I was going to write out the whole story of how we felt led to be a part of TNB but that was taking forever so I'll post the Reader's Digest Version. :)
In the past year I've done some soul searching about what my passions are and where my passions and skills intersect. Through my experience at Gateway, I was developing a heart for children born into dysfunctional homes and to mothers that lacked support in regards to raising their kids. Zach and I had been talking about me possibly switching careers and going back to school to be involved in educating young mothers on the physical and developmental needs of their babies. Foster parenting also was a discussion point many times but several details (us living in our parents' house for the unforeseen future and the cost of a Master's Degree) kept us from pursuing it and the idea of me returning to school for the time being.
In January we traveled to the Dominican Republic to visit our family who were serving with an organization called Crosswinds. Seeing them thriving in their life there and having new experiences and meeting new people none of which would have happened if they had stayed where life was comfortable was truly inspiring. We met young people like us who, while serving in a ministry and community, were working on their Master's degrees online and just enjoying the adventure God had them on. Zach and I started thinking that maybe we should look into being involved in an organization away from home. All throughout our relationship we've dreamt about taking adventures together and experiencing life in other places and what better time than when you don't have kids?
We came home and continued those discussions. At the same time, I was still seeking how God could use my passion for children born into troubled homes without putting us thousands of dollars in debt with student loans. TNB, which I had "liked" on Facebook, kept popping up in my feed about what they were doing as a ministry and their needs. Their biggest need they kept advertising at the time was for mentor couples to come to Florida and come along side the moms as they navigate through the challenges of being single-parents and full time college students and, for some, new believers in Jesus. It was laying heavy on my heart as the verse from Luke 10 kept coming up "the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few." I knew Zach and I had very few excuses not to be physical laborers in a ministry; we don't have kids, we don't own a house, neither of us are locked into a job, and we have a desire to travel and meet new people and help support a small church.
After much prayer, Zach agreed we should reach out to TNB with questions and express our interest. A presentation was being held in April in our church that we hoped would give us more clear direction and it sure did! Throughout we just knew this was a place where we could be used. Zach's love of people and my experience through Gateway seemed like a perfect fit. It was becoming more and more clear that there was not going to be a better time to do something like this farther down the road. The time to take a leap of faith, move across the country, risk starting new jobs and plug into an entirely new community was now!
So that's pretty much the backstory in a nutshell :) We don't know how long we'll be there, it's in God's hands. Let me make one thing clear, though :) We do not believe that God "told us" to go to TNB or Florida. There was no unmistakeable calling or audible voice. We simply desire to be laborers for the Kingdom of God and to bless others. One place we can do that is Florida and one organization to be a part of is TNB. However, we can definitely be laborers here in Leo or bless others in Phoenix. The choice to go to Fort Myers, Florida is to take advantage of the freedom we have at this stage in our marriage to travel and be a part of something new.
We are extremely excited to start this next chapter and to grow in our relationship together, our faith in Christ, and our ability to love and serve others. I hope that I can explore this passion of mine to encourage and support young mothers and change generations of trauma in families and that Zach and I can expand our perspectives on what "family" looks like. Please join us in praying for a smooth transition to Fort Myers, for jobs as we need to both find one, and for our hearts to be prepared to be filled and used for God's glory!
Abby
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