Hey
Everyone! My name is Joni (it’s really
Joan, but please, call me Joni!) I’m so
excited God has called me to this next step in my life journey, an 11 month
adventure called The World Race. I can’t
wait to meet my amazing teammates, travel to many diverse destinations, trust
God at a whole new level, and discover more and more and more of His beautiful
heart!
My
first missions experience was during my last year of pharmacy school. I traveled with a medical team to Nairobi,
Kenya. The medical part of the trip was
fine, but the bottom line was I fell in love with Africa, the beautiful people,
and especially the kiddos.
I’ve
spent the last 5 years working as a pharmacist in a couple of hospitals in
Fargo, ND, teaching some at the College of Pharmacy I graduated from (LOVED
this!!!), and traveling with friends to various destinations where God is
really moving (Kansas City, MO, Redding, CA, Lakeland, FL, The CALL DC, Toronto,
etc.) desiring more of Him. It
definitely feels to me like it’s been a season of preparation. God’s being undoing my old, religious way of
thinking and leading me into the reality of a love relationship with Him. He’s been showing me who He really is; His
love, His goodness, His kindness, His grace, His mercy.
This
past March He opened the door for me to return to Africa (Yay!), this time to
Maputo, Mozambique to volunteer at an Iris Ministries’ Children’s Center. This was truly life-changing for me. Loving the children, praying and singing over
them, playing with them in the sand, etc. felt like one of the simplest things
I’ve ever done, yet one of the holiest, most valuable things I’ve ever done. God taught me so much about the way of Love,
and stopping for the one He puts in your path.
Over
the past few months, He has really increased the burden on my heart for orphans
and given me a new burden for victims of human trafficking. He’s also given me a desire to go and to see
what He is doing all over the world, and how He loves His world! When I heard about the World Race it seemed
to be a perfect fit. It’s time for an
adventure with Jesus!!
And
now for some fun random facts about me:
I grew
up on a farm in Montana; I love flowers & colors & sunsets; Sweet Ginger
Peach Tea is a staple; I’ve been kissed by an elephant!; Sometimes when I laugh really
hard I start to hyperventilate (and I love it); I ran the Chicago Marathon the year
it was stopped due to heat/humidity; I can’t wait to go back to South Africa; When
I was 10 I wanted to be the first female coach in the NFL (for the Broncos); I’ve
never seen the movie Fargo (and I don’t have the accent); I’ve recently discovered I
love watercolors.
