Tasse Anderberg Tasse came to know Jesus while attending Gustavus Adolphus College. Having been raised in the Unitarian Church this was a dramatic change. Missions soon became a focus in her life. She has served in Israel for 3 years with Project Kibbutz, Guatamala for a Summer of Service with Youth with a Mission, Nepal for a year and a half with her first, late husband, working in a Leprosy Hospital, and then most recently in Israel for 2005-2006, with her daughter Emily (1990). She has the ominous distinction of being widowed twice, a battle with cancer took her first husband in 1994 and a sudden heart attack her second husband in 2002. She has worked at Hennepin Country Medical Center since 1985 in psychiatry. Her hearts desire is to impart faith and trust in the goodness of the Lord and his nearness at all times. She has been at NHLC since 1993, and part of Mothers Fellowship as a participant, core member, and speaker since then. Prayer ministry, speaking to womens groups, and being a mom are ways she seeks to bring God glory in her life. Jean Bearden Jean Bearden is married to Rick and they have three kids in various stages of schooling: graduate school, college and high school. She notes the common thread in her assorted roles has been that of calling forth value to what the world often fails to value: the personhood of the handicapped, the value of motherhood, the significance of women, and the supreme call of Christ-likeness. She hopes you will be encouraged in things of value as she writes. Jean is on staff at North Heights Lutheran Church and currently serves as Senior Director of Community, a job that enables her to support many ministries that strengthen and care for the Body of Christ here. She has a passion to see believers walk in the freedom for which Christ set us free that they might be light and salt to others around them. Ruth Bidinger Ruth grew up on a farm in northern Minnesota. Her family includes four grown children and four grandchildren as well as many other unofficially adopted children and grandchildren which are the delight of her life. God has brought Ruth through many trials and sorrows, but out of these she has received His grace and love beyond measure. Divorce when her children were very young was devastating, but with great faithfulness God brought them through. In remarriage God gave her a wonderful life companion, her children received a loving father and their family added two siblings. After 24 years together her husband John went home to receive His heavenly reward. Alone again, the Lord Jesus came to Ruth with words of love to tell her that she was His joy and it was now their time to dance. Ruth has found those words to be true. Daily the Lord proves Himself to be her husband and her redeemer. God has given Ruth a heart for missions and intercession. Ruth’s daughter and her family are missionaries in India so she enjoys ministering with them in person and through prayer. In Ruth’s leisure time she enjoys reading, writing, walking, biking, cross-country skiing and spending time with her family and friends. Mary Green A popular Speaker on educational, family dynamics and parenting issues, ‘Minnesota Nice’ Mary has pursued education and ministry opportunities here at North Heights and in her community since 1988. The mother of four teenage boys and a Master Gardener she knows what it means to ‘be on her knees’! She graduated from Mankato State in 1985 with a BT in Communication Disorders/Human Development, which was followed by graduate work at Colorado State in Fort Collins in the area of Guidance and Counseling/Education. She currently works as a Substitute Teacher for the Stillwater Area and consults in Christian Life Program development but her main job is Cheerleader and Taxi driver! Kelly Hegi Kelly began to follow Jesus her senior year in high school. After graduating with a degree in family Social Science from the University of Minnesota she served the Lord as part of the staff of a campus church through Chi Alpha Campus Ministries. Married to her college sweetheart, she is currently a stay at home mom homeschooling her three children. Kelly continues to serve the Lord through teaching and speaking opportunities. When not busy chasing the children, Kelly enjoys knitting and playing games with her husband and family. Through her writings for Web Women Connect Kelly hopes to encourage women to follow the Lord and cling to his word and promises. Elisa Knoepfel Elisa Knoepfel grew up at North Heights and came to know the Lord through a Billy Graham crusade in 7th grade. College was spiritually tough, and she found herself relying on the Lord more than she ever had before. God shaped who she was in Him during all of the trials and also gave her the greatest gift ever--her husband, Justin. After working in the marketing field for a few years, Elisa excitedly became a stay-at-home mother to her daughter, Sieara, born in 