About Us

We are from Austin, Texas, and both grew up attending Westlake Bible Church, now Austin Ridge. Lauren graduated from the University of North Carolina and Andy graduated from the University of Texas in 2005. We got married later that year, and Lauren began her journey toward serving God through the medical field. The past two years have seen us in Dallas where Lauren was attending Physician Assistant school at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.  She just graduated with her Masters of Physician Assistant Studies!  Andy has been working as a valet in Dallas since the mortgage industry collapsed this past year.  We had been involved with Northwest Bible Church in Dallas, and were privileged to lead a small group and participate in local community outreach programs.  We have always been planning on going back to Austin and beginning our future careers, but this past fall we heard God calling us to follow Him and serve Him outside the United States.  After much prayer and searching, we have come to the conclusion that God has called us to serve in the Dominican Republic with Makarios.

Makarios is a Christian organization that provides educational opportunities to young children in poverty-stricken areas of the Dominican Republic, ministering equally to Dominican and Haitian immigrant children.  There is a great need for education in these areas, as many of these children will otherwise end up working on coffee or sugar cane farms without hope of advancement in life.  The Makarios school not only provides a traditional education, it also brings Christ into the life of these children.  They also provide two meals a day for all students, as malnutrition is one of the major issues facing the people of the Dominican Republic.  Lauren will be functioning as the health care administrator for Makarios, with duties including assessment and management of the medical needs of the students and their families, coordination of medical mission teams and community outreach and health care education.  Andy will be in charge of maintenance and construction of facilities and coordinating work projects for visiting short-term mission teams.  We have dedicated the next year of our lives to serving with Makarios, though we are open to His plan for our future.