When I moved to New York four years ago I had so many plans — plans of who I would meet, where I would go and what I would do. But in all the plans I had made, none of them included moving to New Jersey or working for a church.

It’s hard to believe that I started working at Hoboken Grace two years ago, and even harder to believe that time has come to an end. As I head back to Florida to start a new chapter, there’s so much I’ll take with me from my time here. I couldn’t possibly fit it all in one blog post, but here are a few things.

1). It’s not about you

After a year of living and working in the city, I started to outgrow my job and began looking for a new one. Every avenue I explored led to a dead end. I grew frustrated but kept searching anyway. One day while scrolling though Facebook, I saw an ad for a communications assistant at Hoboken Grace. The description sounded like a perfect fit, so I applied but didn’t think much of it.

I was so excited when I landed the job and chalked it up to an answered prayer and something to check off my list. But I quickly learned that was a one-dimensional way of seeing things and God. Shortly after joining the staff, Rachel, the communications director at the time, was called away from work to care for her mother, who was terminally ill.  I had to take just a couple weeks of training and dive in. During that time, I realized that it wasn’t just about my story and my timing. I thought back to the time it took me to find a new job and how I began to grow frustrated with how long it was taking.  I began to see how God intricately weaves our stories with other people’s stories.  I realized God had placed me there at the right time because he knows all and knows best. God has given all of us the ability to impact and love others, even in the smallest ways.

2). Growth is necessary 

If there’s one thing I’m sure of after my time at Hoboken Grace, it’s that I’ve definitely grown. I’ve grown as an individual and my husband and I have grown as a family. Whether it was creating and implementing a life plan, attending dinner group, taking the premarital and NINE classes or learning how to manage money in FPU, over the past few years I have been able to grow in every area of my life. I’ve come to understand that growth is important and that it never stops. God constantly wants to teach us and show us new things that will help us in our walk with Him and to love those around us better.

3). Lead in love 

What I’ll miss the most about working at Hoboken Grace are the people. I may be a bit biased, but my coworkers are the best on the the planet. I can truly say it was a pleasure working alongside them every day. I learned what it looks like to trust God and love people through everything — through joy, pain, wins and losses. I watched them leverage everything for the mission. I saw what it looks like to lead with grace and love. I learned how to use the gifts God has given me to serve others.

Now as I head to Florida to embark on a new journey of becoming a parent and building a home, I look back on all the lessons I learned, the relationships I built and the memories I’ve made, and I’m so grateful for my time at Hoboken Grace. I don’t know exactly what God has in store, but I’m excited for what the future holds and I know that I’m much more equipped and better prepared to to impact and love the people around me.