Jennifer Nicole

Iris Cross-Culture - Tokyo, Japan

Jennifer Nicole's Bio:

I met Jesus when I was very young, and have had the honour of walking with Him ever since. My first mission trip was when I was 16. I went with my church youth group to inner-city Toronto, and was so blessed to minister to the people there! After high school, I attended a Discipleship Training School with Youth With A Mission in South Africa. My worldview broadened, my heart expanded, and I really began to feel stirred by the Lord to devote my entire life to missions. I was marked by spending time in remote villages, loving on the sick and lonely. I started dreaming with the Lord and found a growing excitement about what He had in store for the future.

In the years that followed, I got my nursing degree and dove right into an area that the Lord was stirring in my heart; labour and delivery nursing. It has been a massive joy and an important tool that the Lord has given me to add to how I can partner with Him to love on the broken, vulnerable, and those needing His love; in Canada and abroad.

I first became involved with Iris in 2009 when I completed the Harvest School in Pemba, Mozambique. This season was SUCH a gift from the Lord to my heart! I absolutely loved my time there and found such joy in getting to know new parts of His heart and Bride there. In 2012 I visited a couple of different Iris bases and was so stirred. I decided to join the Iris Fortaleza base in Brazil and ended up helping with that team as they built the base and raised labourers for the harvest from 2013 - 2016. Two things that impacted me the most about my Iris Fortaleza family was the closeness we got to share as we lived in the community and the hearts that became fostered among the team to give one hundred percent to Jesus and never say no to Him. What a joy it was to spend time worshipping Jesus, interceding in our house of prayer, and ministering the truth and love of Jesus on the streets and in the slums with this team of laid-down lovers! I was so impacted by seeing Jesus touch the hearts and lives of former drug addicts. Seemingly helpless situations were turned around in an instant by the power and love of Jesus as He came crashing in when we called on His name.

During my time in Brazil, the Lord also really got a hold of my heart for the unreached; those who have never heard about who He is, and have no access to the Gospel. In 2017 He led me to begin training and serving in the Middle East. I had the tremendous opportunity to grow and serve alongside people I had just met, who were also being stirred to bring the truth and love of Jesus to that region of the world. After helping on a medical team there for a season and later having the team pulled out of our area due to political unrest, it seemed that the Lord was leading me to spend more seasons with my Iris family.

I began getting involved with Iris Cross Culture in 2020, which included helping with some of our pioneers that had recently been sent out. I spent three months with the team on the ground in Japan earlier in 2023, and am going back to continue helping and building with the Iris Cross Culture team in Japan in September 2023. While on the ground in Japan, I will be helping with regular ministries and outreaches that the team is involved with there, as well as continuing to help build and network our team of pioneers in the nations.

My theology around why I go and what fuels the deepest level of motivation for me to go has likely changed slightly and grown over the years, but today my answer is that I’m going because I love Jesus and I want Him to come back. Jesus is the desire of the nations. And Jesus deeply desires the nations! I do believe that He desires that ALL would hear about Him and know Him. He longs to come back for His ready Bride. A Bride that knows Him, loves Him and believes His love for her.

Matthew 24:14 says that this Gospel will go to the ends of the earth, and then the end will come. I think this means that the Gospel needs to go to every corner of the earth before God will send Jesus back for His Bride. This deeply motivates me to share the Gospel with those who have no access to a Gospel witness. Please join me in praying that the Lord of the harvest would send labourers to the harvest fields!

Lastly, I am excited to have you join me as I run! I am always looking for more running buddies! If you are interested in partnering with me, please reach out! I would love to hear from you!