I’m the youngest of four children born to an Italian father and a southern mother. When I was five a neighbor had a Good News Club, and I heard the gospel and received the Lord Jesus Christ in her living room. That was the most important day of my life.

In second grade my teacher asked what we wanted to be when we grew up. I wanted to be a nurse, a missionary, a teacher, and a writer. I couldn’t choose just one. After high school, I got a degree in nursing from FSU and I worked as a nurse for several years.

I married the love of my life in 1975 and God blessed us with our wonderful son in 1978. When the Lord called us to be missionaries, we went to Toccoa Falls Bible College, then we attended Child Evangelism Fellowship’s Leadership Training Institute. In 1987 we moved to Mexico City with our son. After serving the Lord in Mexico for four years, we returned to the States due to my poor health. We became directors for CEF in Rochester, NY, and we also taught Spanish at a Christian school.

After suffering for years with numerous health problems, I was diagnosed with porphyria in 1993. By 1995 I was disabled and mostly homebound. I was only forty-three. Discouraged, I asked God, “Why?”

As I struggled with my health, I studied my Bible and listened to messages from wonderful Bible teachers. One message from David Ring was titled, “Don’t Ask Why, Ask What.” Instead of asking God why this was happening to me, I asked, “God, what do you want me to do now?”

I remembered my goals in second grade when I wanted to be a nurse, a missionary, a teacher, and a writer. I finally understood that it was time to write, and I’m thankful for the opportunity.