We Didn't See It Coming — But He Did

"Lord, would you provide a house close to Gospel Hope Church or show us what's next." — January 2025

Three Years in Atlanta

We have been here in Atlanta, GA for three years now. What started out as one year of "on the job training" turned into three. When Pastor Ryan invited us to be a part of the residency training he offered at Gospel Hope, we had two feelings. One, we have been in the game long enough — it's time to get busy (aka we don't need more training, we need to just get on the mission field). Two, we have no idea what we are doing!

Something Was Still Missing

We were told over and over by mission organizations that they had just the right place for us. To be fair, on paper we do have a lot of training and missional life experience. With all that, though, something was still missing. We knew it, the Lord knew it, and He provided like He always does.

What unfolded over the next three years is a beautiful tapestry I'm going to do my best to describe for you.

Residency, Roots, and Spanish Lessons

We started residency with a few other couples and individuals — classes every other Thursday and responsibilities at the church the other days of the week. Tyler was offered a staff position on top of residency to make his time at the church full time. This was wonderful because it gave him more time to put into practice what he was learning. When we considered what the Lord might have for us next, we had a burden for the Latin community. While one of our other couples in the group, Ben and Maria Canfield, were headed to plant a church in Puerto Rico, we started learning Spanish together with the help of our Spanish pastor on campus.

Staying, Growing, and Being Refined

Residency came to a close and Tyler was asked to go through elder training and stay on staff. The Lord hadn't sent us on our way yet, so we stayed on — many more hours of on the job training. Tyler was starting to understand more clearly the gifts he had been given. We walked through difficult days at the church, still the Lord teaching and refining. Tyler was depending less and less on himself and more on Christ. With that came confidence in who he is in Christ. It became clear that he is a campaigner — someone who rallies the troops, who can see a vision and figure out how to make it happen. He thrives when he is on a team, working alongside others.

Throwing Out the Fleece

All along, the Lord was refining our hearts, showing us more of who He is and giving us His heart for the people around us. We were learning to enjoy Him in all things. We came to January 2025 and were asked to stay on staff. Tyler was really enjoying his roles at Gospel Hope — but the plan was not to stay here or was it. Is this what you have for us, Lord? That's when we threw out our white fleece:

"Lord, would you provide a house close to Gospel Hope Church or show us what's next."

The Community We Longed For

We knew that if we were going to stay long term, we had to get closer to the church. Although we loved where we had been living, it was 35 minutes away. We knew that to really reach a community, you need to be in the community, doing life side by side. We also knew the distance was taking a toll on our family. We always wanted our children to be doing life and ministry alongside us. So, Lord — what do you want us to do? Will you show us in this next year?

Puerto Rico and the Call Forward

Five months later, Ben — from our residency group, now living in Puerto Rico for a year — asked us to pray about joining their team. We started asking the Lord if this was it. We had a trip already planned to Puerto Rico that June, so we considered it a vision trip as well.

When the Storms Rolled In

After we got back in June, our lives started to get heavy. Big health issues in our families, relationship struggles, out-of-the-ordinary financial strain — and on top of all that, overwhelming thoughts of self-doubt and self-worth. When that started, the lightbulb went off. This is spiritual warfare. Our God is not the accuser. So what Satan meant to scare us off, God used as confirmation that we were headed in the right direction.

The Tapestry

Now we just need to wade through the logistics of moving a family across the ocean and bringing on the people to help us get there — and do whatever it is the Lord has placed ahead of us.

Can you see the tapestry? All the people and places lined up in just the right time and order to get us where we need to be. All glory to His name! We are here, enjoying our King and waiting with anticipation for what He's going to do next.