Jeremy was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin on September 13th, 1984. At an early age, his family moved to Georgia. Around the age of 7, he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. From that time forward, God began shaping Jeremy for what He had planned. At age 17, he began attending Bethel Baptist Church in Richmond Hill, Georgia. During this time, God burdened his heart for world missions. At age 19, Jeremy surrendered his life to the will of God and began preparing for ministry at Trinity Baptist College. Throughout college, Jeremy served in various ministries and gained experience that would better prepare him for the mission field. He also completed an internship with church planting missionaries in Ukraine. During his time in Bible college, the Lord brought Michelle into his life.
Michelle was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on December 8th, 1986. She was raised in a Christian home and later attended a Christian school for middle and high school. In 7th grade, the Lord used various messages to work in Michelle's life about being sure of her salvation. On October 15, 1999, she knelt down beside her parents bed and asked Jesus to save her. During a mission conference in 10th grade, Michelle surrendered to the Lord's will in her life. In 2005, Michelle took her first mission trip to Nicaragua with her church and missionary Bob Dayton. The Lord started a work in her heart that would later come to fruition. It was through this trip and the advice of her parents that Michelle chose her major in education and made the decision to attend Trinity Baptist College.
During their Junior year of Bible college, Jeremy and Michelle shared classes together and became friends. They later served in the same evangelistic children's ministry and grew to know each other more. Throughout their Senior year, their relationship continued. In 2008, Jeremy graduated with a B.A. in Missions and Michelle graduated with a B.S. in Education. Shortly after graduation, Jeremy asked Michelle to be his wife. On March 13th, 2009, Jeremy and Michelle were married.
Following their marriage, Jeremy and Michelle led the junior children's church program at West Jacksonville Baptist Church as they prayed where the Lord would send them. Over the first year of marriage, they wanted to focus upon building a godly marriage and foundation for their future family and ministry. Jeremy and Michelle then decided to take church mission trip to Nicaragua to see if this was where the Lord would call them as missionaries. God's timing was perfect, because when the dates for the trip were finalized, it began the day after their first year of marriage was complete. While in Nicaragua, the Lord broke their hearts over the people there who still have not heard the Gospel. It was during this trip and the week following, that the Lord confirmed in their hearts that His will was for Jeremy and Michelle to reach the people of Nicaragua.
Knowing that this life "is a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away," Jeremy and Michelle immediately followed the Lord in obedience and began preparing to reach the people of Nicaragua. Shortly after, they were approved with B.I.M.I. During deputation, the Lord blessed them with two baby girls, Lila and Ellowyn. In April 2014, they left the United States to begin language school in Costa Rica. After completing language school, they went directly to Nicaragua. After partnering with a national Bible Institute graduate, they worked as a team to plant their first church in San Marcos, Carazo, Nicaragua. In nearly two and a half years, the church began supporting its own pastor as well as supporting other missionary church planters. In August, 2017, God blessed Jeremy and Michelle with a baby boy, Elijah, who was born in Nicaragua. The church in San Marcos is presently led by a Nicaraguan pastor and we maintain a relationship with them.
In April 2018, Nicaragua entered a new period of great instability. Between clashes between the government forces and protesters, there have been a great number of people killed. A great number of Nicaraguans have fled the country. At the end of our furlough, we were unable to return to Nicaragua. Since then, they have begun serving in Costa Rica. Jeremy is presently leading a church plant that was started by another missionary who was in great need for a furlough. They are also making plans to begin a new church plant in the city of San Pablo, Heredia, Costa Rica.
