Jenissa Gonzalez

God opened the door to AJM in 2022, and I have had so many incredible experiences because of it. I have felt the call to ministry in my life for many years, but I never knew what that would look like practically. I believe we are all called to be missionaries in Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations, whether this means going to foreign countries or loving the people in our communities at home. We glorify the Lord the most when we love His people, and I feel so blessed to have opportunities to do so in so many other places. I have had the privilege to serve on the Crisis Response team with AJM in Romania in 2022, where I helped run the 5-day-a-week kids program along with transit refugee care, serving Ukrainians fleeing the war in Ukraine. In 2023, I spent several months in Kosovo learning about and loving the people there. This relational ministry model was a beautiful example of how Jesus loved those around Him, even if they were different from Him. It inspired me to be much more intentional in how I treat the people God has placed in my life at home. I want everyone around me to feel the love of Christ, even if they are not familiar with it.

Coming home from serving overseas was difficult at first, but the Lord has now made it evident that He wants me home and that my heart for missions does not only exist when I am not in America. Serving in Romania with refugees and children, doing coffee ministry & living life with young people in Kosovo as a muslim country, and going on missionary care trips have all expanded my view of the world and opened my heart in more ways than I knew possible. Although there are lots of different ways to serve locally, I knew my heart was for relational ministry, and I have been able to experience the beauty that can exist in coffee ministries, especially as coffee shop culture continues to grow.

Since coming back from Kosovo, I have been involved with our ministry, Kingdom Coffee! (You can read more about it in the link under my profile picture!) The team here in Modesto has been working to build our cafe since 2023, and we will officially open in June 2025!! We aim to create a life-giving space where we can share the hope of the gospel while also stimulating a culture of generosity. This mission is exactly where my heart is, and I believe the culmination of all my mission experiences has prepared me to better serve in this community. I will be a volunteer barista and am on the event team as we plan to host different events in the space the Lord has blessed us with.

I am also the Communications Specialist for AJM and get to run our social media along with other internal communications. I can see how seamlessly my AJM admin role and my Kingdom Coffee role can propel the calling that the Lord has placed on my heart. I am so excited to continue to pursue this path of serving and feel equipped to do so. I am thankful to be surrounded by the KC team and know that this is a community that will help me to build a stronger foundation for my faith as we push each other to grow and challenge ourselves. 

I feel fully content at home, which has been the result of many, many months of prayer and pursuit of the Lord. As of now, I will only be part-time at KC as I continue to look to build a support base of partners, but I believe the Lord will provide for me to be full-time, according to His timing and plans for provision. I’d love to share more of my heart and my story with you, so please reach out!! 

Thank you for joining me on my journey with the Lord :)))