I was born on September 22, 1959 (in McMinnville, Oregon, USA) to James and Noreen Roth (who had been married some 15 months by then). Late that year yet, or else early in 1960, whenever it was that I was six weeks old, my folks and I moved to Mexico. They had been sent there as missionaries by the Mission Board of Pacific Coast Conference.

My sister Karen was born on December 3, 1964 (in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico). Although my folks and I eventually received immigrant status, Karen was a full-blown Mexican citizen from the start! For the 1974-75 school year (my sophomore year), my folks allowed me to live in Oregon with former missionary colleagues, the Maynard Headings family. This was so I could attend Elliott Prairie Christian School near Woodburn. I returned home to Mexico the summer of '75; that fall I resumed my "career" as a correspondence student. In July of 1976, our family left the mission field to return to Oregon.

In 1977, Ruby Yoder and I graduated as the only seniors of Elliott Prairie Christian School near Woodburn, Oregon. I don't recall ever asking her for a date as such...we just had class reunions...on a very frequent basis. Our determination not to marry too young, combined with the 70-mile geographical separation, helped us wait to marry till August 1, 1980.

We celebrated our first anniversary at the Sheraton Hotel in Guadalajara, Mexico. You see, we were stranded there...waiting for the next train to take us on to Mexico City. We were part of a three-family team from Hopewell Mennonite Church that had volunteered to serve under Bible Mennonite Fellowship in the establishment of a new mission in northwest Mexico.

God has generously blessed us with five children. This is our family in late 1999.

During the 2001-2002 school year I served at Elliott Prairie Christian School as principal and grades 8-12 teacher. That was my eleventh year serving at this school on a day-to-day basis; I also served one year as the part-time principal.

I also serve our congregation as board chairman of Hope Mennonite Missions.

Since 1991 I have done quite a bit of writing.

(For somebody else's perspective, click here.)