Founder, Executive Director, Author, International Speaker
Michelle grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with her parents and three younger sisters. Her love and desire for helping women in their journey began early with her sisters, even when they thought she was being bossy (ha!). They’ve all grown a lot from those early years, but the sisterly bonds remain. Michelle has been blessed by the support of her family through all of her endeavors over the years.
Michelle enjoys time with family, cheering on the Atlanta Braves and the LSU Tigers, having coffee with friends, movies, travel and speaking Spanish. And guess what her favorite flower is? Yep. The red rose.
In 2015 she moved to Searcy, Arkansas, to be close to family and create a more stable home-base for Iron Rose Sister Ministries.
Ministry and Educational Experience
Michelle first felt called into ministry during her senior year at Harding University while obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Disorders and Spanish. She planned to join a team to plant a church in north Bogotá, Colombia, and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, after graduating in May 1999 to facilitate that church-plant. Even though the plan for a Bogotá, Colombia team fell through, Michelle continued her dream to be a part of a church-plant there, which happened in March 2000.
She worked in the Missions Ministry at the North Atlanta Church of Christ for a year and a half, before moving to Denver, Colorado, to work with English and Spanish-speaking church plants there (Highlands Ranch Church of Christ and three Spanish-speaking congregations). During the two and a half years in Denver, Michelle continued her involvement in Bogotá, Colombia, and throughout various regions of Venezuela, visiting new church plants, teaching classes, conducting women’s retreats, speaking at and assisting at youth camps, etc.
In March 2003, Michelle moved to Caracas, Venezuela, to assist with a church plant in the eastern side of the city. Her time in Caracas was focused on the East Caracas congregation, butshe was also able to participate in other women’s activities across the country. In the four years Michelle spent in Caracas, the congregation grew from the twelve people meeting in her apartment to almost 100 meeting in a hotel conference room. The East Caracas congregation recently celebrated its 12 year anniversary and is still going strong. A visit to Bogotá, Colombia, every three months to renew her Venezuelan visa also facilitated continued assistance with that congregation.
In March 2007, Michelle transitioned back into ministry in the United States as Women’s Campus Minister for the South Baton Rouge Church of Christ with a Christian Student Center facility just outside the campus of Louisiana State University. While walking with the college students there on their spiritual journey and serving in other women’s ministry roles, Michelle also pursued her nerdy passion: Spanish. She graduated December 2011 from Louisiana State University with a Masters in Hispanic Studies, Linguistics Concentration. Her thesis explored the influence of social and religious factors in the interpretation of Scripture.
Michelle is now following God’s calling to use her bilingual ministry experience with women of all ages and cultural backgrounds to bless them with opportunities for growth and deep spiritual connection with other Christian sisters through Iron Rose Sister Ministries.