My name is Colleen Berry. I gave my heart to Jesus Christ when I was three years old, but came to a greater understanding and appreciation for His love for me when I was a teenager. "While [I] was yet a sinner, Christ died for [me]." I was born Catholic and raised in the Baptist Church, but went Assemblies of God during the college years. I currently attend Faith Assembly of God with my family.
I am a native Floridian and grew up in the Winter Park/Orlando area. I graduated from UCF (a.k.a. "U Can't Finish") with a degree in Secondary English Education. Upon graduation, Florida put a moratorium on hiring teachers, so I stayed in the business sector for several more years. Later, I tried teaching at a private school but didn't have a good grasp on that necessary and daily evil: classroom management. Most of my other jobs were secretarial in nature. I really do love to type.
I got married to a wonderful man, Paul, in 1994, after a whirlwind three year courtship. We met while taking ballroom dance lessons! My husband works in the space industry, but also has a hobby of building Christian educational apps. You can find his wonderful creations here.
We have two children. Holly is a homeschool graduate, now working on college from home as well. Elijah is nearing his last year in high school. We enjoy the flexibility, relationship, and freedom that homeschooling brings. And we get to read lots of books!
Another advantage of homeschooling has been the ability to travel when we wish -- in the "off-seasons." We've taken trips to Washington DC, Patriots Point (South Carolina), the Historic Triangle (Jamestown, Yorktown, Williamsburg), and California/Oregon Gold Rush territory. And, thanks to a generous mother-in-law, we've also gotten to go to amazing places like Mexico, Alaska, China, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, and more! There are still so many more places we'd like to see!
I've taught lots of Sunday school classes in the past -- in fact, I started teaching 5th graders when I was 17. I helped with the nursery and then the preschool program at church when my kids were those ages. But, now, I've moved back up to the middle school years. I'm involved in Sunday school and also Wednesday night Girls' Ministries. These are fun, and I love those kids, but can be challenging at times because there are just so many of them! We need more workers to bring in the harvest!
I enjoy writing and hope to do more as my children grow nearer to independence. In September of 2013, I had an article published in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and another appeared in FPEA's Connect. I hope you'll come and visit this blog often and even more that you'll take away from it encouragement and hope.
Love,
Colleen Berry
