John and Kirsten R. Moore

In 2005, John Moore and Kirstin Roseveare met at TeenPact Colorado. John, from Arkansas, was staffing the Colorado class. Kirstin, a resident of Colorado, was a returning student. When they met at that class, they had no idea that their paths would cross again a few years later. 

After serving as Interns with TeenPact (John in 2006 and Kirstin in 2008), they moved on to pursue further education, John completing his bachelor’s degree at Bryan College in Tennessee, and Kirstin obtaining her cosmetology license as well as a business degree from Colorado State University. In 2010, John and Kirstin reconnected at the wedding of John’s sister, Lily. They discovered that they had many mutual interests, a similar upbringing, and the common ground of their TeenPact experiences. John was determined to get to know Kirstin better in spite of their distance.

This time, their connection led to marriage, beginning their first year as husband and wife with a trip around the world. “We chose to have a family right away so our travel adventures were limited to visiting nine countries.” John always jokes that they wanted their first child to have the opportunity to run for president one day if they wanted. 

Fast forward to this year, John and Kirstin took their oldest two children to TeenPact’s One Day Class in Colorado, held for students aged 8 to 12 years old. John’s parents, Burton and Sarah Moore, long-time TeenPact supporters, were also able to attend along with their grandchildren. John and Kirstin reflect on what they learned from TeenPact and why they choose to participate in TeenPact with their own children.

“When I was 12, I attended my first One Day class. As I defended my bill from the well, I recall finding a courage that I had never felt before. I had always been shy, but that day something changed,” John recalls.

For both John and Kirstin, TeenPact gave them leadership experiences that would have been difficult to gain elsewhere, especially at that age. “Our time in TeenPact helped to form in us a civic acumen and taught us how to stand up and act,” John says.  

John further explains how TeenPact influenced both Kirstin and him. “Learning about civic duty at a young age filled in a lot of gaps for us. Parents can explain how legislation works, but TeenPact allowed us as kids to experience the process by actually writing and debating mock bills and running for office.

TeenPact connected us to the basics of government, helped us to understand that our system is ‘of the people,’ and showed us that we could be involved, even at a young age.”

Kirstin relates, “Attending the TeenPact One Day Class this year allowed our older two children to gain a better understanding of how our state government works. It was great for our children to be introduced in an experiential way to the capitol and our political system. They even exchanged letters with their representative.” John says about his kids’ time at the One Day Class, “It’s really great that our kids were able to experience the legislative process in this way!”

While they see being involved politically as an important part of the civic duty they are teaching their children, John and Kirstin are firm believers in finding God in the mundane and ordinary parts of life. Their faith intersects with every aspect of life from growing a garden with their children to celebrating the seasons of the faith. Living in the tensions of the abundant life in Christ and the present suffering and sin of this world gives ample opportunity to help their children know and love God. 

“We aren’t trying to ‘change the world’ in the same big ways we once dreamed of—instead, we are raising children, a far greater dream than we ever imagined.

If Christ is at work in our lives, He will bring the change He desires in us and the world,” John says.

John and Kirstin are grateful to stand on their parent’s shoulders in their faith, for the opportunity to homeschool, and are especially glad they got to bring their own kids to TeenPact.