A native of Kansas, and a transplant to Pennsylvania, I have been married to my best friend, Joel, since the fall of 2010. Our first few years after marriage were spent in Joel’s home area of Juniata County…the rural mountain country was a big change for this city girl! Joel stayed busy teaching at our private church-affiliated school, and I did a few births here and there while adjusting to life as a wife and mom. While in J. County, we welcomed Yoanna and Matthias, who were both born at home with the assistance of midwives.

In the fall of 2013, we relocated to State College, as Joel was transitioning to working at home for a newly formed Bible Translation organization. All-Nations Bible Translation had been looking for a location where they could launch their training base and, due to a variety of reasons, State College was chosen. We’re grateful to be involved with this ministry, and Joel’s work is typically flexible, allowing him the ability to take over child care at the drop of a hat when needed!

Our family in Fall 2016

Getting to know the community, connecting with the varied international student population, helping to host company (especially in connection with Joel’s work), and being highly involved with a church plant in our local neighborhood all help to make our lives rich and full. We’re excited to be serving the Lord in this location, and we’ve been grateful for the warm welcome we’ve received from the general State College area.

Martin Family – December 2021

Since moving to State College, we have added three more children to our family. You can read about Talitha’s arrival here , Darius’ arrival here and Tirzah’s birth story here.  Experiencing birth myself has helped me to have a greater understanding for the mamas I work with, and you can rest assured that I DO understand what it is like to go through pregnancy and natural childbirth-using a midwife, and delivering at home for all five!

If you’re looking for more information about my training background, check out this link.

“My husband and I had a lovely med-free hospital birth with midwives with our first child 6 years ago. When we moved to state college and wanted to have another baby we decided we wanted a home birth. We met Kelsey before we even got pregnant and we immediately felt comfortable with her. The moment we walked into her home office we knew that it would be a great fit. She is kind, gentle, caring and incredibly informed. She keeps up with advances in the medical field and reads very broadly. Her breadth of knowledge is amazing and was very settling for us. The appointments feel personal, unlike traditional OBGYN visits. Kelsey was available and welcoming of questions, concerns, fears and joys! When I went into labor, I was not worried at all. We had a beautiful birth experience with no complications and best of all, I got to get right into my bed and watch the newborn exam in the comfort of my bedroom. Homebirth is an amazing option and Kelsey is certainly a fantastic midwife to guide new families through it. I HIGHLY recommend her services.”

Sara