Elizabeth (Ellis) Lauron
Elizabeth (Ellis) Lauron (’87) graduated from TMC with a degree in physical education and also earned a teaching credential in biology. After teaching and coaching in private schools for four years, she realized (with support and help from her late husband, Neal) that her true calling was in veterinary medicine, and she graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1998. Elizabeth and Neal chose to stay in the Columbus, Ohio, area and raise a family, having two sons, Daniel and Zachary. Elizabeth stays active in her local church and enjoys pickleball and gardening.
The Rempels
David Rempel (B.A. ’92, MABC ’19) and his wife, Christine, retired in 2021 after serving as missionaries with DIGUNA (a German mission organization) in East Africa for over 40 years. They now live in Haiger, Germany, a small town about 60 miles north of Frankfurt. Presently both are involved in various local ministries. Christine is leading two women’s Bible study groups, and David is involved in a local Kairos Project — a countrywide initiative seeking to minister and to reach out with the gospel to migrants.
The Andersons
Mark (’95) and Kristen (Helgesen) (’97) Anderson have lived in Tyler, Texas, since they married in 1995. Kristen has worked as a realtor and property manager for 20 years, and Mark has been an art teacher for most of the last three decades. They have three boys and a daughter-in-law: Price and Emily (Scott) Anderson (class of ’22, soccer and volleyball), Hansen (currently a soccer player at TMU), and Luke (soon to be hoopin’ at LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas). They continue to be thankful for and humbled by God’s grace, mercy, and provision for their family, as well as their lasting foundation and friends from TMC.
The Rodriquezes
Seth (’98) and Kiersten (Norlander) (’00) Rodriquez started dating while they sang together in The Master’s Chorale at TMC and later married while Seth was working on his M.Div. at TMS. They had their first three children while Seth earned a Ph.D. at Southern Seminary in Kentucky, and added two more kids as they followed the Lord to the mission field. Currently, Seth serves as the associate professor of Old Testament and biblical archaeology at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, Colorado. He leads a team of students to Israel each summer to participate in an archeological dig. Kiersten teaches literature and writing at a local charter school, home-schools their kids, and is working on a Bible study and podcast on Deuteronomy.
Austin (’06) and Heather (Donckels) (’08) Surls and their two boys live in Amman, Jordan, where Austin teaches Old Testament and biblical Hebrew at Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary. They attend a vibrant, ethnically diverse church where Austin serves in leadership and regularly preaches, with Heather as his Arabic-English translator. When she’s not at home with their sons, Heather might be drinking tea with Syrian, Palestinian, Jordanian, and Iraqi women or writing about Middle Eastern culture. Though they have faced serious trials in the last decade, Austin and Heather praise God for his lovingkindness, which repeatedly guides them through low valleys to fruitful flourishing.
The Leisys
Jessica (Davis) Leisy (’08) is a wife and homemaker for her family of five. She has been married to her husband, Luke, for 13 years, and together they have lived in California, Utah, North Carolina, Texas, and Nevada throughout Luke’s 19-year career in the Army. Jessica is the mother of Drake (9), Stephanie (8), and Troy (6). She home-schools the children full time and has faithfully served in various ministries at the many churches their family has attended. She is also a skilled quilter, dedicated baker, and enjoyer of good tea.
Dr. Samuel Petersen (’08) graduated from The University of Queensland School of Medicine in 2012. He currently works as a senior medical officer at Warwick Hospital in Australia. He, his wife Jennifer, and their daughter Abigail actively serve at Warwick Baptist Church. In his spare time, Sam works toward an M.Div. from Queensland Theological College and excessively talks about CrossFit.
Lyle (’14) and Heather (Zorichak) (’07) Michaud didn’t meet during their years at TMU, but rather through one of Lyle’s piano students who had been in Heather’s first grade class at Legacy Christian Academy. They were married in what is now their backyard in 2020. After graduating, Lyle began teaching piano and now operates a full-time piano instruction studio in Saugus. He’s recorded and released two piano solo albums and continues to gig whenever and wherever he can. Since 2009, Heather has continued to make a profound impact as a beloved teacher at Legacy, and she has traveled to many countries, serving the Lord while helping train local educators. Lyle and Heather attend Grace Baptist Church in Santa Clarita, where Lyle serves as a music leadership intern. They have two cats and will soon welcome their first baby, a girl, in September!
