Leeann was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. From a young age, she had witnessed her parents’ unending willingness to serve their family and those they encountered. She first learned about missions when her brother’s youth group went to Nicaragua for a short-term mission trip. That began a stirring that would ebb and flow over the next 14 years.

The next seven years would bring lots of soccer and the focus of playing at the collegiate level. But after a serious injury, college soccer was off the table and Leeann went off to Southeast Missouri State University. On the first weekend of her freshman year, she joined a Bible study, mostly because they gave her snacks, and started to grow in a Christ-centered friendship with a FOCUS missionary.

Through this relationship, she learned about her Catholic faith—which she was raised with but never took a personal interest in until then—and began living a life centered around God. She slowly began to see how necessary close friendships and a larger community would be to keeping her close to Christ. Toward the end of college, Leeann prayed fervently for close community, and her desire for service returned as she began looking into options for after graduation.

After interviewing with a few missionary organizations, it became apparent it was not God’s timing for her to commit to full-time mission work.

Leeann’s next adventure began when she got a job as a laboratory technician in Arizona. She was blessed to move into a house of five Catholic women pursuing their faith while living in the world. With many connections to other young Catholics, Leeann’s prayer for community was answered ten-fold. Once again the Lord placed wonderful people in her life to help her continue walking toward heaven

Even in her “perfect” life in Arizona, Leeann began to feel that same stirring in her heart. With a bit of resistance, Leeann asked, “What do you want me to say ‘yes’ to, Lord?” He made it very apparent, a few months later, when she received a phone call from a missionary she partnered with a few years earlier. After hearing about his life post-FOCUS, he told her about his wife’s journey, which included being a missionary with Family Missions Company. After scouring FMC’s website, a phone call with a current missionary, and a weekend in Louisiana, Leeann finally felt an overwhelming peace that ceased the stirring that had begun so many years before.

Leeann is excited to enter into deep friendships with the poor. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, she prays that she can bring the same hope and joy that she received from others along her own journey to those the Lord places in her path.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13