It was so frustrating to see people trying to make their marriage work and still getting a divorce.
As one of the fortunate few who grew up in a healthy family, I (Butch) knew the joys that family could bring and I longed for more people to feel that joy. I had also seen how those who grew up in less ideal surroundings often struggled to know where to go.
Karaña’s family life was more challenging. Her mother passed-away when she was young, leaving her to be raised in several different home environments over the early years of her life. She was blessed to be raised in a Christian home and also came to faith as a child, but she later faced many of the challenges of a step-family.
Butch and Karaña were married in 1988, before Butch’s senior year studying Computer Science. He went on to earn a Master’s Degree as well and then took a position leading the technology team for a marketing company in the Oklahoma City area.
Our first child was born in 1990. As our family grew and we added four years, we faced the same challenges that all families face. We found in the ministry of FamilyLife wise counsel, first through the FamilyLife Today radio broadcasts and later as we attended the Weekend to Remember getaway and utilized several resources like Passport to Purity. We even were heavily impacted by FamilyLife in the adoption of our youngest two children from Korea.
In 2002 we began feeling a burden for the needs of families we saw struggling and failing around us. God used several means to plant in our hearts a vision of working to build godly families at FamilyLife. After checking into the ministry, we were convinced that this was indeed where God was calling us. Of course, answering the call required us to raise our own financial support. In June, 2005 we were finally able to move our family from Oklahoma City to Little Rock and begin our ministry with FamilyLife
Because of my background in technology, I was quickly placed as Director of IT and have had some role in technology leadership since then. In 2006 I was asked to join the Senior Leadership Team as Vice President of Support Services. Since March 2011, I have been responsible for directing the strategic usage of technology to accomplish our ministry mission.
During our time at FamilyLife we have been privileged to have a part in many significant projects. Perhaps most rewarding was the opportunity to lead the development and launch of FamilyLife eMentoring, an anonymous online mentoring program that launched in May 2010.
Karaña is also a gifted administrator and, in addition to homeschooling our children, has served as part of the women’s leadership team, seeing to the needs of FamilyLife’s staff women.
