seriously all-in with my relationship with Him. It was at that point, that I really started to grow in my faith and start implementing things like reading my Bible and praying! I haven’t been the same since!

My love for children’s ministry started in 2013 when I decided to join a Life Action Road Team. I wasn’t necessarily 100% sold on serving in children’s ministry, but God basically whispered to my heart, “Olivia, I’m giving you a chance to reach kids with essential truth before they hit their teens.” So I jumped into the world of children’s ministry and have never looked back.

Since then, my passion has only grown! Another key moment in this journey came in January 2016, when I found myself serving the Katy Community Fellowship family as a children’s minister with Life Action. During our days here, there was a significant move of God among the adults. In children’s ministry, just a few rooms over, things just seemed normal. I wrestled with why we weren’t seeing similar things. After talking to one of our team leaders, he simply said to me, “Olivia, maybe this is God making you more desperate to see Him move in kids’ lives.”

Long story short, that desperation has continued to grow! My passion is not simply to see kids gain knowledge about Jesus, but to experience Him and His power in their lives! I truly believe in empowering our kids to start making a difference for Jesus whether they are 4 or 11 or anywhere in between. They have a unique opportunity to build the Kingdom of God, and I want to be a part of helping them recognizing those opportunities!

Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (English Standard Version)

That my friends, is the Gospel lived out in a life! I am so excited to be a part of the KCF family and of course, there’s so much more about me to get to know! I would love to get to know you too! So if we haven’t met, please make sure to find me on Sunday mornings!