Hi, my name is Jenifer. Growing up, I was extremely shy. I was the child whose head was anchored to her body, as I held it low to the ground, refusing to respond to adults’ questions. This made my mother very impatient and angry, leading her to eventually answer the questions asked for me. I was born in Melbourne, Florida, but was constantly moving every three or four years because of my dad’s job, which was hard for me. One of houses I lived in had a treehouse in the backyard. The smell of fresh cut grass, a crisp, cool breeze, and autumn leaves falling from the treetops to the ground is a vivid image in my memory of this house. I also grew up in Texas suburbs, outside of Austin, Dallas, and Houston and presently live in a suburb outside of Houston as well. Now, the diversity of my community is completely different compared to how it was when I was younger, because it wasn’t like this at all. When I was young, I aspired to become a veterinarian because I loved animals and the James Herriot All Creatures Great and Small books. As I got older, I decided that I wanted to be a teacher because I had an amazing fourth and fifth grade teacher named Miss Cole. She was a woman with thin and poofy poodle-like dark hair, with a narrow face and sharp nose. Her voice was musical but sounded like a shrill in the times when she got mad. She also always wore skirts, never pants. I wanted to be just like her. 

As I have grown up, I have come to realize the value of my morals. Kids matter most to me and protecting kids is something that should matter to all of us. Kids are the future of our world and they deserve love, respect and protection. I am the director of disability ministries at my church. I love my job because I get to minister to kids and adults with disabilities. I am a Christian, and faith is an asset in my life. Jesus is the most important thing to me! Some people think that my job is really challenging and don’t understand how I am able to work every single Sunday. I wish that they could see and know how wonderful it is to get to love on kids and spread the Gospel because it is so special! Sundays are fast-paced with kids running, jumping, laughing, singing, and having fun. There’s so much energy in the air it feels electric. It’s also interspersed with moments of kids grabbing my hand with their sticky, creative, fingers, faces with soft smiles, and voices overflowing with worship. I value happiness, love, and peace for all people. By serving these kids, I get the opportunity to implant kindness and joy into their hearts and lives. My own kids matter to me just as much as the kids I serve weekly. My current dreams are to see my children settled in adulthood and be content.  

In life, I have learned a lot from experience. One piece of advice I’d give to you is to not be afraid to mess up! We all make mistakes, and instead of letting it bring you down, learn from them. It’s also okay to not always be right and I wish that someone would have taught me this lesson sooner.