CENTER for STUDENT MISSIONS

Emily Graves

Emily comes from a small town in Louisiana called Bogalusa, where all they do is make paper. Her love of anything art coupled with huge, nerdy skills on a computer makes her an enthusiastic digital art major at Southeastern Louisiana University. During her free time in Los Angeles, when she is not scouting out awesome art galleries, you will most likely find Emily reading. She spent last summer on the island of Molokai, Hawaii as an intern for Kaunakakai Baptist Church, which is by far, her favorite mission project yet. The best part of the whole trip was spending two and a half weeks in the rain forest with the youth of the island. Emily has been on various mission trips in the past four years including 2 trips to Hawaii, 2 trips to New York City (one with CSM!), Miami, and Cleveland, Tennessee (roofing!). “I am excited to make new friends within CSM and the groups that come through. I hope to show the love of Christ in my actions and words and to spread his love and grace around the city (and have a good time doing it)!”

Courtney Hosp

Courtney is from Austin, MN. She just graduated from Milligan College in Johnson City, TN with a Bachelor of Arts in History. She has spent time living in Egypt and inner city Indianapolis. While in Indianapolis, she worked with homeless youth, mission groups from all around Indiana and Illinois, as well as inner city kids at Neighborhood Academy and Daystar daycare. While in Egypt, she studied and worked at a foreigner prison and an orphanage. Courtney has also been involved in Ground Zero while at college, helping with concerts and skating events for teenagers. She absolutely loves to read, play ultimate Frisbee, and hike. “I am so excited that this summer I will be able to work with CSM. I am most excited about developing new relationships with people, learning about their lives, dreams, and passions. In addition, I can hardly wait to spend time in Los Angeles. I feel that there is a unique and fascinating culture, one in which I look forward to being immersed.”

Catherine Johnson

Catherine, an upcoming sophomore at the Univ. of GA, is from Carrollton, GA. Unable to choose only one major, she is a double major in Art and Anthropology. Her mission experiences have all been local trips around Georgia. While still in high school, she helped out with both the junior high and high school groups at her home church. At UGA, she is a member of the Wesley Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, and Athens Church, a recently established nondenominational church. Her passions include art, people, and music. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her friends, going to a variety of concerts, playing board games, and grabbing a good cup of coffee at the local coffee shop. “This summer, I look forward to making new friendships and growing deeper in my relationship with God. I hope to spread His love and bring others closer to Him.”

Becky Lancaster

Becky is an Iowa girl from Cedar Rapids, and is a junior at Dordt College in Iowa. Her major is Theatre Arts with a Scenic Design emphasis and minors in Psychology and Spanish. She has been on mission trips to New Jersey, Mexico, and Chicago (with CSM!), has led small groups at church and school, and co-taught a junior high girls Sunday morning class. Becky has a number of amazing talents, like playing guitar badly, and breaking into song without realizing it! She is also a big fan of anything theatre related. Becky is excited to serve with CSM this summer and see how God uses the students and the people in LA. “I know firsthand that a CSM trip can change how you see the world and the people in it. I want to help make the students’ experiences unforgettable and watch God do amazing things!”

Katie Mueller

Katie was born in Los Angeles. She was adopted into an interracial family when she was a baby and grew up in Bloomington, CA. Her family later moved to Rancho Cucamonga, CA. She recently graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies. Katie has experienced life in LA by living in Korea town, studying sociology and Jesus downtown and doing an internship at Aids Project LA. Throughout her college years she has done urban missions with her church and school in New York, San Francisco, Fontana, Pomona and Pasadena. Last summer she spent four months in Cochabamba, Bolivia living at an orphanage. While in Bolivia she worked with missionaries and served in baby washing ministries in the city. She also taught Spanish to children and women and did a research project on street children.

Katie’s goal is to serve God the rest of her life and along the journey receive a Master’s Degree in Intercultural Education/Urban Missions. She loves new cultures, traveling, teaching people to dance, creating art, riding her bike, learning other languages and of course spending time with her beautiful family! “This summer I hope to walk with people in the city and people coming to the city. By that I understand life as a journey of transformation and along any road ’if we are truly following, Christ will take us places we have never been before and teach us to see others as we have never seen them.’ I say let’s find Christ in the eyes of others and let the city change our hearts!”

Janelle Simmons

Janelle hails from Flushing, New York (that’s in Queens!). Janelle earned her B.A. in Psychology from Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI), her M.A. in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice (New York, NY) and her M.Div. from a little ‘ole seminary called Torch Trinity Graduate School of Theology (Seoul, South Korea). She has traveled on several mission and vision trips in the 10/40 Window. Previous to joining CSM, Janelle was teaching Psychology courses at a small liberal arts college in Brooklyn. And even way before that, she served a pastor and preacher for a number of churches. Janelle enjoys quiet, taking long walks, rebounding, dancing, singing, writing, and even a bit of volleyball. And of course watching CSI Miami or New York, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Seinfeld, Monk and the movie Crash over and over again!

Lisa Williams

Lisa is from St. Johns, MI. She will be a Senior in the fall at Anderson University, pursuing a double major in English and Bible & Religion. During college she spent two weeks in Calcutta, India, working with the Mother Teresa Mission. Lisa spent the past two summers working as a summer camp counselor for Junior High and Senior High students. Her freshman year of college she led Kidz Bible Club for Junior/Senior High students and was also part of the outreach team that went to the local roller rink every Friday night. Sophomore year of college she worked as the Discipleship Coordinator in the girl’s freshman dorm and as the leader of the Prayer Team and Media Team for a peer-to-peer ministry on campus. Some of Lisa’s hobbies are knitting, reading, playing card games and jumping in puddles. She loves to curl up on the couch with a blanket and popcorn to watch a movie, but she also enjoys running and lifting weights, as well as most outdoor activities. “I hope to learn better how to serve and meet the needs of the poor in America, as well as gain a better understanding of what kind of lifestyle God is calling me to lead. God has truly burdened my heart recently for the Los Angeles area and I know that there, more than anywhere else, my comfort zone will be challenged and hopefully broken so that I can become a more effective servant of Christ.”