Our Story
Growing up, I remember a lot of Bible crafts in Sunday school.
Joseph and the coat of many colors, David as a shepherd's boy, Solomon's heaping storehouses, Ruth gleaning in the fields.
As I aged, a few details of certain stories stood out to me. In particular, Moses' encounter with the burning bush, Elijah on the mountain while God passed by, and Jacob wrestling with the angel. In contrast to the seeming abstractness of many Bible stories, those accounts struck me as profoundly personal and intentional. I was equally entranced by them as I thought they were unlikely.
However, telling the story of how we've found ourselves pursuing this project is to tell about a startling personal mission revealed when one thinks one is on another path.
It all seemed to begin when I married my best friend two years ago. I thought we were 'settling down.' Our life was deeply ordinary. In retrospect, the first departure came when we realized the path of integrity called for us to part ways with my husband's post-acquisition employer of two years. Where it wasn't exactly convenient, we weren't overly intimidated by the decision. Ultimately our diligence and patience was rewarded in the form of a new job with a company founded on Christian values which (having been based in Van Wert) would have allowed us to spend more time with my family.
Grateful for a win-win, we set about the ordinary business of easing into a new normal. A couple months later, my dad invited a few family members including us to a Christian conference in Columbus which we attended. So many speakers told their personal testimonies that day... Seemingly with a focus on various 'tests of faith' involving invitations to compromise on positions or values, in exchange for incentives. Both my husband and I remarked leaving that we didn't envy their position, and were thankful we seemed to have come out on the other side of our 'test period.'
Next, we were introduced to a mission-driven non-profit. There was high excitement through the interview process, seemingly on both sides. Terry learned the company had been courted by dark political entities and had turned down their money over ideological differences, while also learning that Charlie Kirk's organization was a top client. Having identified a company he wanted to align with, he was determined to show his value and galvanize a place on the team - when they came back with the decision that they simply needed more non-profit experience.
The following day, the new Christian company Terry was working for was rocked by scandal with the return of a leader whom the company had formerly fired on account of unethical conduct. All I can say is, our consciences were united in that we felt very clearly that we needed to respond with a message of non-acceptance. Terry resigned immediately along with a letter to leadership.
I called my dad shortly after. I don't remember anything I said - only what he said. "Well, thank God. He must have such a big plan for Terry that it's taking a lot of work to orchestrate."
I would accept a smaller plan, I thought.
Only days later, Charlie Kirk was murdered.
Oddly, in the days following, one of the contacts we'd kept reached out. He said he had an extra ticket to Charlie Kirk's memorial service and wanted Terry to go with him. We were mystified. Of all people to be considered, why Terry? My husband asked me if he should go. I told him of course he's going.
He called me his first night in Phoenix to tell me about some new acquaintances he'd made, and how over dinner they'd told him to pursue a hobbyist presentation we gave to a small circle of friends a year ago. I assumed they'd had an excitable conversation that would fade once everyone returned home, away from such an emotionally charged event like the memorial of Charlie Kirk... But I know my husband, and I could tell when he returned that something had rooted for him.
When Terry came back he mentioned that his new group of friends thought maybe he and I should pursue this mission together. I laughed.
Within a few weeks I met Terry's new friends, who of all places, turned out to reside in Toledo, OH. We stopped by their house one evening on the way back from spending time on the lake with my family in Angola, IN. It turned out they were serious about the mission they felt Terry (and I?) should embark on. They wanted to help us. They prayed with us and told us they were committed.
On the way home I randomly remembered what led to the hobbyist presentation we gave to friends the year before - which began when we read Jonathan Haidt's book 'The Anxious Generation' together in the car, on a trip from Boston to Vermont... The same weekend we decided Terry should leave his original employer. We stared at each other, contemplating the idea that our next chapter may have been in the works all along.
After a few minutes I pulled myself out of my reverie to check the calendar. Our friends wanted to follow up in three weeks with next steps. I gasped when I realized that three weeks to the day fell squarely on.... Our wedding anniversary.
All this brings me back to the idea of Moses as a young man, growing up in Pharaoh's court... He probably thought he knew what path he was on in life. And then one day, an unexpected event led to another and another. Suddenly he's in the desert with a bush that's burning and talking - and he realizes everything is about to change.