Ruth Ann Larkly

Growing up, Ruth Ann never became too settled in one place. Because her father was in the Army, she lived in several different states in the U.S., as well as spending time overseas in Germany. Prior to her graduation from high school, Ruth Ann and her family moved to Arizona, where her father had chosen to retire. Beginning in 1996, Ruth Ann would travel to and from southern Arizona to attend Fairhaven Baptist College.

Ruth Ann kept very busy in college. She spent one year with the college ensemble, assisted those in charge of the Monday evening Spanish ministry, and knocked on doors regularly with one of her female college teachers. "I was always happy at Fairhaven," Ruth Ann recounts. Indeed, she was rarely seen around campus without her room-brightening smile. When she graduated four years later, it's certain that she had no idea of the astounding way that God's plan for her life would unfold.

After graduation, Ruth Ann moved back to the west - not to Arizona, but to the Northwest. In Oregon, she would apply her education degree for the next few years as a teacher at Westgate Baptist Church in Tigard. Her pupils? About twenty kindergarten students. While serving the Lord in Oregon, she held strong to some key principles that had been solidified during her days in college. Her understanding of music standards had been sharpened; she saw the "why" behind Biblical dress standards; she came to love reading the Bible. After teaching in this local church Christian school for six years, she received "the call" that would initiate the next chapter of her life.

Ruth Ann had some relatives living in the Red Rocks region of Arizona. One day, a young Bible college graduate invited a lady to attend Faith Baptist Church of Cottonwood, where he was pastoring. That lady was Ruth Ann's grandmother, and that single pastor was the man about whom Ruth Ann received "the call." After attending Pastor Tim Larkly's church for a while, grandmother did a little "match-making"! "When you visit your family down here in Arizona next, I'd like you to meet the man who will be your husband," Ruth Ann was told. Though understandably skeptical at first, multiple visits, much prayer, and godly counsel all proved to both Ruth Ann and Tim that they were meant for each other.

Pastor Larkly and Ruth Ann were married in June 2005, and they began their ministry together in Arizona. One year later, a beautiful baby girl, Tirzah Larkly, was born. When asked about her thoughts concerning Fairhaven Baptist College, Ruth Ann simply says, "I tell everyone that I am so thankful for Fairhaven." And it is with joy and thanksgiving that Fairhaven looks out at graduates like Ruth Ann who remain faithful to the will of God at each station in their lives.