Meet Barbara Bahr
Meet Barbara Bahr
Hello, church! My name is Barbara, I am 24 years old, and I have been a part of Faith Bible Church since December 2020. That was when I moved back to Texas after graduating nursing school at Liberty University in Virginia to start my career as a nurse in the ER. I had only lived in Texas my senior year of high school prior to university. So when I moved back, I was lacking something that I now believe is one of the most important things a Christ follower can have in their life. Community. And not just any type of community, but one filled with people chasing after God's own heart.
Growing up, I had moved seven times and lived internationally the majority of my upbringing. You would think moving overseas, or even nursing school, was the hardest season of my life. Trust me, those seasons brought many challenges, but to my surprise the hardest season of my life thus far was the one I just faced as a new grad nurse in the middle of a pandemic. Working as a new nurse is hard to begin with, but working as one in an understaffed emergency room with very sick and dying patients made me feel extremely stressed, burnt out, and hopeless. I also only had one or two close companions in town, other than my immediate family, which added to the feeling of isolation.
Just over a year ago, God answered my prayers for community when my mom introduced me to Kayla Jurek, who had started a small Bible study out of her apartment, which I joined. That Bible study has now grown into a whole young adults ministry filled with people who walked with me through some of the hardest parts of my life.
Work still brings its challenges every shift, and life still gets stressful. But now I face these challenges in a new light because intentional, Christ-like people surround me. They remind me in my weakest moments that we serve a God who is greater than our fears and who provides inner strength when we need it most.
And now, through serving in the Young Adults Ministry, I am not only built up and loved by others, but I get the chance to love on others in this community as well. It’s a wonderful thing.
Growing up, I had moved seven times and lived internationally the majority of my upbringing. You would think moving overseas, or even nursing school, was the hardest season of my life. Trust me, those seasons brought many challenges, but to my surprise the hardest season of my life thus far was the one I just faced as a new grad nurse in the middle of a pandemic. Working as a new nurse is hard to begin with, but working as one in an understaffed emergency room with very sick and dying patients made me feel extremely stressed, burnt out, and hopeless. I also only had one or two close companions in town, other than my immediate family, which added to the feeling of isolation.
Just over a year ago, God answered my prayers for community when my mom introduced me to Kayla Jurek, who had started a small Bible study out of her apartment, which I joined. That Bible study has now grown into a whole young adults ministry filled with people who walked with me through some of the hardest parts of my life.
Work still brings its challenges every shift, and life still gets stressful. But now I face these challenges in a new light because intentional, Christ-like people surround me. They remind me in my weakest moments that we serve a God who is greater than our fears and who provides inner strength when we need it most.
And now, through serving in the Young Adults Ministry, I am not only built up and loved by others, but I get the chance to love on others in this community as well. It’s a wonderful thing.
Posted in Faces of Faith