Not many people are willing to leave their well-paying jobs, sell their home, and start home schooling their two sons to follow God’s leading. William and Ronja Butler of Urbandale are not most people.

The vision for Thomas Lift came a little over 4 years ago while the family was driving from state to state with Ronja’s work as a lawyer. “God was very specific with us when we got this vision,” William says. “God was pulling us to use our creative talents and skills to glorify his name primarily through graphic design and visual art and clothing.” After much prayer and submission, William and Ronja both left their jobs and have been following God’s leading ever since.

“The primary focus and vision for Thomas Lift is to create clothing that glorifies God,” William says. “From the design to making of it, to the transportation of it, the selling of it, and the wearing of it. It all needs to convey God’s love.” The goal is to produce a line of clothing that is great quality and modest.

This vision has led the family to Jamaica and Camden, New Jersey. Jamaica was once home to numerous garment factories, but much of the work has moved to Asia, leaving hundreds of thousands of factory workers unemployed. Camden is located on the Delaware River with access to the Atlantic Ocean, making it an ideal port for transferring goods into the country.

Both communities are impoverished and full of people who are hurting. The Butlers plan to have a garment factory in Jamaica and a finishing facility in Camden for printing and adding embroidery on clothing.

Four years later, Thomas Lift still doesn’t have a t-shirt for sale, but they are getting close. It’s frustrating not to have any tangible representation for all their sacrifice and hard work, but William and Ronja are being obedient and waiting for God’s perfect timing to launch the clothing line. Rather than taking the easy way out and just printing any shirt to get started, the Butlers are committed to producing a clean product.

As the Butlers began researching the garment industry and the process of how clothing is made, they learned how corrupt the industry is. When they produce a garment, they want to know every part of it is made responsibly. “Even if it’s made in America, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s made in a clean way,” William says. “Profit is the primary motivation for business, and for us it’s not.”

The Butlers want the clothing of Thomas Lift to provide jobs that pay an honest wage in an industry where slavery is a reality. When they open their factory in Jamaica, they want to provide the workers and their children with two meals a day and they want to provide childcare for the workers. They also want to build a school for the workers' children and the community.

Thomas Lift is rooted in the words of Isaiah 61. “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (Isaiah 61:1-3)

From this, they created Mission 61 to provide economic opportunities in impoverished areas. Once Thomas Lift is up and running, they will give 90 percent of the profits through Mission 61 to restore broken lives and communities. “We want to live simply and give generously,” William says.

The name, Thomas Lift, is a code word of sorts. It generates conversation. “Thomas refers to Thomas the disciple and lift points to Jesus,” William says. But further prodding, reveals a deeper meaning. “The picture of Thomas is a picture of our society,” William says. “The one thing that plagues us day in and day out is the burden of doubt.”

In the Gospels, Thomas tells the disciples that he can’t believe Jesus is risen unless he sees him with his eyes and touches him with his hands. “Thomas’ heart was crying out for what our hearts are crying out for—a real, live, encounter with Jesus,” William says. Jesus appears to Thomas and calls him to “go and cause belief.”

“The heartbeat of Thomas Lift is to have creative opportunities to cause belief,” William says.

The Butlers have spent the past four years in the field, sewing seeds and preparing for a harvest of sorts. “It’s been a long season of sewing,” William says. “But to me that’s a great indicator of the kind of harvest God is preparing.”

Currently, the Butlers are looking for investors so they can open a factory in Jamaica, as well as a shipping and receiving facility in Camden. They are planning to use money from the sale of their home to start producing clothing and distributing it locally this summer.

While clothing is a primary focus of Thomas Lift, the Butlers also communicate their vision through William’s paintings and graphic design. Original paintings, prints, and faith magnets can be purchased at Thomaslift.com. William also does live paintings as part of worship services. Thomas Lift was invited to be a vendor at OneThing, a young adult conference sponsored by The International House of Prayer for the last two years. This has been a great opportunity to expose the brand to a larger community.

The Butlers may not know what the future holds for Thomas Lift, but one thing is certain: “As we are faithful, he is faithful,” William says. “His abundance is greater than our imagination.”