Jen
Jen Chase is passionate about Jesus and serving Him through her capacity as a parent, High School Counselor, and team member of The Joy in the Journey ministry. She is married to her best friend who also happens to be her high school sweetheart and together they have the privilege of raising their three children, one of whom was adopted from Ethiopia.
Karla
Karla Jackson has a heart for serving others. She is married to her high school sweet heart, Jeremiah, and they have 6 children (four bio and two adopted through foster care) and one grandson. She loves Jesus, spending time with family and friends, traveling, and has the privilege of working from home as an implementation specialist for a phonics company. Serving others brings joy to her heart and she feels honored being a part of Joy in the Journey ministry.
Bekah
Bekah loves celebrating people. She is the Special Needs Minister at their home church, a homeschool momma, and wife to her best friend. They have 4 kids, with adoption/guardianship being the bookends of their little family. As a family it is their joy to serve, love and laugh with people. The Behnkes have no greater passion than to share the goodness of God and praise His authorship of their family.
JOY TEAM
Krystal
Krystal Unrein is passionate about people knowing they belong. She has had a heart for vulnerable children since she was young & by the grace of Jesus has come to have the same heart for vulnerable families. She is the Connections Director at her home church. She & her husband have a daughter adopted through foster/kinship care & a biological son. They love coming alongside foster & biological families with the hope of the gospel.
Ruthie
Ruthie Bond loves to celebrate the little things. Her family’s journey with kinship and foster care, disability diagnoses, and adoption motivated her to pursue her degree in Special Education. Together, the Bond family has moved states, faced the beautiful heartache of reunification, and experienced the joy of adoption and homecoming. All by the unending goodness and love of Jesus, her family, now of eight, serves the Church— living the truth that making a home is Ministry.
Amy
Amy Penn is a recent college graduate and works at Christ In Youth in Joplin, Missouri. She loves gospel. She is passionate about music, and glorifying the Lord through song. Amy is originally from Oregon where her family currently resides. She is the only biological child in the Penn family and in 2008 her two sisters were adopted from Haiti. In 2020, Amy’s cousin moved into their home. The Penn’s are a unique family with different personalities, skin colors, abilities, and last names, but through the kindness of Jesus he has made them whole.