Betsy Jones

My name is Betsy Jones.  I was raised in a Christian family and was the second oldest of seven children.  I was nine years old when I accepted Christ.

When I was eleven years old my parents became involved in missions work.  My parents worked in this field for seven years.  When I graduated from high school in 1978 I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do but God had different plans for me.  He began a work in my heart that later led to my enrollment in the New Tribes Bible School.  There, God gave me a burden to reach lost souls for Him, and as a result I decided to enroll in missions training classes; which I completed in 1982.  That training, along with my 12 years of work as a tribal missionary in Indonesia, enabled me to receive my Bachelor of Arts degree in Intercultural Ministries.

Over the past ten years, the Lord has changed the course of my life many times.  For example, about a year and a half ago the Lord allowed a circumstance into my life that turned my life upside down and put me on my knees before Him.  Through this circumstance He showed me that what He desired most in my life was a close relationship with Him.  He wanted my whole heart and nothing less.

I had been out of the ministry profession for about ten years.  I began to have a desire to become involved again and was seeking the Lord for a change in jobs.  As I prayed for God's leading, he led me to a “help wanted” ad in the paper for a culinary position.  Even though Peniel's name was not mentioned, I had a feeling this was the same place that I had heard about from a lady in my Bible study group.  She had shared how God was using Peniel to change the lives of men and women who had been addicted to drugs and alcohol.

Working at Peniel has truly been a blessing to me.  As I work with the clients in the kitchen I am able to see part of the transformation that is taking place.  How truly awesome it is to hear them speak of how God is working in their lives.  One of the biggest blessings I've had was when I went to one of the Praise and Worship services.  How awesome it is to see these men and women worshipping the Lord with such praise in their hearts.  I count it a privilege to be involved in this ministry and thank the Lord for leading me to this place.

My husband and I have four children and two grandchildren and reside in northern Somerset County.