Kristy was first connected to HopeCo in 2014 by Ty Hopkins, Board Chair. After spending a month at City of Hope campus, meeting the Chacha family, and getting to know her future sponsor child, Rose, a thread from her heart has been pinned to East Africa.

“Meeting young women leaders like Rose was incredibly impactful to me,” Kristy recalls. I could see how they were gifted by God and gracefully stepping into those strengths. I prayed to be more like them, and to see more young women confidently run in the full capacity God has given them.”

In the decade since her first visit, Kristy has continued to sponsor, revisited City of Hope, chaired the development committee, and been a part of HopeCo’s Council of Friends. She is thrilled to deepen her connection by joining the Board of Directors.

Kristy has broad experience with a variety of cross-cultural ministries. During her six years working at IHS Global, she served primarily as ministry coordinator for the Americas and Oceania regions, a role which saw her training Christian healthcare workers in integrating Biblical, holistic care into their practice. “One of the things I loved about my job was seeing believers gain skill in caring for their patients as whole persons - body, mind and spirit. This holistic view of persons is something not easily articulated, but I feel HopeCo excels in it and has an approach that is a model for so many other organizations.”

Kristy’s experience also allowed her to see both sides of partnership – running trainings and developing teams at the local level but also facilitating relationships between global and regional stakeholders. “Ultimately, I think my role gave me a unique deep dive into the world of building partnerships across cultural lines. Genuine, cross-cultural partnership is such a beautiful peek into God’s kingdom.” Kristy is passionate to see new partners know, understand and walk in lockstep with HopeCo. She believes there is much to be gleaned through deep, faithful partnership with each other.

Kristy’s heart has now been pinned to quite a few people and places, ranging from New Zealand to Mongolia to North Africa. But her most important pin is to her husband, Ram, and their two young daughters. Together, they are enjoying a season of building their family and seeking to serve their community and home church in Pennsylvania. Iron Works Church is one of the newest partners to the HopeCo table, and it is exciting to see what God is already doing through this new relationship.