2nd Grade Teacher

"I was raised in a Catholic home although during my teen years my family did not attend mass regularly.  By the time I reached my late teens I had become increasingly aware of the emptiness I felt and the lack of purpose that I experienced.  I looked at many avenues to achieve personal fulfillment but nothing seemed to have the answer to my dilemma.  I was interested in religion and I even contemplated going back to mass.  A gospel track and other reading had stirred my interest in the Bible.  A neighbor who had recently moved to the neighborhood told me that Christ had changed his life but he did not share the Gospel with me before I left for Navy boot camp.  It was in the service that two sailors shared the Gospel with me and I was saved.  After the Navy I became roommates with one of the sailors who led me to Christ.  At that time I attended Navigator Bible studies and I was later challenged to missions.  I met Sandy Troutman after Bible school and we were married on May 5, 1990.  After missions schooling, we left for Chihuahua, Mexico with Matthew, our first-born.  Our daughter, Alyse, was born in Chihuahua, where we served for nearly ten years as guest home operators and I taught in the MK school.  I love teaching and my desire is to have a part in boys and girls being saved."

Mr. Novak is a member of Woodland Baptist Church and has been teaching at Woodland for 5 years.  He has completed a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education and will soon complete his Masters Degree.