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Published: November 5th 2008
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The Team First Build Day
Team on the first day before building Bill
Thrivent employee for 19 years - Currently manage Data Integration Service team of AEUS
Wife Paula - just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary
Daughter Katie - Just starting her first year of college at Minnesota State Mankato
We have a cabin in Annandale MN that we try to spend as much time at
We are avid college hockey fans and attend all Gopher home games
Brad
I was born in 1959. Feel free to call me "Brad". I am married to my high school sweetheart, Leslie. We have two children, Bryce, a junior at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota and Linley, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota/Twin Cities Campus. The three of them are the "reason" that I know the future is a place that I want to be and because of them I need to help make the world a better place. I love the outdoors, being active, cooking and entertaining and being with family and friends. I enjoy planning, executing and implementing common goals. The reason I am going on this trip is to MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS AND TO GROW PERSONALLY.
Christy
This will be my first time visiting
First wall going up
The family and volunteers raising the first wall. New Zealand and I am thrilled!!!! This will be my second Thrivent Builds Worldwide trip and 6th Habitat trip. I find these trips a great way to see the world, experience a culture and really give back. So, in short, here is my bio: Born on Guam, I moved with my parents and younger brother Marc to the states (in particular to Chico, CA) when I was 4 years old. Chico will always be home to me, even though I have lived all over the world from Santa Barbara, to Wisconsin, to Kazakhstan with the Peace Corps and Zambia with a development project. Right now I live in Americus, GA where I work for Habitat for Humanity International, but who knows what the future holds, and I am soooooooooo excited to see what is next! Um…I love frogs and dogs, my favorite pastimes are reading, playing cards and/or board games, hiking, camping, and taking photos. I don’t own a TV so I am clueless sometimes to what is happening in the world, so I rely on friends and reading to keep me up to speed as well as traveling to keep me connected to the world. Well, that is me in a nut shell! I am really looking forward to meeting all of you!
Janet
Here is how Janet’s daughter-in-law describes Janet: adventuresome, caring, organized, free spirit, and loves new challenges. Janet added that she loves to dance and be with friends, and oh, drink coffee at Dunn Brothers.
Kirk
This will be my 2nd Thrivent Builds trip as a team leader. In 2007, I co-led a trip to Romania. In 2006, I had my first exposure to a Thrivent Builds Worldwide (TBW) trip when I travelled to Poland with a team of co-workers. I have a personal goal of leading a TBW trip every year for as long as I’m able to.
I am a long-time employee of Thrivent. My hobbies include: running (although not lately), swimming, reading, golf, photography, travelling, volunteering, and driving teams of horses giving hayrides. One goal I have in life is to travel to all 7 continents. I have 2 of them to go - South America and Antartica (are there any TBW trips to Antartica?).
Lynne
I am a widow with one daughter Stephanie. Steph graduated from college in Maine in May 2008 and married Hugo from Honduras on August 2. They live with me for now with Steph working as Cultural Liaison in a School District while Hugo completes the immigration process.
At the end of 2005, I retired after 30 years in a Corporate Tax Department. Currently I am involved with a symphony orchestra and attempting to fill in for the Executive Director who quit in late August. I quilt, read and dance old tyme during spare moments.
Mary
I am a sales and marketing leader, and most recently served as the Director of Product Wholesaling at Thrivent Financial where I led a team of external wholesalers and inside sales desk managers for insurance and investment products. Prior to that, I was the Assistant Vice President of Product Marketing where I led the marketing initiatives and product launches for the insurance products.
My husband, Paul, is a small business owner. We have two daughters, Corrina and Angie. Corrina graduated from UWEC with a degree in Journalism and will be getting married in Maui in January 2009. Angie is a senior in college at MCAD (the Minneapolis College of Art and Design) and will be graduating with her BFA degree in May 2009.
In my spare time, I like films, music, photography, reading, and relaxing at our cabin in western WI. I am passionate about travel so I like to research destinations and plan itineraries for our family or help others plan their vacations. I like to keep active by working out, weight-lifting and biking.
Rachel
My name is Rachel and I currently live in Austin, Texas, although I am a native of North Dakota and really consider Minnesota to be my home. I have been with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans for 13 years. I am the Professional Development Manager for the Texas Region, which means I am responsible for the training curriculum for our new financial associates as well as the continuing training needs of our veteran producers. The best part of my job (and my passion) is being in a classroom of new financial associates and watching the light bulbs go on in their eyes. It is a privilege to train financial advisors who will go out and impact the lives of our members for the better!
I am currently single, although not for long as I am planning to marry Steve early next year. Steve lives in Trinidad, Colorado, and is the executive director of Economic Development in Trinidad/Las Animas County. This means that I will be adding Colorado to the list of states that I have lived in! On the family front, I have two beautiful nieces, Maren (10) and Annika (6), and one very precocious nephew, Andrew (12). They live in Bismarck, ND, and I try to spend as much time with them as I can.
I am thrilled to be joining Team New Zealand and look forward to meeting and working with the rest of the team. This will be my first international trip and I cannot think of a better reason to travel outside the U.S. or a better organization to do it with!
Shannon
My name is Shannon and this is my first traveling Habitat experience. I am excited to help a family in need of adequate housing while at the same time, enjoying the beauty of New Zealand. Outside of the United States, I've traveled only to Mexico and Belize so I am excited to fly overseas and experience a different culture and climate. Some of my hobbies include reading, writing, singing, and working out (I absolutely love kickboxing). I was born, raised, and went to school in Minnesota and I'm hoping this trip will expand my mind and knowledge of other experiences the world has to offer.
Sithikone
I couldn’t live without my computer and cell phone. In my down time I enjoy playing soccer, biking, kayaking, fishing, and camping.
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