married to an evangelist

Interview with Natasha

How did you first hear about YLCF?  How did you “meet” the other YLCF team members and become one yourself?  I used to get YLCF when it was a print magazine way back when. I think I missed a few years when it was online and I wasn’t, but now I’ve been following it off and on ever since.

I actually met Katie first! She went to Focus on the Family’s leadership school with a girl named Meghan who is one of my closest friends.  [side note: Katie actually lives in the city that I was born in! So fun.]

However, because I’ve read YLCF so long, I feel like I know a lot of the writers quite well.

When and how did you come to know Jesus?  Oooh! I love this story. It happened like this:

I was just a little tyke, about five-years-old, when my teacher sent home a pamphlet that went through the story of Jesus with colors (a Wordless Book type thing) and my Papa, big, strong and oh, so wonderful, snuggled up with me to read it. I was so excited and I painstakingly read every single word.

When we got to the end Papa said, “Now, Squeaker, what do you think that meant?” So I told him. And by the time I finished I knew. I knew that I wanted this Jesus to save me too. And He did. <–That’s the best part of the story!

What is your family (faith) background?  My parents are both from a Mennonite background. When I was four, we moved to Homer, Alaska so my parents could attend Alaska Bible Institute. While there we interacted with people from every denomination in the books. And I learned that Jesus is the key, the ultimate, the source.

What is your approach to sharing your faith with nonbelievers?  Oh, I’m not good at this. At all. I stumble and fear keeps my mouth shut and I stare at my shoes.

But God has a sense of humor: He married me off to an Evangelist. My husband shares his faith on a daily basis.

And I watch in wonder.

I don’t think a person passes through our farm without hearing about Jesus. And I’ve found my position in this: I pray and make coffee. Yup. That’s how I share my faith. (But I’m learning when to speak up too!)

At Market in LaColline, Haiti

Do you have any cross-cultural experience? If so, how has it changed your life?   Why, yes. I do. When I was single I worked in Haiti, El Salvador, Brazil and the villages on the Aleutian chain. After I got married, my husband and I lived in Haiti for almost a year and actually just returned from a visit there!

How has it changed my life? Perspective. I view most things with a “wider lens”.

What’s your favorite book you’re reading right now (or read this year)?  What books remain your favorites over the years?  What is your most-remembered, favorite childhood story/book?

I just finished reading Pascal’s Wager by Nancy Rue. I’ve read it about five times. Love it. A lot.

A few random favorites:
Roses for Mama — Janette Oke
The Horse and His Boy — C.S. Lewis
Redeeming Love — Francine Rivers
Found Treasure — Grace Livingston Hill

For more of my favorite books go here.

My most remembered childhood story/book?  Tales of the Kingdom. I was in second grade the first time I heard them and I still read them 2-3 times a year.

How many siblings do you have, and where do you fall in the birth order?  I have two older brothers, one younger brother and two foster-sisters (one who will probably be adopted by the end of this year). As far as birth order stuff… I mess everyone up. I’m the middle child, the oldest daughter and (for most of my life) the youngest daughter. Personality books cringe when I come near!

What’s your preferred form of exercise?  Pilates, when I find the time.  But mostly I just milk cows.

If someone met you in person, what’s one thing they’d learn about you that your online friends might not know?   I think a lot before I talk, but when I start — watch out.

Oh! And when I get the hiccups — they are REALLY bad. Seriously. When I was little my best friend, Lillian, wrote a poem in church (on the back of the bulletin, actually) about my hiccups. I only remember one line: “When Tasha gets the hiccups, the whole bench shakes”.

What is your favorite pair of shoes?  I have these Old Navy flip-flops that have a back-strap. I. Love. Them.

Outside of immediate family, who had the most impact on your life?  I have been impacted by so many women; it’s hard to identify just one!   Brianna, Letica, Cindy, Cheryl, Meghan, Katie, etc…   And that’s just some “real-life” ones! It would take forever if I named all the women who influenced me through books.

Your favorite spot in nature?  At the back of our field there is a deep gully and a creek runs through the bottom of it. During the summer, my husband and I go back there to walk in the creek and enjoy the coolness. It’s the prettiest place in the world.

Where do you hear or feel God’s presence the most?  In my kitchen. I have the prettiest kitchen in the whole world. And my prayer calendar, Bible and notebook are all stationed there. It’s such a lovely spot. I get warm fuzzies just thinking about it!

If you could describe yourself using a book character, which one would it be?  You know Meg, from Little Women? Well, take her and make her the writer in the family. That’s me.

But I always wanted to be like Princess Amanda from Tales of the Kingdom. She’s my hero.

Where are you reading in the Scriptures right now?  What is your favorite book of the Bible?  I’m going through 1 John (with Katie!) and loving that. I’ve also been reading in Galatians for my Sunday school lessons.

I really love Jeremiah, but probably Isaiah is my favorite.

What did you like about your education and what do you wish you and/or your parents had done differently?  I loved my education. I did everything. I homeschooled on and off, went to several Christian schools (my family moved a lot) and even went to public school for a year!

I honestly feel like I had the best of all worlds. And once I reached age thirteen my parents let me choose what I wanted to do… So, I did what any smart kid would: took a test and skipped eighth grade then crammed all of high school into two years. I finished when I was fifteen (although I didn’t graduate until sixteen) and then started having “adventures”!

Where do you see yourself in ten years time compared to where you are today?  I’m really struggling right now with having dreams. I kind of feel like everything I “hope” for gets snatched away. So, because I give in to fear so often, I haven’t spent much time thinking about the future.

I (really) wish that by the time ten years go by I’ll have a book published. But I’m kind of scared of even writing that here. (shhh!)

[note: I don’t think this is good or right. God and I are working on it. You can pray for me. xxooxx]

If you’re married, what are some ways you’ve worked through conflict with your spouse? Ha ha ha. Don’t ask me! I’m really, really bad at conflict. Most of the time I am the “smoother” who just makes everything okay with everyone. That doesn’t really work in marriage!

So, right now the pattern is:

I’m upset/he’s upset. I pretend everything is okay. He gets frustrated and questions me. I cry. I talk and talk and talk without making any sense. He gets confused. I sit there quiet for great lengths of time. I end up saying, “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Please, please forgive me.” Then that’s the end of it.

[note: I would not suggest this pattern. You can add this to your prayer list as well.]

If you’re married, did you ever question that your spouse was “the one for you” early on?  Oh, my, no. Someday maybe I’ll tell you my story (it would take a whole post and then some) but suffice it to say: God made it so clear there was no question.