Monique Zwaagstra

To join Monique Zwaagstra's support team, click HERE. You can find their names listed under "Missionaries & Projects" in the list of giving options. Thanks!

Bio/Description:  My parents are immigrants from the Netherlands (aka Holland) and are still very Dutch in their way of talking, thinking and doing. I was born and raised in southern California and have one younger brother who lives in the midwest. As a teenager, my church helped me see that I was part of a greater story, that God is awesome (seriously) and wants to help us grow to have a healthy understanding of Him, who we are, others and this world. During visits back to Holland to see family it became evident that many churches in Holland were dying (and quite boring). Among other things, those trips to Holland helped me realize that I loved Holland and that a huge need existed there in regards to youth ministry and disipleship. The church in which I grew up in California had taken discipleship seriously and helped me discover that I love high schoolers and helping people grow. From there, one thing led to the other (sometimes with a lot of waiting and questioning in between)... I graduated from Biola University with bachelor degrees in Christian Education Ministries and Psychology. After college I moved to the Holland! I finished my master's in Child and Adolescent Psychology at the University of Leiden and have joined CA as bivocational staff. I have lived in Leiden since November 2007 and joined a churchplant (Crossroads Leiden) not long after that. I do youth work in the church and love to see people grow in grace and truth. Other things I love are learning, discipleship, spiritual formation, reading, good movies, riding my bike in Holland, photography, friends, family, 'gezelligheid', etc.

To learn more about the work in Leiden click here