Imagining and Working Together
“If you have come here to help me
you are wasting your time,
but if you have come because
your liberation is bound up with mine,
then let us work together.”
― Lilla Watson
Melissa J. Ledbetter
El Paso, TX – Atlanta, GA
Lead Coach | Desire Street Ministries
Director of Adult Programs | Ciudad Nueva
Melissa is a leadership coach and workshop facilitator, with training in ITC mapping and transformational coaching. She’s lived across cities and cultures in South, Central and North America as a teenager, single twenty-something, wife, and mom of 4. Her experiences have taught her the need to understand life from multiple vantage points, and she loves to write and communicate about navigating daily challenges through funny stories that are often all around us if we’re looking for them. She believes the impact of various kinds of trauma is far greater than we often know, and she is passionate about bringing truth to light and walking with others to experience God’s hope, healing and restoration.
While raising their kids with Nate and attempting to manage their small in-home petting zoo (currently made up of cats and a hedgehog), Melissa serves as a coach with Desire Street Ministries in Atlanta, GA, as part of a team working to encourage, equip and connect leaders in under-resourced communities throughout the Southeast and Southwest. Melissa is also the Director of Adult Programs at Ciudad Nueva in the Rio Grande District of El Paso, TX.
Nate D. Ledbetter
El Paso, TX-Juárez, MX
Partnerships + Engagement
Nate brings over two decades of experience in community development, nonprofit leadership, and pastoral work, with a background in Big Picture strategy, vision, and relationship-building. At Abara, he leads Partnerships and Engagement, fostering connections that bridge divides and inspire collaborative action. He is also guiding a capital campaign for a future Borderland Center for Beloved Community.
Nationally, Nate serves as a coach with the Flourishing Congregations Initiative via CCDA, helping congregations move from community isolation to active neighborhood partnerships. Locally, he serves on the board of Ciudad Nueva, a neighborhood-rooted CDC focused on developing youth, equipping leaders, supporting families, and strengthening community bonds.
With Michigan roots, Nate’s journey includes lived experience in Historic South Atlanta, the West Side of Chicago, West Charlotte, and the U.S.-MX border, informed by local and global community leaders. Describing himself as a co-learner, he is dedicated to resourcing, encouraging, and guiding leaders. His work centers on embodied faith, justice, equity, peace-building, and mutual learning—values underscored by dignity and neighboring, which he sees as vital for cultivating community wellness and flourishing neighborhoods.
Supported by an M.A. in Theology and Intercultural Studies and certificates in Christian Community Development, Cultural Intelligence, Advanced Circle Facilitation, and Nonviolence365® via The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Nate’s work is grounded in values of dignity, mutuality, and solidarity. He has a contemplative side, loves basketball, beatboxing, and sharing stories. He and Melissa celebrate 22 years of marriage, are raising four teenagers, and reside in El Paso, TX.
Additional Resources:
Nate has developed Thriving City Blocks: An Interactive Journal for Loving Your Neighborhood Well and Ethical Storytelling: Simple Steps for Honoring the Story of Others. His current project, Keep the Bread Fresh: Listening in Response to the Cries of Our Time, reflects his commitment to deep listening and dignified storytelling.