Karen Shogren
Karen grew up near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and graduated with undergrad degrees in Bible and Church Music from Cairn University. She studied Biblical Counseling at Misio Seminary (formerly Biblical Seminary) until she and her husband Gary were called to serve in San José, Costa Rica in 1998 with Latin America Mission. Beginning in 2000, Karen worked in member care, writing curricula to provide various levels of orientation and re-entry training to Missionary Kids and their parents, both in the home office and on the field. In 2011, she was invited to join the faculty at ESEPA Seminary in Costa Rica, where she began teaching Pastoral Counseling as well as other courses. As Karen learned of the prevalence of child sexual abuse in many Latin American countries and saw how her students and other church leaders were desperate for resources, she was burdened to get even more involved. She studied the topic, interviewed local church and parachurch leaders, began studying trauma counseling at Liberty University online and has taken various trainings related to safeguarding children. She created a program for training church leaders how to prevent and respond appropriately to child sexual abuse, which she now runs in an 8-week virtual format in Spanish and English, as well as a 9-month seminary certificate program at ESEPA in Spanish. Karen is on the Child Safety Team of her current mission agency, WorldVenture, and through them she is a member of the Child Safety and Protection Network and volunteers on various of their projects. She and her husband Gary have 4 adult children and live in Lancaster County, PA. while continuing to teach world-wide online.
Stephanie Gamba
Stephanie Gamba is involved in the Spanish-language trainings. She is originally from Colombia and has lived in Costa Rica for over 20 years. She is happily married to Yoji. A trained psychologist, criminologist, and child forensic interviewer, Stephanie is currently working with an international organization in Child Protection and Member Care. She is on the board of the Child Safety and Protection Network, a collaborative network of mission agencies, faith-based NGOs and international Christian schools intentionally and strategically addressing issues of child safety. Stephanie is a lover of the Lord and passionate about serving families and children! In her free time she enjoys swimming and cooking competition shows.
Lisa Radcliff
Lisa Radcliff in involved in the English-language trainings. She is an author and speaker who loves to share encouragement from the Word of God with other women. Her book, Hidden With Christ: Breaking Free from the Grip of Your Past, reveals her story of overcoming child sexual abuse and offers hope to others who feel stuck in their past. Lisa also offers prevention workshops for parents, MOPS groups, and ministry leaders. She has been married to Doug for thirty-seven years. They have three sons and nine grandchildren, who are a constant source of joy and blog fodder. In her free time, Lisa enjoys reading, quilting, shopping with a special group of friends, cheering on Philly sports teams, and relaxing at home or at their rustic Maine cabin. You can follow Lisa’s blog, where she writes about seeing God in the everyday things of life, often in humorous ways, at her website, www.lisajradcliff.com. Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/ljradcliff.