2008. Each day brings new challenges and joy in Elisa's life as she is continuously learning to trust in the Lord while raising her daughter and supporting her husband of five years. Sharon Knudson One of Sharon’s delights is writing testimonies that highlight the change Jesus can make in a person’s life. Sharon’s own life changed dramatically in 1974, when God reached down, filled her with the Holy Spirit and made Jesus real in her life. She went from being clinically depressed and suicidal to knowing God was real and loved even her. Now Sharon speaks at Christian events and retreats, motivating Christians to develop and maintain an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ (see www.sharonknudson.com. A full-time freelance writer, she has published over 400 articles in a variety of newspapers and magazines, and has collaborated on several books. Her new book is Starting from Scratch When You’re Single Again (see her blog at www.StartingFromScratchBooks.com. She is past-President of the 130-member Minnesota Christian Writers Guild, and on staff with the Lutheran Evangelistic Movement (LEM) where she leads guided Silent Retreats. Music, photography, gardening and Hardunger (Norwegian cutwork embroidery) qualify as hobbies. Sharon’s favorite pastime is taking long car rides with her husband, Bob. She has two grown daughters and three grandchildren, and has been a member of North Heights since 1991. Eileen Peterson Like her hero, C.S. Lewis, Eileen Peterson was dragged into the Kingdom kicking and screaming, the most reluctant convert in all of Minnesota. That was twenty-one years ago, and since then the Lord has blessed her with a wonderful husband and three small children. Eileen’s husband, Major Andrew Peterson, has been deployed overseas twice in the last four years, the last deployment to Iraq lasting almost two years. Many of her essays are about how she and the family dealt with the separation issues, and about the reintegration issues they experienced upon his return. Eileen loves to read novels, and is currently writing a novel about a girl growing up in a military family. Carolyn Quehl Carolyn’s desire is that we as God’s people would yield to the Holy Spirit and embrace transformation into Christlikeness. She shares a passion for the Word and its principles with relevancy for today. A former entrepreneur, she responded to a call of God and sold the business to pursue full-time ministry. She now serves with Churches Alive International, and works with church leaders in the US and Eastern Europe to help them initiate a discipling movement based on small groups. A veteran of three walking marathons, she and her husband Bill still keep moving as active volunteers at North Heights and chasing young grandchildren. Carolyn grew up in Chicago, attended the Art Institute of Chicago and still enjoys all things creative as time allows. Sandra Snider Sandra and her husband, John, have been members of North Heights Church since 1984. They have one college-age daughter, Hannah, who is attending Bethel University and majoring in Spanish. Sandra holds a journalism degree and her writings have been widely published in both Christian and secular newspapers, magazines and books. She is a frequent contributor to the on-line writer’s community of FaithWriters.com. Two great memories for her include riding in the Goodyear Blimp and being stationed on an Israeli army base for three weeks while serving with “Volunteers for Israel.” Most recently, she’s taking flight lessons and is working (slowly!) toward her private pilot license, the Lord willing! Precious verses to Sandra are stated in Philippians 2:9-11 and Acts 13:36. She believes that the Lord has her “serving her own generation” by raising a godly daughter to know and love the Lord, by writing about the Lord and His truths, by being involved in the North Heights Shiloh Initiative, and by supporting global missions/India/Venezuela. Sandra considers it a great privilege, blessing and joy to encourage you in your spiritual faith walk with our magnificent Lord Jesus! Barb Zeller Growing up with a Christian heritage on a farm in northwest Iowa, Barb learned early on that faith and community are essential parts of her life. Barb’s love of organization and relationships led to a degree and career in human resources. God has since transferred Barb’s leadership skills from the marketplace to volunteer opportunities that support Kingdom work. She values the power of prayer and watching answers unfold. Barb enjoys identifying God in the ordinary facets of life and helping others give expression to their faith experience. Entertaining at the lake and traveling are favorite pastimes. She considers herself an ambassador for Christ to be used by God where He places her. Her family includes husband Paul, step-daughter Jola(1984), and school-age sons Steven(1994) and Peter(1997).   ©2010 Web Women Connect. All Rights Reserved.