Lisa is a San Diego native and comes to Monk with a B.S. in Marketing from Azusa Pacific University. After college, she gained 5 years of web & media experience working for her church in San Diego where she developed a love for ministry. She enjoys leading worship with her husband at their church as well as churches around southern California. In her free time, Lisa enjoys making culinary creations and testing them out on her unsuspecting friends & family. She also loves giving new life to thrift store finds, exploring San Diego’s beaches & trails, and having good old fashioned coffee shop hangouts with friends.

How did you find out about MonkDev?

I learned about MonkDev through working at my church and looking into web resources that were available to us.

What excites you most about your new position at MonkDev?

Creating a website can be a daunting task for any church, small or large. I am excited to have a role that allows me to alleviate some stress by working alongside churches throughout the entire process, start to finish. I’m also thrilled to be able to connect with churches around the world and have an opportunity to be a part of equipping the global Church, reaching more people with the gospel.

Ok, so you've been here a couple of weeks now. Tell me about the atmosphere here at MonkDev HQ. Was it what you expected?

I was delightfully surprised to find that everyone is just as strange as I am! :) But in all seriousness, the people here are wonderful. I am excited and honored to be a part of the MonkDev team because their talents amaze me, their passion inspires me, and I can tell they really love the people they serve.

You used to work at a church, so tell us what's the oddest request you received?

Well... one time a woman came into the church office and asked me if my pastor could talk to the president (of the United States) on her behalf because the Illuminati were attacking her through lasers in her VCR. She said my pastor couldn’t go to the police because they were in on it, too, and she couldn’t go to the authorities herself because the Illuminati were watching her and would zap her in her ear if she tried. So naturally, I did what anyone would do…… I pointed and said, “Hey what’s that over there!?” and then ran away scared.

Do you have a favorite genre of books to read? What’s your all time favorite book?

Well, the embarrassingly girly side of me loves a good Jane Austen or Francine Rivers novel (don’t judge me). I actually just read the first two books in Rivers’ Mark of the Lion trilogy at the recommendation of a friend, and I loved them! Favorite book?? That’s tricky, but I will say the first book that really excited me about reading was The Count of Monte Cristo in high school, so there’s always a soft spot in my heart for that one. Oh, and I can’t forget The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.

What are three random Lisa facts everyone should know about you?

1. I am a newlywed! My husband, Dustin, and I were in a long-distance relationship and he relocated to San Diego last year to marry me. I like him a lot. :)

2. Also, I like dolphins. We all have our aspirations, but really my one life dream is to swim with dolphins. (Ever since the Tanner family swam with dolphins in Hawaii on Full House… game over. My dream was sealed!)

3. I am a musician and love playing guitar & piano. Dustin is a drummer, so now I always have a rhythm section! My plan worked! (Just kidding, honey.)

If you had to eat just one thing for every meal of every day for the rest of your life and would receive no health ramifications, what would it be?

Sushi -- It’s delicious, nutritious (maybe?), and it’s so artfully crafted. Makes me feel fancy.

If you could play a leading role in any movie, which movie and character would you be?

Hmmm… maybe Kate Winslet’s character in Finding Neverland. My reasons are threefold:
1. Acting opposite Johnny Depp
2. Filming on location in England
3. The costumes!
Although, I just remembered that her character dies. I might need to rethink this.

It’s Saturday and you have no plans or obligations, paint me a picture of your perfect day.

Step One: Sleep in at least a little bit, but not too much to miss out on a good Saturday morning breakfast. I never wake up early enough during the week to make breakfast beyond cereal, but on Saturdays, hello bacon!

Step Two: Since Dustin is still semi-new to San Diego, we love taking Saturdays to explore our town together and find new places to roam. Farmer’s markets, trails, parks, beaches, restaurants, driving through the fancy neighborhoods and picking out which house would be ours…

Step Three: Make a big dinner at home and invite friends/family to join! I love cooking and Dustin is pretty much a grillmaster, so making dinners together is one of my favorite things. :)

Okay, give us a one more random Lisa fact…

In my 26 years of life, I have never been stung by a bee. (And with that said, cue the bee sting.)