As a teenager and young adult, Dorothy attended Explo ‘72 in Dallas, Texas; participated in the Urbana Mission Conference in 1973; and spent ten weeks in the summer of 1979 in Mexico with IDEA Ministries. Each of these experiences influenced and directed her to full-time ministry. The Lord ultimately led her to become a teacher and administrator in the Christian school in the village of Cristo Rey in Belize.

In August 1980, she packed up her belongings and headed to Belize, ready to teach and serve the Lord for five or six years at Presbyterian Day School. As the years passed, she sensed that the school and the local church were where she was to serve out her life. 

For 30 plus years Dorothy taught all subjects to seventh and eighth graders at Presbyterian Day School. For 20 years she was the principal and a teacher. When Cornerstone Presbyterian High School was established, she was asked to chair the board, something she neither dreamed of nor felt capable of. But when the Lord calls, He also enables. She has learned that when we walk with God and listen to the prompting of His Holy Spirit, He leads us into areas of service that go far beyond our wildest dreams and desires.

In the church, Dorothy has been privileged to teach young adult Sunday School classes, serve as treasurer of the women’s society, play the piano for the services, direct a choir, and serve on the seminary board. Again, she often has not felt capable of taking on these responsibilities, but she has been willing to serve, and the Lord has enabled her.

Dorothy is now semi-retired. She is still teaching language arts and science to seventh and eighth grade students, and she works in the office as secretary and bursar. In the church, she serves as vice president of the women’s group. The Lord has blessed her with good health.