The Bradens
Blaine (’10) and Justine (Montana) (’09) Braden met at TMC and got married in 2009. They moved to Bend, Oregon, in 2012, where Blaine currently works at Eastmont Church as the lead pastor. They now have three children (ages 11, 9, and 3). God has blessed Eastmont Church, as the church has experienced significant growth in the last few years. Eastmont will soon be breaking ground on its new building, which will add more space for Sunday gatherings as well as expand the church’s elementary school by adding a new middle school.
The Moores
Barry (’13) and Whitney (Rysdyk) (’11) Moore’s past five years have been an exciting and challenging season for their family. They welcomed their beautiful children into the world, helped plant a church, started a new career, and lived in a new state. Barry is thriving in his new career as a software engineer at a startup based out of Ventura, California, and Whitney is keeping busy managing a full load of clients with her virtual assistant business. This summer, they moved back to California, where they will be serving at their former church, Grace Baptist, in Santa Clarita. They are looking forward to what the Lord has in store for the next five years!
Mason (’13) and Sabrina (Michael) (’17) Nesbitt have two children, Charlie (2) and Daphne (4 months). In the last year, Sabrina graduated from Claremont Graduate University with her M.A. in English and was granted a scholarship to continue at CGU in pursuit of her doctorate. She begins this fall. Mason is the director of communications at TMU. They attend Oak Hill Bible Church in Santa Clarita.
Mike (’16) and Kristen (Hubbs) (’14) Jackson moved to Greer, South Carolina, in May to begin Mike’s residency training in family medicine at Spartanburg Regional Hospital after graduating with his D.O. degree from Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine. They are excited to begin attending and serving Heritage Bible Church in Greer. In December, they welcomed their first child, Miles, to the family.
Emily Karsik
Emily Karsik (’15) graduated from TMU with a communication degree. Immediately upon graduating, she began working as a legal assistant at a small bankruptcy law firm, and her legal journey began there. She went on to earn a paralegal studies degree in 2018 and spent the next two years studying and working towards her M.A. in Theology at Talbot School of Theology. After many years of praying and seeking counsel about whether to continue on with her legal studies, Emily applied to and was accepted at Southwestern Law School in 2020. She earned her law degree in 2023, passed the California Bar Exam, and is licensed to practice law in California. She currently works as an employment law attorney and, apart from work, is actively involved in her church, Reality L.A.
The Dudleys
Nicholas (’15) and Britney (Jones) (’18) Dudley have seen the Lord’s faithfulness in their lives, being anchored in His Word and maturing in their faith in ways that can only be attributed to Him. They recently moved from Tempe, Arizona, to New Orleans to plant a church, and they welcomed their fourth child in March. Nicholas is growing his real estate business in Arizona and Louisiana, serving sellers, buyers, investors, and tenants while also pursuing personal real estate investment opportunities. He also works for the State of Arizona doing auditing, business process improvement, and consulting as a Lean Six Sigma black belt. Britney labors faithfully in the home as a stay-at-home mom of four while homeschooling the kids. God is good and continues to grow their love for His Word and His church.
Ryan Freeman
Ryan Freeman (’16) lives in Highland, California, and is serving as an editorial supervisor for Answers in Genesis, an apologetics ministry dedicated to enabling Christians to defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ effectively. He oversees a team of editors who proofread ministry-wide content such as books, vacation Bible school and Sunday school curricula, and other materials at the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter. Ryan sees it as a great blessing to be part of the development of God-honoring resources that equip families and individuals to grow in their faith, both within the home and abroad. Ryan enjoys being involved at his church, Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church in Riverside.
The Choos
Caroline Choo (’16) graduated with her M.A. in Biblical Counseling from TMU but professionally has been working in finance for the last 30 years. At her church, Grace Community Bible Church in Melbourne, Australia, she serves as an accountant and has provided free counseling and discipleship to younger women over the past nine years. Together with her husband, Ming, they occasionally provide marriage counseling to couples. Caroline is passionate about teaching young women to fulfill their God-given role.
