Partner Spotlight: Emily Allenbach
Meet Emily Allenbach. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, she and her husband, Mark, first heard about Untold in 2018. Since then, they’ve come alongside Untold in many ways - through impact trips, introducing their friends to the work, and supporting the mission.
Tell us about yourself!
My husband is Mark. We met in college, and we have three girls. They are now 12, 10, 7 (they were 11,9, 6) when we went on our trip. The girls are involved in all kinds of activities. I am involved in our family, business, and a lot in my church [as an elder]. A lot in the girls school, but the priority is raising our girls. That’s where God has me at this point in my life.
I used to be an immigration lawyer. Now, I do not practice. We love our church, we love the girls’ school, we love Untold. And we love practicing hospitality in our home.
When did you first get involved with Untold?
I think it was like pretty soon after I'd had Sadie, so maybe 2018. I met Justin at this random event, in the parking lot. I used to manage this portfolio for our family, so I was going to some kind of investment event. The guy that we invested with is one of his friends from college, so Justin was going to just see his friend, and I was going to meet Ian about the portfolio. Justin and I connected, and we initially connected because I think [his wife] Lindsay had just had a kid, and I had just had a kid. And we're talking about our families, and I was like, this guy is really wonderful and I could tell he really cared about what I had to say and was thoughtful in his conversation. And I feel like you don't meet people like that.
What was it like introducing your husband to Untold?
Mark trusted me. He doesn't have the capacity in his day-to-day to extensively research or frequently meet with the people behind these organizations. He asked a lot of questions, but ultimately, he was sold with each interaction I brought him into. All the amazing things I say about Untold, he would echo each sentiment. Being involved has been so impactful and so life giving for our family.
How did your Impact Trip experience influence you and your family?
Pictured here are Emily and Mark’s oldest daughters learning empowerment skills from Untold clients.
I think the initial impetus for our trip was that we had invested in Untold and we wanted to see the work that was happening on the ground, and it far exceeded our expectations in every way. The whole experience was spectacular and it was way beyond anything that I anticipated, both in terms of what we saw and, you know, they do such a good job of organizing the trip in such a way that it gives you a picture of the stages of getting involved from a client’s perspective. From the beginning, to graduation, and everything in between.
So I love being able to really see and experience the work that is done. Whether it's the counseling sessions, the economic empowerment seminars, the church service, and seeing how Untold operates through the local church. Being able to see that and then see the graduation and then the home visits — those were amazing.
It was honestly the best thing as a family that we’ve ever done. The mission of our church is joining Christ daily and we got to see that through Untold’s work.
In honor of Women’s History Month, can you tell us what it looks like for you to be a woman in leadership?
I've been on multiple company boards, whether it's in like lumber and building materials, hospitality, and real estate development, and in many of those cases, I’ve been the only woman on the board. That is always an interesting place to be.
And I tell the girls, every morning, I always say walk in confidence knowing that you are daughters of the most high God. And that's what I want to live into as well. I also think about this Mother Teresa quote that says, “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.”
When I stopped practicing law, I started really intentionally parenting and I consider raising my girls to be my job. I am intentional about the way that we spend our time. I'm intentional about the conversations that we have. I'm intentional about being available - both physically and emotionally for them while discipling them.
Part of celebrating Women’s History Month, is to be engaged in all these things that I'm engaged in, whether it's for my church or leading a Bible study, or chairing the Christmas pageant at the girls’ school, or chairing their Family Office board, or all these other things that I'm able to be involved in. I feel so grateful. I have friends who are doing amazing things career-wise and they’re also moms. I think there’s room for everyone at the table, and it’s really just following where God has you. This is where God has me, and I feel so privileged and grateful.
What advice would you offer someone who's like thinking about partnering with Untold?
It's really easy to judge people. It's really easy to judge this disease. But just like in immigration and policy, all you have to do is sit, talk, and have a conversation with a real person. Imago Dei - every single person, no matter their choice is was made in the image of God, and because of that, everybody is worthy of love and dignity.
So I would say, have a conversation. Meet somebody. Have conversations with the client. Meet someone from Untold and take a breath, pause, and give them a minute to explain the work and the impact that it's having, not just on folks with HIV and AIDS, but on children and communities in East Africa.