Paul VanderKlay's Podcast Annie Crawford's Story
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Nov 10, 2025 Annie Crawford, a homeschooling mom, teacher, and Anglican lay leader, shares her compelling journey through faith and family life. She delves into her complex upbringing, exploring how her parents' divorce shaped her identity. Annie recounts transformative experiences, including a road trip to Alaska that deepened her reliance on God and a mission to Nepal where she met her future husband. Touching on parenting adult children and the challenges of cultural pressures, she emphasizes building community both online and offline, and the importance of trusting divine providence.
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Father-Shaped Hole Framed Her Life
- Annie Crawford grew up in a fractured family with an absent biological father and a distant mother, which left her with a persistent father-shaped hole.
- That early ambiguity about father figures shaped her desire to encourage and affirm men later in life.
College Fall and Spiritual Turning Point
- In college Annie unraveled: she left Wheaton, lived a chaotic year in Eugene, used drugs, and drifted into New Age beliefs.
- Several frightening demonic experiences and a relationship break led her back toward Christianity.
Mission Trip Marriage Origin
- On a mission trip to Nepal Annie met a Texas mountaineer who confronted her unkindness, became her husband, and they married 11 months after meeting.
- That relationship helped her learn accountability and healthy confrontation.
