I grew up in Tennessee on 200 acres of farmland that has been in my family for over 100 years. My father still farms this acreage as a hobby, raising cattle, pigs, and hay. My mother also grew up on a farm, learning how to be self-sufficient by canning and preserving what they grew. Needless to say, farming is in my blood, and I inherited the love for it.

Working outdoors around the farm was a big part of my childhood and left me with many happy memories. Physically it was tiring, and at times I probably complained about it, but the opportunities for conversation and bonding over a sense of accomplishment make this type of work special to me. It wasn’t until I moved to college that I realized how much the farm meant. One weekend I convinced a few girlfriends to come home with me to help work a friend’s tobacco crop. They laughed, but came for the adventure and the possibility of home-cooked food. If you have ever worked tobacco, you know it is not enjoyable work. We got through it and we have remained friends, but they still joke about how I lured them to do hard work because I thought it was fun.

I shared the above background to give you an idea of why my move to the Northeast was initially so difficult. So, how did I get from the green hills of Tennessee to sandy, rocky New England? One Sunday, when leaving our little PCA church, my mom handed me a Presbyterian newspaper. There was an advertisement on the back for RP Missions. She encouraged me to look over the mission opportunities. I was graduating college soon and this would be a good time to go before I settled into a job.

I applied to RP Missions and was placed on the Airdrie, Scotland, team in 2002. The work in Airdrie went well and I met many great people. I returned home to Tennessee and took an engineering position at my dad’s factory. My path felt safe and spiritually I felt quite solid. The ministry needs around me were familiar, so I set myself to work.

Be Careful What You Pray For

A few years later, though, I started to feel a longing to do more. I was single, lived alone, and wanted more involvement in something. I had activities outside of work, like sports, youth group, and counseling, but I felt unsettled. I thought of RP Missions and contacted Matt Filbert about joining another mission team. With my work constraints, White Lake Covenanter Camp was the best fit. I’m thankful I was sent there for many reasons (because I love this camp), but mainly it was where I met my husband.

Jonathan and I got engaged one year after meeting at camp. While engaged, he had taken a mechanical engineering job in Providence, R.I. The job was only part of the reason he was lured there. Several people from his home church, Syracuse, N.Y., RPC, were living in Providence and hoping to start a church there. Jonathan wanted to be part of the work, as did I. “This is where God is sending me to work,” I thought to myself, “just as I prayed.” We planned that living here would be temporary, maybe five years, then we would move to Syracuse or Tennessee to be close to family. Someone asked me if we planned on raising a family in New England, to which I said no. I did not want to raise my kids where they could not feel as “free” as I did growing up.

Once married, Jonathan and I moved into an apartment north of Providence. I hate to say it, but in my mind the honeymoon period ended quickly. The apartment was noisy, with no air conditioning (10 years later I still complain about the lack of air conditioning in the North), and there was no grass. I know these are silly, first-world problems—but did I mention that it was noisy and there was no grass? Back in Tennessee, the noisiest day of the year was when we weaned the calves from their mothers. That was nothing. I began to get excited whenever the Red Sox or Patriots were playing because only then were the streets quiet since people stayed home to watch the game.

When I walked to the laundromat, in typical Southern fashion, I attempted to make eye contact and speak with people. It never worked; up here people like to keep their distance till they know you. When I did talk with people, many times they could not understand my accent. If I wanted chai tea or rye bread (anything that included the long “i” sound) I would just give up and spell it out. At my job, “Git ’er dun” was a popular phrase said to me. I began to despise Larry the Cable Guy for this signature line and the stereotype he had created. There were jokes about toothless people and Southerners’ view of politics. Any talk of religion would not only make people uncomfortable and standoffish, but even anger some. A common reply was, “I am all set, I go to mass sometimes.” Once someone asked if I was an evangelical because they thought it meant I believed I was “angel like.” Many thought self-sufficiency and farming were what people did who had no other choice. Pets were equal—and sometimes greater—than human beings, and any word of guns was scandalous. Though I was a day’s drive from home, it seemed no one spoke a familiar language to me.

I admit, I started to get bitter. Everything felt hectic, crowded, confused—like it was moving about aimlessly at a fast pace. I missed my family, especially when I missed important events (births of nieces and nephews, passing of grandparents, holidays, etc.). I was struggling spiritually. I felt tossed and turned by the pace around me. Other than my church family, there were few Christians and little encouragement. Sundays were spent giving rides to worship and cooking and hosting meals. Less time was left on the Sabbath to rest and read. My temper was shorter and I felt less stable. I began to sympathize with Jonah’s feelings towards Nineveh, thinking this place deserved God’s judgment. But we know these feelings were not right; we know that God had unexpected mercy on Nineveh. Although Jonathan and I were looking for jobs outside New England, nothing seemed to emerge. But God had us here for a reason. I could continue to dislike the people and my situation, or I could roll up my sleeves and work, just as I had labored on the farm back home. The type of work and the type of people were different, but God was equipping me to do it.

Hard Does Not Always Equal Bad

I have been refined and sanctified by laboring here, and at a more rapid rate than before, like a stone in a rushing stream. My weaknesses have been revealed and there is no other place to turn but God. I have missed my family greatly at times, but I have found peace in God. I have missed what was stable and calm from my past, but I have learned to hold fast to God, who is always stable and calm. I have learned to put the pursuit of familiar comforts behind me and I have found contentment in new things. A comfortable and easy life should not be my goal.

Jonathan and I now have three young children. Unlike we had previously planned, we are raising our children here. It will not be like either of our upbringings. Their faith will be questioned and they will be exposed to much more than we were at a young age; but by God’s grace, they will be refined and we will be able to help them stay the course. God is in control no matter where our children are raised.

New England Has Many Gems to Offer

There are now many things I love about New England. One is the beaches and how close they are; from the sandy ones great for swimming, to the gorgeous rocky ones filled with tidal pools offering endless exploration opportunities for our kids. I love nature and I love the beauty of the unique landscape here. Eating fresh seafood is also a major perk. We have a local seafood market that has educated me about what is in season and how to cook it (I love connecting with my community in ways like this).

The richness of history in the area is also a bonus. There are too many major historical markers to mention less than one hour’s drive from us. Our kids love to visit the Mayflower. I personally, have a special fondness for the historic plantations and farms. Whaling history (and whale watching), art museums, historic coastal towns, sail boating, miles of stone walls, Moon Jelly hunting (a type of glowing jellyfish), lovely fall colors, summer shack clam cakes and ice cream on the boardwalk—can you tell that this place has become special to me?

Our family has settled on a small homestead that is quiet and has grass. We are blessed to be able to do a bit of gardening and raise a few animals. It provides us with plenty of outdoor work which facilitates those family opportunities for conversations and bonding—just as I fondly remember with my family back in Tennessee. Our main focus, though, is serving and ministering in the “fields” of New England; to bring God’s kingdom forth in an area that greatly needs it. The ministry is very different from the Bible Belt area I grew up in, but it is God who makes us–His tools—effective. Workers here are few here, and the barren fields need sowing. I am thankful God has placed our family to be a part of His work in New England.