How This All Got Started

Getting Esther’s Heart off the ground has been a family endeavour from the very beginning—a journey whose seeds were planted back in March 2013. After months of prayer and preparation, we found ourselves packing up our young family and preparing to leave the affluent, picturesque coastal town of Lytham St Annes in England. Our destination was one of the most downtrodden towns in eastern Germany, a place that looked nothing like the world we were leaving behind, yet our hearts affirmed it was where we were meant to go.

Since the birth of our first daughter 23 years ago, parenting and education have been an enormous focus of our energy and resources. This passion has served as a compass, ensuring we navigated our way to exactly the right spot, using the schools our children would attend as our reference point.

It has been—and continues to be—a great joy to watch our children living bold, purposeful lives. Being able to witness their journeys is no accident; it flows from a deliberate choice we made as parents to seek God’s path for them and to walk alongside them as they uncovered and pursued the calling He placed on their lives. As Proverbs 22:6 reminds us, we are to train up our children in the way they should go.

Esther’s Heart grew out of a longing to see more children and young people experience that same kind of journey. We wanted to create spaces where they could encounter God’s truth, develop their gifts, and step into abundant life. That vision is taking shape through the founding of Biblically based schools, discipleship initiatives, national and international exchange programmes, and charitable giving—all aimed at freeing every part of a person to flourish.

Outside of our own family, who paid a personal price to get us this far, we are grateful to the friends and founding members who helped get this charity registered and pointed in the right direction, and to new friends and partners who are helping catalyse its work.