Our newest volunteer, Sheri Mergenthal, is ready for you to meet her. She is a dedicated and passionate individual whose life story is a testament to faith, adventure, and love for community. We love what she brings to Interaction International, and we hope you will, too.
From Ohio to Africa
Born in Ohio, Sheri’s journey began when her family moved to Chicago for her parents to attend Bible school. Shortly after they finished in Chicagoland, they moved to Belgium to learn French. The family’s goal was with Africa Inland Mission in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Because of the limitations of MK education in the DRC, most of Sheri’s high school years were spent at Rift Valley Academy in Kenya, a boarding school.
College and Family Life
After high school, she attended Taylor University in Indiana, an experience and school she highly recommends. Post-college life led her to southern California, where she married Wade, her husband of almost 40 years. Although they initially hoped to work in North Africa, that didn’t work out. They settled in beautiful Camarillo, California, where they raised their family.
Their family is beautifully multicultural, blessed through adoption. They have two sons and a daughter-in-law they adore. Matt and Tori live in Texas, and Daniel resides in Arizona, though they hope he will move closer to Waxhaw soon.
A pivotal moment in Sheri’s journey came through the ministry of Jamie and Donna Winship. This helped her hear God’s voice more clearly. It also helped her discover her unique identity–the one and only Sheri created by God. Every day is a new adventure as she sees God working through her in ways that are unique.
A New Chapter in North Carolina
With their children grown and retirement approaching, Sheri and Wade sought new ways to serve. Feeling called to support Bible translation, they moved to North Carolina to join the Wycliffe/JAARS/SIL community. Living in Waxhaw brought back cherished childhood memories of family time in western North Carolina.
Interestingly, a sewing machine has become one of our newest volunteer’s best friends. Despite avoiding sewing while growing up in Africa, and thanks to her grandmother’s influence during college, Sheri now enjoys quilting. Designing and making quilts for special occasions has become a cherished hobby. She even keeps an occasional quilt kept for herself!
Our Newest Volunteer Connects with Students
At Interaction International, our newest volunteer’s role is evolving. She is excited to connect with students through TCK Connect and Transit Lounge, Interaction’s cross-cultural transition seminar for teens. This spring Sheri helped with the Friday morning TCK Connect call. Her presence allowed small groups to go back to being small again.
Sheri will serve at Transit Lounge in Georgia this summer. Once again, she will be a small group leader. We know she will be a willing friend to all TCKs present.
Other Bits of Information
When it comes to snacks, dark chocolate tops the list – nothing less than 72% cacao will do! Recently, her son Matt introduced her to Trader Joe’s peanut butter pretzels, a new favorite. She’s not sure if she should bless him or curse him for her new hankering. We hope she brings some of her new gustatory infatuation to Transit Lounge so the rest of Interaction’s staff can sample some.
Writing is a passion for Sheri. She credits her first real mentor, an 11th-grade English teacher at Rift Valley Academy, with learning to love expressing herself through the written word. This teacher, on sabbatical from a southern California public school, profoundly impacted her life. Tough but loving, he challenged students to think outside the box and to see truths about themselves, thus leaving a lasting legacy for so many.
We are thrilled to welcome such a passionate and experienced individual to our team. Sheri’s journey of faith and dedication to serving others is truly inspiring. We hope that you will join us in welcoming our newest volunteer–Sheri Mergenthal!