Having fulfilled my life-long ambition of what we in New Zealand call our "big OE" (overseas experience - 2 years of traveling and working in the United Kingdom and Europe), I returned home at the end of 1988 with my life all planned out. Expecting to remain single (I was already 27 years old), I would return to elementary teaching, buy a house, get involved in church again (North Invercargill Presbyterian, Invercargill, South Island, New Zealand) and I would save my money to travel during vacations. All of those things I did, with Proverbs 16:3, in mind, Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
 
A year later, through the preaching of a Presbyterian pastor at a city-wide youth worship service, God called me to ministry. It came as a total shock, and my immediate reaction was, "No, I'm not going back to school!" At the same time a man had come into my life (an American) and as the months passed we began to talk about getting married. His statement, "Every time I think and pray about us, I think about you and in the ministry," caused me to reluctantly start talking with God. God spoke to me through other people, Scripture, song and prayer until I finally said, "yes" and felt the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.

Figuring it was easier for me to emigrate to the United States, I made plans to get married and head to the U.S. to live. My soon-to-be husband, Bob, had already promised to support me through the education process that lay ahead. In the autumn of 1992 I entered Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington where I completed a B.A. in Education. At the same time my husband, who is a retired Air Force Chaplain, served a Presbyterian church in Spokane as interim. When this was completed we returned to our home in Massachusetts and in September, 1994 I began school at Union Seminary in Virginia while Bob began an interim in Staunton, Virginia.

Because my Committee on Preparation for Ministry wanted me to do CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education), I entered a summer program in 1995 in Providence, Rhode Island and served as a chaplain at the Women and Infants Hospital. I had a wonderful experience serving God among patients and staff. I completed my CPE feeling strongly called by God to the chaplaincy. I was focused on hospital ministry until Thanksgiving 1996 when a Navy chaplain recruiter paid a visit to Union. I felt an immediate affinity to the idea of military chaplaincy and my husband agreed to become a "camp-follower." I knew there were several obstacles to overcome, the largest being citizenship. The Navy wouldn't commission me unless I was an American citizen. But God is good, and I became a citizen in August, 1997, three months after graduating from seminary. Now I had to find a call to be ordained. This, I thought, would be difficult because I wanted to be "up front" with any search committee by letting them know that after the two years required parish experience, I would be requesting active military duty.

Again God worked it out, and I was ordained to an interim position in two small churches in Muskingum Valley Presbytery (Ohio) in December, 1997. My husband became stated supply at two other small churches. After obtaining an age waiver, I was commissioned a Navy Chaplain in March, 1998 and that summer attended Chaplain School basic training in Newport, Rhode Island. In June 1999 I was "recalled to active duty," beginning my Chaplain ministry as a LTjg (Lieutenant Junior Grade) at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, and Illinois. That summer was the busiest ever at RTC and six chaplains ministered to the needs of 16,500 recruits. These young men and women, mostly 18-22 years of age, were facing pressures and crises they had never imagined. It was an awesome ministry helping them grow spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally. It was also an incredible experience for me to preach to a congregation of 1,500!

After almost 3 years at RTC I transferred in October 2002 to Norfolk, Virginia where I became the first female Chaplain assigned to ship's company of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). My first at-sea period was in November 2002, and after a shortened Christmas leave period, we set sail on January 6, 2003 for training off Puerto Rico. We were supposed to return home after 6 weeks, but instead were sent across the Atlantic Ocean to the eastern Mediterranean Sea in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. We were deployed for five months. We returned home combat veterans. I am "penciled in" for my next assignment which is a Marine Combat Supply Battalion at Twentynine Palms, California.

Military chaplaincy is challenging, frustrating, rewarding and an absolute blessing. Looking back on all the events that have brought me to where I am today, I simply say, "Thank you, God! You're awesome!"