About the Author

Hi! My name is Amy Denney. I live in Athens, Illinois, with my husband, two amazing (I'm not biased or anything!) kids and two obnoxious dogs. I am the writer of this blog and the Lifegate in Africa Web site. And I thought since I'm planning to write for them as long as they let me, I should let you know that you're reading my words. Mostly I thought you should know that so I can brag about all the wonderful people behind Lifegate and you won't think they're stuck on themselves or something. The truth is they're all very humble and awesome and maybe a little embarrassed about me trying to turn them into rock stars! :-) 

I also wanted to share a little of my story. In August 2011, I took a full-time 9-5 job for the first time since I've had my children (born in 2002 and 2004). It didn't feel right, and then my husband got very ill and was hospitalized for a week. A couple months after that, I really felt like God wanted me to walk away from that job. My husband and I prayed about it, and God confirmed our thoughts. I still needed an income, so I was praying about what to do. My heart is in writing and photography, and I'd been contemplating doing a storytelling form of public relations for small businesses. 

And then on March 4, it was like God whispered the words "Write for missionaries," which I repeated to my husband. That very day, I received a note from Paula Miller, who once again invited me to Africa with my camera! Six weeks later, there I was! I went with the intention of gathering information to tell two stories a month about the people and places impacted by their work to share over the course of a calendar year. I came back with more than enough to share a story every week for the next year! God really honored my obedience to this project -- financially, emotionally and spiritually -- and I am having the time of my life doing this work. 

So join me here. Every Wednesday, I'll share another story. And I'll brag about the Millers and their "people" -- some in Africa and some in the States. All I ask in return is that you find out how God wants you to be involved. Maybe it's a financial partnership, an orphan or teacher sponsorship or maybe it's to delve deep into prayer for all the wonderful missionaries like Rick and Paula who sacrifice so much to do their work. Thanks for tuning in!

This is me, getting a lesson in how to tie a scarf on my head from the girls who watched and giggled at my lame attempts to get this scarf to stay put on the beach! And on the right, my family, minus the dogs that were too obnoxious to even pose for a family photo!