Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, Muriel Drake (Ryan) grew up on a small farm with working parents. Formal education came naturally to her. She attended Indiana State University and graduated from University of Indianapolis, IUPUI, Indiana University, and the University of Minnesota. All steps with honors and all before she was forty. A teacher, principal, and superintendent, she served in public education and worked with issues of innovation. But in 1992, with her first marriage falling apart and children nearly grown, God started her on a trek to the East Coast and eventually brought her back to Terre Haute. At retirement, God set her path into full-time home missions, working with the homeless and those in poverty. With her husband, Bernard Ryan, also known as “the other Dr. Ryan” Families by Choice was founded in 2006. Families by Choice calls persons to live lives that honor God by living by choice rather than chance. Families by Choice serves persons with basic needs (food, clothing, shelter) who are at a distance from their family either by geography or emotionally. Presently, Families by Choice has three homeless shelters in Indiana. All net proceeds from her books will go to the work and expansion of Families by Choice.