The Weisses
Connor (’16) and Kailey (Richardson) (’17) Weiss met during WOW Week at TMU in 2013 and were married in 2018. They live in Santa Clarita. Connor works as a finance executive for PureSpectrum, a market research technology company based out of Westlake Village, California. Kailey is a stay-at-home mother to Elsie (4) and Foster (9 months). Their second daughter, Remi, is in the arms of Christ. For more than seven years, they have been deeply involved in their local church, Oak Hill Bible Church, where they love serving and doing life with their church family.
Paul Sanftner (’17) serves as the public information officer for a city government in the San Francisco Bay Area. A supercommuter, Paul travels 116 miles on the Capitol Corridor (via Amtrak) to work, 2-3 days per week. He earned his second bachelor’s degree from TMU, where courses emphasized biblical leadership and organizational efficiency. Inspired by the principles of gospel outreach, Paul is dedicated to mass communication efforts, utilizing traditional and digital media platforms for civic updates and supporting the challenging national landscape of police department recruitment. You can view the work of Paul’s communication team on its YouTube channel, “City of San Leandro.” Paul is happily married to Serom for 10 years, and they have three wonderful children.
Paige Jacobsen (B.A. ’17, Teaching Credential ’19) moved from her native Southern California to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she has taught seventh-grade English at a classical Christian school for the past five years. Outside the classroom, she may be found attending Bible Church of Owasso or catching up on her own reading. She counts it a great blessing to be surrounded by wonderful coworkers, students, and church family who have helped her continue to grow as a believer and a lifelong learner.
Emmy Gaddy
Emmy Gaddy (’19) graduated from TMU with a degree in communication and an emphasis in cinema and digital arts. After graduation, she moved back to her hometown of Greenville, South Carolina, to begin working as a TV and commercial producer at Electric Soul Productions. Emmy has since worked with various brands, including Lowe’s Home Improvement, Magnolia Network, and Belk, and has reached her career goal of winning an Emmy award. Now moving into freelance production, Emmy is still producing and continues to seek to help everyone she encounters see beauty in the life offered to us through Jesus.
Johnny (’20) and AJ (Thielen) (’21) Broadworth are coming up on three years of marriage and currently live in Meridian, Idaho. They are part of Compass Bible Church Treasure Valley, where Johnny serves as the director of worship and middle school. AJ works as a ninth-grade English teacher at Columbia High School. One of their greatest joys is getting to participate in the work that God is doing to save souls in the Treasure Valley area. In their free time, they enjoy exploring the local food scene, playing tennis, and soaking up the great outdoors of Idaho.
The Bridges
Josh (’21) and Kimberly (Illg) Bridges live in Kelseyville, California. After receiving his bachelor’s in Bible at TMU, Josh became the youth pastor at Grace Church in Kelseyville in 2021. Josh has the joy of regularly preaching and teaching to the youth ministry of 6th-12th graders twice a week, engaging also in weekly discipleship and counseling with students. He and Kim have been blessed with two beautiful sons, Judah (2 years old) and Ransom (1 year old), who are their tiniest and most favorite disciples. Kim recently finished her counseling certification through ACBC and was able to take all of her phase-one requirements through TMU. The Lord has been incredibly faithful while Josh presses on to balance leading his family and his ministry while working on his M.Div. at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Faith Brunner
Faith Brunner (’22) has worked for Upon the Rock Christian Camp in La Veta, Colorado, for the past two years. Her parents began the ministry in 1994 and she has been attending the camp since birth, now serving as the activities director for the summer program. In the off-season, her role involves writing devotional material for campers and staff, performing administrative work, and restoring camp property that was damaged from a past wildfire and subsequent flooding. Faith is part of the worship team at Mountain View Baptist Church, a tiny mountain town congregation of about 15, and she is looking forward to offering biblical counseling services to the church body once she has completed her ACBC certification. She is also a licensed EMT, volunteering with the La Veta Fire Protection District and the Huerfano County Search and Rescue.
Alumni, we hope to include more of you in the next issue’s “Class Notes.” We’d love to share a little bit about your life with the TMU community. Reach out with your update to .
