Renee Taft Meloche

Raised in a Christian home, I graduated early from high school at seventeen years old.  Following in my father’s wanderlust footsteps (we moved often, finally settling in California), I headed to Europe to see the world. God, however, had his own plans for me, and as I began to stray off the narrow path, he led to me to a young and energetic group of Christian missionaries who called themselves Youth with a Mission (YWAM). I was hooked. The combination of youthful energy, adventure, and God was irresistible. I attended YWAM’s School of Evangelism, visited over 18 different countries, and even lived in a castle in Germany! I discovered personally that serving God could be challenging, rewarding, and fun. After two years away, I returned to the United States to get more formal training and attended the University of Texas at Dallas and received a B.A. degree in Music Education.

After college, I returned to Europe to work with YWAM again. This time I lived on a ship! I lived for 18 months in Greece, working with a team that launched the international mission, mercy, and relief ship, the Anastasis. It was while in Greece that I first felt God calling me to write children’s books to inspire children to also follow the call of God. Little did I realize how long it would take to see that dream realized. I used my degree overseas to teach the missionaries’ children on the ship, making sure they had the best education possible while traveling the world with their parents. But I knew—even then—the education the children were really receiving was an education in the faithfulness of God that we experienced every day.

We sailed from Greece in 1982, stopping in California, Guatemala, Tahiti, and New Zealand, where I finally got off to attend YWAM’s School of Creative Ministries in Ontario, Canada, and YWAM’s Author’s Training School, led by John and Elizabeth Sherrill, authors of “The Hiding Place” and “God’s Smuggler.” I was truly blessed by both of these educational experiences. And, I believe, I’ve been putting all of this training to good use. I immediately began writing books for adults—three of which were published and three of which have never seen the light of day. Of the three that were published, I now recognize them as having a core theme—perseverance—and God’s faithfulness in the face of adversity.

Since 1989, I have been living in Ann Arbor, Michigan with my husband Tom and daughter Bethany. And here in Ann Arbor, I’ve finally seen the other dream come to life that I first had on the Anastasis over twenty years ago: a series of children’s books (currently at sixteen) designed to inspire children in service to God, all based on true stories of real Christian missionaries. I now spend my time between writing, speaking, and family and, I hope, to bring a little bit of inspiration to you and your family as well.