Encouragement & Real Stories of Changed Lives

At NBS2GO our main desire is to see lives changed for eternity. Lean in close and listen to Anna.

My name is Anna. And this is my story.

I became a part of the Brookcliff subdivision community after I married in April of 2003. Within days I was openly welcomed by a walking neighbor, Lilia S., who didn't hesitate to invite me to various Brookcliff activities, but I never seemed to find the time.  It wasn't until May 23, 2017 when I lost my husband to a sudden heart attack that I realized what a truly open, caring, and giving neighborhood community I lived in.

QUILT was the first Bible study I wrote for my neighborhood Bible study group. My desire was to create a simple tool that they could use on a weekly basis to personally mine nuggets of truth and treasures from God’s Word. Instead of listening to me teach every week, we began to gather and share the discoveries and insights that our personal teacher, the Holy Spirit had revealed to us.

As I was praying and waiting on God to guide me – the word “quilt” came to mind. My immediate response was “That’s crazy!” Just then the image of a cherished family heirloom came into my mind. This keepsake was my mother’s child-sized bathrobe made from her great-grandmother’s handstitched Crazy Quilt. I repeated in my mind, Crazy Quilt….and so the study began to take shape.

30 years ago, in January of 1989, a small seed of a Bible study began in my north Atlanta, Georgia neighborhood. Little did I know that it would grow and multiply into a global movement. On May 5, 2010 God gave me the vision for NBS2GO: Neighborhood Bible Study 2GO. In 2013, nbs2go.com was launched.

What started with women inviting neighbors to study Scripture in their homes has spread to men, couples, students, co-workers, friends, and family - gathering to discover God’s life transforming truths. Bible study groups have expanded from neighborhoods to workplaces, coffee shops, dorm rooms, senior living centers, and more.

It was spring again and time for the Annual Egg Hunt in the neighborhood. I was searching for motivation to get this one together...again...by myself. Years earlier when I hosted the first hunt, I had been told to call it an "Egg Hunt", not an "Easter Egg Hunt". I was not permitted to use special messages or symbols inside the eggs to represent the Resurrection of Jesus, in other words - no religious talk. I was told there were people of many faiths, and we did not want to exclude anyone. In addition, for the last two years it was around freezing on the morning of each hunt. Only a few brave souls showed up (got plenty of eggs), then quickly left for home to get warm. So this year I was less than enthusiastic about the gathering. After all, what was the point if I couldn't share the meaning of the holiday?

I’ll never forget the day my husband shared a new ministry principle with me. He suggested, “What if you stopped doing things for people and did things with people?”

That single question revolutionized what it meant for me to truly love my neighbor in ways that included both acts of service and also a relational commitment that changed my neighborhood forever. That year, I began to gather the neighbors together based on what our family already did each day. I was going to live with my neighbor, not simply do tasks for them.