Kansas City | jensensnjapan

Ministry in Kansas City

Returning home to the US after serving in South Korea, Ben took a position as the Director of Youth and Families at New Hope PCA in Olathe, Kansas. We got married and served together in the youth and young adults' ministries at our new church. Ben also led short-term missions trips, directed an ESL outreach program, organized evangelism in the surrounding neighborhoods, and directed a children's catechism club. We both served on the missions and Christian education committees at our church and enjoyed being leaders at VBS. Not wanting to move from Olathe right away to go to school, Ben began working on his Masters of Divinity at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City with some online classes from Reformed Theological Seminary. He graduated with his Masters of Divinity in 2010, is liscensed to preach, and is seeking ordination in Heartland Presbytery. Ben served at New Hope for over 8 years and received the church's blessing and financial support as we transitioned to new ministry as long-term missionaries with MTW.

While we've been living in Olathe, Julie taught Kindergarten at a Christian school for 5 years and also worked at the preschool at our church. Later she transitioned to teaching a PreK class at an early childhood center. After the birth of our son, she began her own licensed home day care and cared for children from 3 other families in our home.