We have lived in Omaha, Nebraska since 2001, both moving for college from our respective small towns.  We met as our apartments were in the same building and from that moment we were instantly best friends.  We got married in 2004 and since then, our mission has changed multiple times.  After going through infertility in 2011 God changed the desire of our hearts.  Joel ramped up his work in the arts community and Kate began mentoring young women in the Citylight youth group.

In July 2023 Joel was asked to join the short term mission trip to the Envision Berlin site in Germany. God stirred something in Joel while he was there, he met others with similar hearts for artists and he experienced a city overflowing with creative expression.  On August 10th Joel was laid off from his job of 10 years, on August 11th the staff at Envision Berlin sent a message that there was a job opening that they wanted him to consider.  That December we took a vision trip to Berlin to see if this is what God wanted for us.  After meeting the staff at the Envision site and other church leaders in the community, both of us felt Jesus in Berlin and heard Him calling us there.  But that meant leaving all of our friends, family, our church, and the art gallery we’ve run for 10 years behind.  We changed our prayers from “God, what do you want us to do?” to “God, send us.”  And that changed our heart posture to one of open-handed receptiveness to His work and guidance. 

We will be working at the Envision Berlin site where Joel will help with their art gallery, engage artists in the community, and design different materials.  Kate will focus on administrative items and be a point person/mentor for the residents and interns.  Our mission field will be the city of Berlin, Germany.  It is a city that has forgotten it needs Jesus and we are excited to share some love with them.