Global Missions
Jessica is serving with OMF Canada and involved in the marketplace pilot project in Japan. The project focuses on collaboration between corporate workers, professionals, churches, and mission organizations in hopes of sharing the gospel with and equipping Japanese disciples who work in corporate and professional settings. She has been in Japan since 2020.
Jessica graduated with a M.Div in Clinical Counselling from Tyndale Seminary and is a registered psychotherapist trained in marriage and family therapy. She has worked with Canadian, Chinese and Japanese-speaking individuals, couples, and families in both agency and private practice settings. In Japan, she hopes to build relationships with urban-dwelling Japanese professionals and co-labor with the local church in evangelism and discipleship. She also hopes to facilitate emotional and relational healing with Japanese and expatriate communities in view of individual, marital, and family flourishing.
Growing up between Vancouver and Taiwan, Jessica moved to Toronto for university in 2009 and has been a part of Grace Toronto since 2010. Jessica is passionate about integration, story-telling, photography, trekking, and discovering delicious food. She treasures your prayer and emotional support and would love to stay connected.
In 2010, Matt moved to Toronto to begin his career as a structural engineer. He grew up in a rural community and mentions that he would not have moved to Toronto except for work. Matt recalls, "Work became the focal point of my life. It was getting busier and more stressful all the time. After a lengthy period of busyness came to an end and I had some time to reflect back, I realized that I was not satisfied with where my life was heading. I enjoyed work most of the time, but I did not want it to be the focal point of my life. I began praying for God to show me where my life should be going. After another wave a busyness, I was beginning to contemplate different options."
At that point, Matt had just heard about EMI (Engineering Ministries International) at an event hosted at Grace Toronto Church. He was excited about the work of EMI and was ready to get involved. Although he did not plan for this to be a long term commitment, God had other plans.
After a four month internship with EMI UK in 2013, Matt returned to Toronto for only three months and then continued with EMI in Uganda for one year. Instead of returning to Toronto, Matt decided to join EMI full time in Uganda, where he met his wife in Uganda and got married in 2015. Matt and his wife Ashley have settled into life in Uganda and are raising their family there until God directs them somewhere else.