Faith Filled Family 2015 Issue 2 | Page 14

was then that Christi learned that it is a personal choice to follow Jesus and that greatly impacted her to share this message for the rest of her life! Following Jesus is a personal choice. the Adventures in Odyssey team asked a profound question. What could they do to infuse the digital era? The team acknowledged that media is a way of life for kids today. Through much inspiration, discussion, As Christi grew up, she and her and collaboration the Odyssey family discovered some of her natural talents. By the fifth grade she’d fully immersed herself in music and theatre. Her debut as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz caught the attention of the local radio station. That experience encouraged Christi to pursue opportunities in the radio broadcast industry at the young age of 16. Christi remained solid and continued to grow in her faith. Along the way, she recognized her passion to serve in her church with children and youth. She volunteered many hours with the kids’ choir and shared her love of Jesus. Those passions foreshadowed a lifetime of dedication to sharing Jesus with children and families. Christi started working with Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs in 2000. At that time she assisted with radio and television placement all around the world. Throughout the years, she’s worked in numerous positions focusing on resources and marketing for Focus on the Family. She shared that her time with the ministry has been like a dream come true! For over 25 years Adventures in Odyssey has helped foster spiritual and character growth in its listeners (children and families). Almost two years ago, “For over 25 years Adventures in Odyssey has helped foster spiritual and character growth in its listeners.” Adventure Club was created and launched. The OAC provides safe online entertainment for children and families (over 300 hours of biblical audio shows, online magazines, activities, and more). The Odyssey Adventure Club website allows five different users under one family account. This capacity further encourages the entire family to be engaged in the wide variety of activities, which spur on spiritual conversations. Christi highlighted one of the elements of the Odyssey Adventure Club she is most proud of. A portion of the membership fees benefit other missions based organizations (Operation Christmas Child, Christian Veterinary Mission, Compassion International, and more). This allows the children (and families) to put “feet” to their faith and contribute to projects that impact the world. Christi shared that engaging in this part of OAC exemplifies the truth that, “together we can do so much more!” Adventures in Odyssey gained quite a following throughout the years. Odyssey Adventure Club already appears to be well received by many children and families. OAC encourages families to engage in teachable moments. Christi shared she’s moved by the many kids who accept Jesus through their connection with Odyssey. She’s heard of wedding themes based on Odyssey. However, her most memorable story she recalled was how a father was challenged by his child to turn off the television and listen to Odyssey before bed. The dad agreed to the request. He stated that this experience changed his family’s lives. Their family’s first thoughts in the morning were of Jesus and their last thoughts at night were of Jesus! When questioned what her dream is for Odyssey Adventure Club, Christi paused for a moment. After a bit of contemplation,