Blessings,
I am Mandy West and I am excited for the opportunity to join the ministry team as Parish Coordinator of First Lutheran Church. I carry many other titles in my life also – Mom, Foster Parent and Music Director.
My fiancé, Jeremy, and I enjoy spending time with all our kids. We started our foster journey to expand our family and help other kids have a safe and loving home. We have Jeremy’s two children, Henry and Victoria, that live with us full time and three foster girls currently. Our summer includes trips to Branched Oak Lake for swimming and fun. I have been involved in church music for as long as I can remember with Sunday School programs up to now being the Music Director at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church for the last 3 years and plan to continue in that capacity as well.
I always laugh when asked about hobbies or interests as being a parent seems to fill so many of my hours. One of the things I enjoy doing in what spare time I have is baking. I grew up making cookies, cakes and all things sugar-filled with my mom and want to work on creating those memories with my kids when they get a bit older. I love planning and feeding a large group of people and host Thanksgiving so I can cook all the different dishes! I also hope to get back into reading. It was one thing I put down with the kids (books were not safe with a 2 year old and a marker). Jeremy and I talk about our future adventures to do as a family and most of them are wanting to tour the US seeing different national parks and enjoying the outdoors.
When I reflect on the work I have done through the years, I realize how much I learned about myself with each job – who I wanted to be and what I wanted to stand for while at the job. I say this because working as a correctional officer for almost 9 years makes it easier to have the people, environment and staffing weigh on you and change who you are or how you interact with others. I am so happy to have come away from the job being able to say that I never let my ethics slip and was always a light for people.
I am so excited to learn about my new position at First Lutheran and am thankful for Cyndi’s time training me. I am anticipating many members stopping by for introductions and I can’t wait to hear more about the history and plans of First Lutheran Church. At this time, I plan to keep the same hours as Cyndi has kept, Tuesday-Friday, from 8 am-4 pm.
Peace and Love,
Mandy West
