STAN & KERRA TROYER

We never set out to become publishers and we certainly don't consider ourselves editors but those would be our titles on this page. (Yes, you may laugh if you know us in real life!)

What we really are is an ordinary husband and wife from central Wisconsin who have been married for thirteen years. Most of our energy these days goes into parenting our six children. Stan owns and operates a lawn care and landscaping business. We are part of Bethany Mennonite Church.

Every spring and fall when a semi rolls up the road with a couple pallets of Motherhood magazines, the children are excited to watch the unloading process, and I can hardly breathe until I see the first copy and know it passes inspection (with Issue Three the printer mixed some pages up and we had to quickly request a reprint).

What follows is a family-friendly flurry of activity. There are boxes, tape, paper, stacks of magazines, and shipping labels all over the dining room as we package up pre-orders and cases of wholesale orders. If we're lucky, we get it all done in one afternoon and evening.

We all love it. Or maybe we love the side traditions that go along with our shipping events: the pizza we order in for supper, and the children's reward of choosing a new book as payment for their help.

It has been an interesting and rewarding journey, and we look forward to continuing on as time permits and God wills.

Thank you for your orders, your kind words, your critiques and suggestions, and your prayers. We love to hear from our readers.

—Kerra Troyer

GINA MARTIN

Sometimes I wonder if God knew I'd need an extra dose of mothering encouragement and prompted Kerra to ask if I'd help edit Motherhood. Since the very first issue, I've read every article that is submitted, many more than once, until the Motherhood team selects articles for the next issue. Then my role is to contact each writer and help her polish the article to fit the magazine. Sometimes that means going back and forth several times between the writer and copyeditor, clarifying word choices, condensing sections, expanding others, until we all feel the words are ready to share with our readers. Again and again I'm challenged, inspired, and strengthened by the writers and their words. It is a joy to work with writers who are committed to encouraging other women, and I'm grateful for their words input into my life. 

As a mom of six, most of my daily words are of the mundane child raising, homeschooling, housekeeping variety. Time for editing projects such as Motherhood are squeezed into the cracks of my day and are a welcome refreshment. As my children get older, I find that my hands may be less busy, but my brain is busier, and rest is harder to find. My favorite ways to relax include a long walk and a stack of books. 

I've been a widow since my husband Ed died of brain cancer in 2019. We've had hard days, but God has carried us through by His grace and the community of friends and family who have walked with us. We live in southern Pennsylvania and are part of Mt Olive Mennonite Church.

WILLIAM & REBECCA HOOVER

We have enjoyed doing life and art together since 2009. Reba holds down the visual arts corner, and William enjoys working with words. (Although we happily give opinions in the other's field). We both review articles for Motherhood, and Reba critiques layout and design as well.

Of course, two artists living together has its downsides, and we continually work on the balance between everyday faithfulness and headlong plunges into the whirlpool of inspiration.

We have a household of boys (six of them) who keep us young and give us grey hairs—often simultaneously. Watching them enjoy reading and drawing has been a joy.

We live in Central Wisconsin and attend the Bethany Mennonite Church.

STEPHANIE SHIRK

By the time I find Motherhood in our mailbox, I’ve read each article three or four times and seen a digital version of the design. But I’m as excited as anyone to rip open the mailer and stroke the cover and flip through the pages. 

I usually edit in the early morning, with a cup of coffee and The Chicago Manual of Style nearby and Merriam-Webster and a Bible site open next to Google Docs. A quiet and precise ritual before the din of the day, which is not.

I homeschool my four children, and some days, good days, my husband Larry works at home as well, remodeling the dilapidated Victorian we moved into last year. We currently live in Pittsburgh while working toward a longtime dream of church planting in Louisiana.