Mimi's earliest memories are of the Ituri Forest of Zaire, Africa, where
her parents (and grandparents) worked among the Pygmies for 53 years.
After attending American boarding schools, in 1969,
Mimi graduated from Bethel Nursing School in Colorado Springs, Colorado,
as a registered nurse. Calvin, Mimi’s husband, is a family practice doctor. Their
grown children are Kurt and his wife Lori, Kyndra and her husband Tom,
and Kevin with his wife Sarah. They have four grandchildren, Pierce,
Miriam, Jordan, and Kyle. It is important to Cal and Mimi that
their home is a place of warmth and acceptance. They have guests in
their home several times a week.
After short-term family mission trips to Zaire and
to Peru, in 1986, Cal and Mimi sold the medical practice and home,
and the family moved to Quito, Ecuador, where Cal established a family
practice residency in the medical school, and a clinic in the northern
jungle. Mimi
entertained frequently, and mentored expatriate women and Ecuadorian
nationals. Mimi has particular compassion for the disabled, and was
instrumental in obtaining medical care and developing treatment programs
for the disabled in Ecuador.
With Mary Beth Lagerborg, Mimi has written the best selling Once-a-Month
Cooking, which is based upon a cooking system she devised to save
time and consistently provide tasty meals for her family and company.
In their second book, Table Talk, Mimi and Mary Beth give voice
to their passion to make home an oasis and make mealtime a time
for the family to connect in a fast-paced world. Both books have been
featured by Focus on the Family Publishing. Mimi’s third
book, Holy
Habits, was co-authored with her friend in Ecuador, Shelly Volkhardt. It
is a passionate study of the character of God, and how His character
can affect our daily lives.
Cal and Mimi returned to Denver in 1995, where Cal
established a family practice residency at the University Hospital
of the University of Colorado. In
1999, Cal was asked to join a US government project in Jordan, and
they moved to Amman, where they taught both Jordanians and expatriates.
In the summer of 2004, Cal and Mimi returned to Denver. Cal
continues his work with the University of Colorado Medical School,
and Mimi continues to teach and lecture domestically and abroad. |