Tony and Kim - Our Intersecting Lives
From the earliest days of his childhood, Tony was finding ways to get into trouble, and by the time his age had reached double digits, he had moved on to robbery and other violent crimes. He found himself in and out of juvenile detention starting from the early age of eleven, eventually committing more and more serious crimes. His life was one of aggression and transgression, and when he turned seventeen, he simply transitioned from one corrections system to another – from the juvenile courts to the adult ones. Every time he faced a new punishment, he served his time, his mindset going unchanged, his behaviors becoming only more radical every single year.
While Kim was certainly never put on trial or charged with any crimes, she faced a prison of her own making. Alcohol was around her from the time that she was a little girl, and the partying lifestyle felt natural to her. Although she grew up in a Catholic home, the Gospel and Jesus’ teachings bore little weight on her upbringing. After her second marriage ended, Kim felt like her life had ended. She lost all her money, all her income, her entire nest egg, and her family. Everything Kim had ever known came crashing down around her. On top of everything, she was over 40 pounds overweight, and her self-esteem was at an all-time low. The devastation that Kim felt – in her mid 50’s – was tremendous.
But God had a plan.
In June 2017, Tony and Kim’s stories – in their beautiful, winding ways – had come to intersect. God put them together at Southeast Christian Church. They recognized in one another the incredible transformations that they had undergone. That was a special commonality that Tony and Kim shared, and it just made sense for them to move forward together and to be obedient to God’s calling. The attraction, as well, was spellbinding. It was a love unlike any other either of them had ever experienced – because it was a love based firmly in God’s wisdom and all His infinite power. It was a love based in faith and trust that God’s hand was involved.
Following His will, Tony and Kim are working together as missionaries with an organization called Team Expansion. In the first eleven months of their ministry, they had celebrated 114 baptisms, today that number is over 460, and all glory is to God and His name. They want only to serve Him and to live according to his Word as revealed in the Bible – Team Expansion and God have helped them to do that over and over, helping them to understand their roles and their potential and supporting them graciously every step of the way.
Christ taught Tony and Kim that sharing the Gospel and living the Gospel is about one thing – relationships. In their case these relationships are not just with the incarcerated but with their families as well. Their ministry provides spiritual guidance and moral support that has an impact on the lives of the incarcerated and their families. Tony and Kim are serious in the command to “Go and make disciples… teach them to obey all that I have commanded, and I will be with you to the ends of the Earth.” This is why the work that they are doing is of the utmost importance. It is not about their stories but about God’s story and the souls that are in waiting.