Meet Amber, Jonah’s Journey Caseworker
Meet Amber McClurkan, Jonah’s Journey Caseworker.
Amber joined the Jonah’s Journey family in November of 2015 as a bright addition to our staff. She grew up in Cookeville, just around the corner from our home office, and graduated from Tennessee Tech. She now lives in East Nashville with her husband David, who is a Nurse Practitioner. Amber loves all things outdoors, but especially enjoys traveling and backpacking her way to both new exciting and old familiar places. That sense of adventure makes her the perfect person to jump head first into the challenges and rewards that Jonah’s Journey brings.
What brought her to Jonah’s Journey:
Since I’m from the Nashville area, I had friends who were considering becoming caregivers through Jonah’s Journey. They introduced me to the ministry, and as I prayed with them and supported them through their decision to join Jonah’s Journey, I also fell in love with the story of redemption this organization represents.
What makes her perfect for the job:
At a young age, I was a witness to the destructive power of addiction in the life of a loved one. Along with that, I was able to see the healing power of a community that is dedicated to standing in the gap for those in need. Later, through an internship at a domestic violence shelter, that passion for preserving families and caring for women and children in hard places was even more solidified. This has always been it for me- social work and behavior health is my calling.
Her favorite thing about Jonah’s Journey:
I was first drawn to the strong connection that Jonah’s Journey emphasizes with birth families. I love that if you can pour into that birth family, that’s where true change comes on a generational level. Caregivers who invest in a birth mother see amazing results, and even if hard times come for the mom, her first call will be that family who showed such love to her.
On how the community can be involved:
First, we need people to pray. Pray that God will send more workers, more families, and pray about whether that family might be yours. And pray for our birth moms and birth families.
Second, come to an interest meeting. If you’re not in Nashville, look into foster care options in your own city. If you aren’t ready for full time fostering, respite care is a great option. By providing respite care, you’re serving the families and children who are involved in Jonah’s Journey caregiving. Respite provides a great introduction to the work that Jonah’s Journey families do.
To anyone thinking of becoming a Jonah’s Journey caregiver:
The Lord will truly equip you, but you must be absolutely dependent on Him throughout the journey. Foster care isn’t something that can be done well in your own strength. Get your community involved, get plugged into a church, and invite others on this journey with you. Build up a support network of families and individuals within your church or community who will support you and point you to Jesus when you’re uncertain. And ask someone to pray with you as you consider it—I wouldn’t be here today if someone hadn’t asked me to pray about this work with them.
Anything else?
Even if you aren’t ready to be involved as a full-time caregiver, you can be involved in this mission. You can provide respite care, relief care, or come alongside one of our moms and help them. This task is bigger than one family caring for one child. If it’s not feasible for you to take in a child at this time, there are tons of ways to still be a part of this mission. Join us and Make Their Journey Yours!
