Mike was born on September 4, 1981. He grew up in south Minneapolis and was raised in a Catholic home. In high school, he began to question the church and its validity. He quit attending services and began studying other faiths. He sided with eastern philosophy, leaning more towards atheism and agnosticism. Mike went off to college at Minnesota State University and fell completely in love with Christ during his freshman year. He was 19. Mike then got involved with Campus Crusade for Christ. He graduated from MNSU in 2005, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education. He taught K-12 Music in the public schools for two years. He is now a Masters student in the Billy Graham School at SBTS, studying to be a pastor.

Julie was born on July 7, 1983 and was raised in a small town in southwest Minnesota. She grew up in a Christian home and accepted Christ at the age of four. In sixth grade, Julie went through a time of rebellion but was wowed at the things of God during church camp that summer. She recommitted her life to Jesus at camp. Julie went to a small Christian college for two years, majoring in Math education. When she realized she truly had a desire for Speech Pathology, she had to transfer to MNSU. She ended up graduating with her Masters degree from MNSU in Speech Pathology and currently works at the Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Center as a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist.

Mike and Julie met at MNSU in 2003. Both were heavily involved in the music department. Mike was in the process of trying to ask a girl out when the girl’s friend (Julie) walked up during the conversation. Mike suddenly forgot all about what he was doing when he saw Julie! Mike and Julie officially began dating November 16, 2003, and they were married July 23, 2005. They both love reading the Harry Potter books and spending time with Gloria, their cat. Mike is always up for a game of Ping Pong. Julie is pregnant with their first child, and she’s due at the end of October.