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Being a “life-giver” is the passion of my life! When Tom and I decided to form a non-profit organization several years ago, we came up with the name Life Givers International Ministries. Based on the scripture John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life and life MORE abundantly”, we felt we identified our mission in life… and we are carrying out that mission until this day. Many of you may be wondering what Tom Jones’ wife is like… so this blog provides a great venue for me to tell you a little about what I have been doing to stay true to my life’s mission.
Practicing as a registered nurse for many years, I advanced my professional education and became a Certified Nurse Midwife and Family Nurse Practitioner. I found my ‘niche’ in nursing to care for women and children primarily…and, I became a “life-giver” in the labor room. It was wonderful! I have enjoyed a successful career in nursing; however, I also knew that I was called to co-labor with God as a midwife and birth supernatural things to advance His Kingdom here on earth. As I realized I could use my professional training to teach others how to live healthier lives, I began to lead medical and dental teams across the globe to serve the poor with “free medical care”. As a direct result of these trips, the Lord impressed me to develop a more sustainable model of medical missions entailing teaching national leaders about health promotion and disease prevention. The intent is that the leaders train others to take ownership of their individual communities and begin a “REVIVAL OF HEALTH”.
Upon completion of a PhD in Public Health, I assembled a team of medical professionals to write a curriculum based on health promotion that is geared for Bible School Students. The LifeGate Project has now been piloted in Mozambique, South Africa, and Peru over the past five years. We are now ready to publish the project manual that covers basic public health concerns of clean water, sanitation, hygiene, malaria prevention, first aid, prevention of dehydration, and women’s health. I have also trained Kenyan Traditional Birth Attendants (TBSs) in midwifery skills to address maternal-child health issues in high risk areas for infant and maternal morbidity and mortality. This summer I will be traveling five-weeks to Kenya, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, and Puerto Rico to work with various populations in health promotion, disease prevention, and disaster management.
Currently, I am working as an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. Lee University is a Christian university where I am able to fulfill one component of my life’s mission of teaching students who will follow behind me in the nursing profession. Although I am unable to travel with Tom as much as I would like to, I am busy holding down the home-front and taking care of our family. This provides Tom the opportunity to fulfill his life’s mission to “do the things that Jesus did” (John 14:12).
With confidence in the strength of the Lord, I am LIVING LIFE AS A LIFEGIVER… as I share the life-changing presence of Jesus with my family, friends, students, community, and people around the world! I trust you have found your ‘niche’ in living an abundant life and sharing these “life-secrets” with all those you come in contact with every day. Let’s live Life to the fullest!