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Jen was born in New York City and grew up in Saudi Arabia. She has one older
brother, Alexander, a younger sister, Katherine, and a younger brother Andrew.
She went to Deerfield Academy for most of high school, in westerm
Massachusetts. While there she began firefighting, which she
continued through college. She loved scuba diving and her youth
group back in Dhahran. She went to Cornell University in Ithaca, NY,
and studied fine arts (printmaking) with science courses on the side.
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Growing up and Schooling |
Dave was born in Ethiopia and grew up in Kenya. His parents were
missionaries on and off throughout his childhood. He finished high school in
Wellsboro, PA, and did undergrad study in computer science at Taylor University
in Upland, IN.
While at Taylor, he enjoyed hanging out with other missionary kids, and was
involved in several musical and vocal groups.
He has two older brothers: Bob and Peter. |
| Jen graduates from Cornell. Moves to Washington
to nanny for friends Peter & Margie, Nate, Evan & Margot Morris |
Summer 1998 |
Dave graduated from Taylor in May.He spent a month traveling with
"Kiss of Peace", a musical group from college. He spent much of the
summer in Europe, working in southern Spain handing out Bibles to North African
travellers.Other parts of the summer were spent visiting friends in other parts
of Europe. |
| Jen joins the Falls Church Fellows program -- youth
ministry, classes, work placement and leadership development |
Fall 1998 |
Dave goes to Zambia to visit his parents and work at Mukinge
mission station providing computer support for the ministries there. |
| (Fellows Program continues) |
Winter 1999 |
Dave stays in Zambia several months longer than expected, after his
parents returned home. |
| During an Easter youth conference in Toronto, Jen strongly senses
God giving West Africa as the eventual direction of her life. A couple of
weeks later, the missions pastor at Falls Church asks if she would be
interested in going to Kenya. (Yes! It's not West Africa, but it's closer
than Virginia...) |
Spring 1999 |
Goes to Albania to visit his brother for a few weeks.NATO starts
bombing Serbia 2 days after he arrives in Albania. Dave stays in Albania
for 6 months providing computer assistance for the refugee crisis. |
| Fellows program ends. Jen starts working at Ethics & Public
Policy in DC. |
Summer 1999 |
Still in Albania and Kosovo. |
| Jen leaves for Kenya in December |
Fall 1999 |
Dave moves back to the States and starts working for
Tallán in October, 1999. His first project is in Minnesota, working on a
software project for Best Buy. |
| Internship at Nairobi Chapel begins: research for senior pastor
Oscar Muriu, assisting with missions, intern duties, classes, and lots of
learning about life, the Lord, and Africa! |
Winter 2000 |
| Missions trip to Tanzania with Nairobi Chapel and Falls Church |
Spring 2000 |
| One month in Nigeria exploring an amazing, indigenous West
African missions group called CAPRO/Calvary Ministries. Lagos, Jos,
Ibadan, Bedagry; school of missions, annual conference, lots of time with
people, much to learn. |
Summer 2000 |
| Internship continues; and teaching a Sunday School class makes
her begin to consider teaching as a career. |
Fall 2000 |
Still on the project in Minnesota.Moves to DC "only on the
weekend." |
| Jen returns to the U.S. in December, visiting with family in New
Hampshire and staying with friends in Falls Church. |
Winter 2001 |
Still in Minnesota, but Dave first hears Jen tell the church group
about her time in Kenya. He's quite intrigued, but doesn't have the guts
to talk to her yet. |
| Jen moves away to New Hampshire, working as a
substitute teacher and helping with her Mom who's ill.
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Spring 2001 |
The project in Minnesota ends and Dave finally actually *lives* in
Washington.
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Jen assists with a short-term Falls Church trip to Nairobi. But
beforehand, on her first weekend back in Falls Church, she meets this
interesting guy. They talk at Kairos, the young adults group. He has some
really neat perspectives and is fun to talk to, and she's intrigued... But
she's up in New Hampshire.
| Summer 2001 |
He finally gets the courage to go and talk to that fascinating girl
from Kenya. He's quite taken with her. Desperate for some way to
keep in contact with her, he asks her to get flip-flops for him on her trip to
Kenya. She does. |
Mom passes away in early fall.
Part-time grad school in NH starts, substitute teaching and working in a
restaurant continue, and a brief visit down to the DC area comes in
November…And Dave asks her out for a date! They go to an Ethiopian
restaurant and jazz club, with long good conversation... and another date
follows a couple of days later. Back up in New Hampshire, emails and some
phonecalls continue the growing yet mysterious friendship... |
Fall 2001 |
Asks her for their first date on November 10. He is very
taken with her, and starts e-mailing and calling more frequently after she
returns to New Hampshire.
Dave starts working on a project in Maryland, but frequently has to travel to
Harrisburg, PA. |
| Jen moves back to DC in January, starts
school at American University, and a new job with outreach at the Falls
Church. And she and Dave start dating! |
Winter 2002 |
Continues to be more and more fascinated by Jen, and asks her out
in the end of January. |
| Spring 2002 |
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| Summer 2002 |
Co-leads a short-term missions trip to Kenya with Jen. The intrigue
never ends. |
| Yaay!! (Also starts full-time with the
InternationalI Training and Education program (ITEP) at AU in Sept.) |
Fall 2002 |
Starts learning about sapphires and rings. Plans proposal. Proposes
to Jen and she says yes. |
| Enjoying relationship with Dave, working as a
substitute teacher & ESL volunteer in DC, and being
in grad school part-time. |
Winter 2003 |
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Spring 2003
Dave & Jen get married!!! |