Andrea is a faithful member with a background in psychology and has been coming to Covenant Fellowship since 2012. She lives in West Chester with her husband, Ed, and their four children, and they attend the Peters’ community group. Read on to find out more!
Andrea, what brought you to Covenant Fellowship Church?
My husband, Ed, and I were looking for a church family and a Bible believing church. Covenant fit the way we viewed how we should live out our faith; we loved the small group philosophy of engaging with others in meaningful ways and “doing life” together.
Tell us more about your family.
Ed and I got married in 2007. My children are James (11), Hannah (10), Luke (8), and Isabelle (4). We live in West Chester, PA, though both Ed and I are originally from New Jersey. Ed is an attorney at Wawa and I am mother of 4, very part-time psychologist, and now teaching part-time at Innovate Academy.
I just recently did a trip to Utah with James and Hannah. It was an amazing trip; we got to see four of the beautiful Utah Parks, and they got to experience the hard work of camping in the great outdoors—and yes, that means no utilities or potties!
Where do you currently work?
As a psychologist, I counsel women, children, and teens. This is a humbling profession because I don’t have all the answers and the more I know, the less I feel I really know (if that makes any sense at all!) Currently, I am also working at a Christian school teaching Wellness. I really enjoy both teaching and counseling. I trust that God brings me the people that he wants me to serve, and I feel privileged to work with people, both Christian and non-Christian.
What is your morning routine?
A great morning for me is coffee and Bible time/prayer with my husband and then getting the kids ready for school. If I can get a chance to run or exercise in the woods soon after, my day feels super-blessed (this is rare). Also, I love beautiful fall mornings and walking with my husband or a friend in the woods that backs up to our property.
Do you have any hobbies that people might not know about?
I love doing art. I love to sing and dance. I used to go swing dancing in the 90’s and learned Swing and Lindy Hop. Also, my husband and son just built a chicken coop and we love our chickens, dirty as they are. We were proud to raise them from incubation to full grown chickens!
If you could talk to a younger version of yourself, what advice would you give her?
I think if I was talking to a younger version of myself, I would say enjoy each day, live for God, and don’t worry so much about the future. Plan as best you can and let God do the rest. I love the verse that reads, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).
What is something you are learning in your season of life?
Something I am currently learning in my marriage (and life in general) is to continue to trust God, ask for help when I am struggling, and move forward, even when trials hit and life gets hard. God has put me in unique and challenging trials as He does with all of us. Just after adopting our daughter Isabelle in 2018, I was diagnosed with cancer, and then my husband was taking the first steps for training in his decision to go back into the military/ National Guard Reserves. Then hit the pandemic, which as you all know caused lots of stress and changes with kids in close quarters, Zoom sessions, and not seeing anyone but my family.
With my husband’s decision to go back into the military, I was deeply unsettled and nervous that this would change us forever and that I could not tolerate him leaving for sometimes weeks at a time. I fought him about it for quite a while and became greatly stressed thinking about the time he would be gone. Now, a few years into this venture, I am learning that God can help me do this. I continue to pray for grace and that God would give me strength and joy to serve my children, husband, and country. I continue to ask for grace even though I don’t like my husband leaving and feel inadequate at times. Also, I am made more aware of my need for a community of believers. Overall, I have a deeper dependence and trust that no matter what, God will sustain me, whether I “feel” content on a given day or not. Trials will come but the Lord is and will be my rock—my husband cannot do what God was meant to do, if that makes sense. I pray I can hold onto these truths during harder trials as well.
Can you share about a way that you see God working in a situation you’re facing right now?
I am currently facing some challenges with my daughter. I want to be able to fix things and make her act the way I want her to act but I am continually realizing how inadequate I am, and that I need to serve her in unique and more patient ways. I continue to ask God to give me more of His spirit of patience and joy and repent from my anger or impatient attitude. It’s a challenging season (on Zoom for speech therapy) but it’s also allowed us to be together more this year; for that, I’m grateful. I also feel He has placed people in my life to help me. We started going to Innovate Academy, and her preschool teacher has blessed us so much already. God does help us when we reach out, ask for it, and seek help from others. Also, being vulnerable with our weaknesses allows others to help, and gives us the opportunity to grow. Ultimately, I believe vulnerability and humility change us and allow God to move.
Lastly, how can we be praying for you?
Please pray that God would not allow illness or cancer to return. Pray that He would use me to serve others in ways He has gifted me. Pray that God guides and strengthens me when Ed is away, especially in parenting, which I see as a huge responsibility.
