As she began college, Jennifer Moll had almost no interest in either missions or nursing. That would change quickly and dramatically.

She was attending a small Christian college when she took an Introduction to Missions Class.

“It opened my eyes to what God is doing around the world.”

At the same time, Jennifer was volunteering at Children’s Hospital.

“As I saw nurses working with patients and their families, the Lord touched my heart, and I was drawn to that interaction,” she recalls.

At the end of her missions class, Jennifer went on a missions trip to Honduras.

“That’s when I realized how a profession like nursing could open doors to places that missionaries are not allowed to go.”

In the months that followed, Jen attended a local community college, but she really wanted to study nursing at a Christian college.

“I really didn’t expect it was even possible,” she states. “Of course, I didn’t know about the nursing program at Northwest either.”

When she did find out about it, and the fact that it includes a month-long practicum in overseas missions, she said just three words: “Sign me up!”

Jennifer transferred to Northwest and began her studies in the School of Nursing in 2003.

She graduated in May of 2005, but she didn’t slow down for a moment.

In June she was hired by Providence Everett Medical Center.

In July she passed her Nursing Licensure Exams – “on my first try!”

In August she began training at Providence.

In September she took a missions trip to Malawi, Africa, with members of Green Lake Presbyterian Church.

“Our team included two doctors, a medical student, a nursing student... and me!”

They connected with missionaries at African Bible College in Lilongwe.

“We worked in urban clinics and in villages,” explains Jennifer. “We did immunizations, assessed nutrition, and treated ailments from arrow wounds to scabies and worms.”

This was Jennifer’s fifth missions trip overseas, and it helped her to see her future in nursing and missions.

“I would like to go all over the world,” she states, “but I have clearly seen the benefits of regular and consistent visits to one place.

“It’s difficult to build relationships during one short-term missions trip,” she adds. “But if you make consistent visits to the same location, you can begin to establish trust.”

Jennifer has determined to follow that pattern:

“I have made a long-term commitment to short-term missions.”

Jennifer knows her preparation at Northwest University has opened doors from Everett to Africa.

“I appreciate the professors who invested in me,” she states. “They taught nursing well, and they also taught us about life – how to make your career and your ministry real.”

Now in her first year at Providence Medical Center, Jennifer is serving as a medical/surgical nurse.

“This is great for a new nurse,” she explains. “It gives me experience in many different areas and scenarios.”

She still practices what is perhaps the most important lesson she learned at Northwest: “I still begin every shift with prayer.”