Latreia: Serving God-Serving Others

Our Summer Staff

Here is a list of our staff, identified by the following three questions:

1)Where are you from?

2) What is your favorite Bible verse?

3) What is a dream of yours?

SamanthaSamantha Licht--2010

1) River Falls, WI

2) 2 Corinthians 12:9

3) Studying for a semester in Costa Rica and improving my Spanish skills!

AnnaAnna Olson--2010

1) Brooklyn Park, MN

2) Romans 12:2

3) to be a photographer of koala bears

MarkMark Mueller--2010

1) Spring, Texas

2) Ephesians 5:1

3) to be a camp director and rockstar worship leader

AdamAdam Fink--2009 & 2010

1) Eagan, MN

2) 1 Samuel 4:5-8

3) To open a homeless shelter in an abandoned car dealership

AlyssaAlyssa Burdett--2009

1) Olathe, KS

2) Philippians 4:4-7

3) to conquer the piano, guitar, and many other musical instruments.

AmyAmy Daniels--2008 & 2009

1) Cedar Falls, IA

2) Phillipians 2:1-18

3) To marry Donald Miller

AlyssiaAlyssia Kenow--2008

ScottScott Anderson--2007

AlanaAlana (Deutschmann) Olson--2007

1) Hometown: Hastings, MN
     Current city: Ames, IA

2) 1 John 4:19

3) raising a family overseas with my husband

BenBen Erbes--2007

1) Ben is from Ames, IA and now lives and works in Iowa City, IA as a pastor.

2) John 3:16-18

3) To retire from ministry to pursue a brief but successful career for the Los Angeles Lakers. 

JennaJenna Christopherson--2007-2009

 

Our Founders

KellyKelly Matthias: Program Director

Kelly (Dotson) Matthias grew up in Mt. Vernon, Iowa and now lives and works in Minneapolis. She enjoys working for Latreia because of her passion for engaging youth in service. She is excited about helping youth grow in their relationship with God and encouraging them to use their faith to go out into their own communities to serve and spread His love. She works full-time as a service-learning coordinator at a local college for 10 months out of the year and helps run the Urban Plunge program during the summer.

Steph Stephanie Fisk: Program Director

Stephanie serves as Latreia's program director. She is currently living in the Twin Cities and helping with Urban Plunge groups full-time. In 2011, she will return to Spain and continue her missions work. She has been traveling the world and learning about different cultures and has been able to bring that knowledge back to share with participants in the Urban Plunge program.

LauraLaura Nielsen: Outreach Director

Laura Nielsen grew up a city girl trapped in small town Iowa.  She is pumped to be residing in Minneapolis after spending high school in Chariton and then college in Waverly. Laura is excited to be working for Latreia because it combines her love for travel, youth and service.  She is grateful that God has given her the opportunity to help people find ways to invest in their communities while learning about God and serving along side their neighbors.   Laura loves the kooky- Large roadside statues, movies like “Waiting for Guffman,” Peder Eide concerts and anything Danish.  She works for a local non-profit full-time while helping out with Latreia in the summers.

 

JesseJesse Henkle: Marketing Director

Jesse and his wife Rachel both hail from Eastern Iowa. They now work and live in Denver, CO. Jesse is in seminary at Denver Theological Seminary and Rachel is in gradute school pursuing her master's degree. They support Latreia from the west and share the vision of helping students discover their strengths by serving others.

 

Our Board of Directors

 

Karen Fountain, Certified Public Accountant, Vinton, IA

Karen Nussle, Professor of Communication, University of Dubuque; Manchester, IA

Dave Ostrander, Vice President of Development, Wartburg College; Waverly, IA

Ron Peterson, Service Trip leader/consultant; IA

Ryan Rasmusssen, Attorney, Waverly, IA

Pete Smith, Youth Director, Denver, CO

Leighton Smith, Iowa City, IA. Leighton is an Iowa native who was fortunate to meet one of the original group members, Laura, when they were classmates in Holstein before she “made it big.” He loves people, is pleased to have the opportunity to be involved with Latreia and lives vicariously through the service groups that are traveling across the United States! He graduated from the University of Chicago in 2004 and now resides with his wife, Sarah, in Iowa City where he is a graduate student in law and business at the University of Iowa .

 

 

What's Latreia?

 

 

 

Ultimately our gift to the world around us is hope. Not blind hope that pretends that everything is fine and refuses to acknowledge how things are. But the kind of hope that comes from staring pain and suffering right in the eyes and refusing to believe that this is all there is. It is what we all need—hope that comes not from going around suffering but from going through it.

Rob Bell