One of the First Little Lambs
As Kaitlin progressed to high school and junior college, she remembered her desire to open a Christian pre-school. She was committed to doing that and making it a wonderful place for children, so off she went to Simpson University, a private liberal arts Christian college, in Redding California. That desire, to open a Christian pre-school, was formed by serving under Miss Pam at Mariners. Kaitlin was actually in the first Little Lambs group and as she grew up, she got more involved with various children’s programs and was mentored by Pam.
Kaitlin’s God Experience
Kaitlin was raised Christian by her loving parents who started bringing her to Mariners when she was just a year old. She studied the Bible and remembers accepting Christ when she was just four years old, knowing she needed God in her heart. It wasn’t until Kaitlin was eleven that she remembers standing in front of the mirror asking God for help and feeling peace wash over her. That was what Kaitlin calls her first God experience.
About that time, Kaitlin was doing a school project at Elkus Ranch. She was there day in and day out for about a month. It was coming up on summer time, the time of year for Hume Lake camping with Mariners and Kaitlin had to make a difficult decision. Her mom was a counselor for the Hume Lake program and Kaitlin had attended the camp with her mom. Even then, it was a scary experience for her to be away from home. That year she was doing her project at Elkus, her mom told Kaitlin she wasn’t going to be counseling at Hume that summer. Kaitlin panicked. How in the world was she going to be able to get through camp without her mom close by?
God Invites Kaitlin to Go To Hume Lake Camp
Every day, at Elkus she prayed on the decision. She decided to challenge God by making the prayer a tall order, asking “If you want me to go to Hume Lake, then show me a coyote.” Kaitlin knew the chances for seeing a coyote were slim. They are nocturnal animals and Kaitlin was there during the day. But still, she prayed on it, every day. On the last day of her project, she was praying on the Hume Lake decision. Her mom came to pick her up and she got in the car. They were driving out of the ranch property and across the field, Kaitlin saw not one, but five coyotes in looking right at her and she had her answer. She would be brave and go to Hume Lake that summer.
Why Kaitlin Serves
Kaitlin went off to study business administration at Simpson University, a private liberal arts Christian college, in Redding California. She also minored in Early Childhood Education, English, and Bible Theology. Upon graduation she returned home to the coast and back to attending Mariners. Not long after her return, she was offered the position as Director of the Kid’s Ministry. Kaitlin has spent her whole life preparing for leading KidMin. She loves what she does and especially loves working with children, helping them discover God. One of her favorite parts of KidMin is hearing how children talk about God: He’s there but you can’t see him, or hearing the questions kids ask about God: how old is He?
No matter what the kids ask, the answer for Kaitlin is always the same – accept God into your heart and He will lead you to serve.
By Laura McHugh, Volunteer Storyteller
