Hi, I’m Kim Ford!

I was the nine-year-old who went to bed dreaming of adventure and escape. An independent sort, who acted tough like I didn’t need anyone. I borrowed my step dad's hand-powered lawn mower and plunged into the world of kid entrepreneurs. Two years later, one trip to the hospital (no-one said I couldn't mow bare-footed) and plenty of $3 lawns behind me, we went to the local bike shop and I carefully chose the Sunset Orange Schwinn Continental 10-speed. Finally, I was able to mount my hard-earned purchase, but the joy was short lived. The day before, I had a poorly timed, mouthing-off to my mother which landed me a solid grounding. So, my bike and I sat parked in the garage for the remainder of that week. 

After I served my painful sentence (parents of the '70s were made of steel), I flew down Fairview Avenue with the wind blowing through my hair (brain injuries were not a thing yet), and I realized at that very moment that I was born to go fast and far. And nothing could hold me back...except the fact that I was an eleven-year-old preteen and very mouthy one at that.

Years later, in the middle of an art degree, I found my adventure-seeking self in one of the dirtiest, smelliest and largest cities in the world. I ate my first curries, discovered cantaloupe-sized avocados and witnessed raw sewage being dumped into the same river where mothers bathe their kids and hoisted pots of water on their head downstream for drinking and cooking. As a 21-year-old, I was completely wrecked with the poverty, the smells and plight of Jakarta. I knew instantly at that moment, that my future adventures were not to seek escape from the world, but rather, find a way to rescue it. The next few years, I traveled to Haiti, Guatemala and Costa Rica leading teenagers out of their comfort zone to discover purpose outside of themselves. But not surprisingly, I was the greatest beneficiary. I was rescued, to rescue. The rescued rescuing. Yep. That is the purest of all adventures. Years followed and eventually I fell in love with another adventurer, and we were determined to spend our lives together for this same cause. Our dreams would take us literally around the world to some of the most closed countries in the world such as Cuba, Albania, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Egypt, and Sudan. 

When our first son was born, we determined that nursing babies and diapers weren't going to be our problem. So, we took our 2-week-old baby to get his passport, strapped the pack-n-play and stroller to our luggage cart and went off to Russia. We weren't for sure how it was all going to work, but soon discovered that kids were a sweet part of this whole gig, and as anyone who has birthed one knows that this truly marks the beginning of another big adventure. Whether kids or not, single or married, where the road takes you will bring many detours, road-side pit stops and maybe even some camel rides. But, for me after 35,000 diapers (it's a rough estimate), 100 plus countries (a family cumulative), and homeschooling a combined total of 58 years (these are real years), I know there are some other women like me who want to be empowered to be gutsy, mouthy and life-givers--- not to escape the life you have, but to invest in it. Embrace it. Create it. Love it. 

This is a place for gals who will never stop praying, rejoicing and giving thanks to Jesus until the world is His. And here’s the truth when you do this: life has no choice but to burst forth!