Mentor Couple Profiles
The Shannon Family
We are Heath and Sandy Shannon and we have two wonderful boys, Jackson (7) and Cade (4). Heath and I have been married for 13 years (on October 17th). Heath grew up in College Station and went to Texas A&M and received a BS in Psychology. I grew up mainly in Houston and went to Sam Houston State and received a BS in Home Economics Education (yes, you can get a degree in that). We both came to know the Lord as children. But it wasn't until our early 20's that we really came into a true relationship with the Lord. Heath and I "dated" for almost 6 years before getting married (you can ask Heath about that) and it was during that time that the Lord really taught both of us a lot about who He wanted us to be and what it looked like to walk with Him. As much as I hated waiting for Heath to propose, I know that God used that time to change me for the better. I am not the same person I was and that is a great thing.
Heath and I love the outdoors and hope to pass this on to our boys. We love to camp and be outside. Heath loves to fish and shoot guns (more for the sport than for hunting, but he likes to hunt too). I love to work on scrapbooks and take pictures.
Over the years Heath and I have been involved in different ministries at Grace. We both have a passion for young couples and families. We feel like we are still in the same place as most of the Young Families Class, but we do feel that we have learned A LOT from previous mentor couples that we want to pass on to others in the class. We know that our parenting is different than it would have been without this class and we have a deep desire to share that with others. We want those in this class to know that we are open to questions, a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on or whatever you need at the moment. We hope you will not hesitate to call us for any reason. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.
The Borski Family
We are David and Rebecca Borski. We have been married for 25 years and have a daughter, Christina, who is 22, and a son, Thomas, who is 21. Rebecca and I met at TSTI in Waco, Texas, got married in Bryan, moved to Arlington, Texas for 10 years before returning to the B/CS area in 1992. Rebecca accepted Christ as her Savior in college and I accepted Christ as my Savior in 1997. We currently own and operate Dent Magic and Ducky's Car Wash.
The Blomstedt Family
Steve and I met in the summer of 1980 and were married in 1985. We both graduated from A&M ('83 and '85) with degrees in Accounting. Steve worked in public and private accounting for six years while we both vounteered with YoungLife in our old high school in Corpus Christi. In 1989, we left the business world and went on full time YoungLife staff in The Woodlands. All three of our girls were born there - Laura, Brittany, and Paige. We returned to College Station in 1997 to assume the Area Director job for YoungLife Brazos County. After 8 years in College Station, we felt the Lord leading us to resign, believing that our work with YL was done, but not knowing what was next. Steve took a job with the Texas A&M Foundation in August 2005 and I took a job at Grace at the same time, working as the Admin for the youth pastor. Five years later, we are still enjoying our jobs and very thankful for them.
Both of us grew up in Christian homes. Both of our families have a deep Christian heritage rooted in the Lutheran church (mine German, his Swedish), and our parents still attend. We began walking with the Lord in college, and Dwight Edwards and Grace really grounded us in our faith. Our families are happy to see us growing in the Lord.
We are fast approaching the empty nest years. Laura is a junior at the University of North Texas in Denton, majoring in Photography. Brittany is a freshman at A&M, majoring in Elem. Ed., and Paige is a junior at A&M Consolidated High School. They have all been highly involved with YoungLife at A&M Consolidated, and also the Grace Youth Group. They give us much joy!
We are very excited to join the Young Families Class.
The Beck Family
Even though Steve & Kerry have an empty nest, their children are still in town. Ashley is married to Jesse Ortega. She is working at Reynolds & Reynolds while he pursues a masters degree. Gentry is a senior at Texas A&M, studying Sports Marketing. Hunter begins his fish year at A&M and will study Business & Sports Management. Our priorities continue to be God first, family second and then everything else. We've always loved spending time with our kids and hope to encourage young families to enjoy their children, too.
We moved to Bryan in 1981 and have been at Grace Bible since that time. Steve owned Beck Construction for almost 20 years and now teaches people how to make money online. He specializes in webinars and sales presentations. Kerry & the kids opened Curriculum Connection, a homeschool store, in 1999. We enjoy ministering to homeschool families through our websites & blogs. Ashley, Jesse, Gentry & Hunter continue help us on all our businesses.
Our kids have attended private school (8yrs), participated in public school (4yrs) and homeschooled (10yrs). We've done it all and believe you should take schooling decisions one year at a time. Feel free to call us as you make those important decisions.
Having been at Grace since 1981, we have seen the church grow from 200 to 2000. We've led college Bible studies, served as head of the Children's Education department, served as head of the deacon board and served in all sorts of other ministries over the years. Our heart is to help young families raise a family who all love the Lord and keep Him the center. We are also pursuing short term mission work in Central/South American orphanages.
Since Steve enjoys shooting guns, he is always looking for someone to take to our shooting range. Feel free to volunteer. Kerry loves to cook and be around kids. She's waiting to be a grandma :-) Even though our kids come eat with us often, there is always room for your family at our table.