Alumni Around the World

ALUMNI AROUND THE WORLD

Jennifer Sutherland

In 2006, Jennifer Sutherland graduated from Crandall University with her degree in Communications, focusing on interpersonal communications. During her last year at Crandall, she decided that she wanted to serve overseas, helping those in extreme need.

As she prayed and researched opportunities, she came across Operation Mobilisation (OM). OM is a mission organization serving in over 110 countries that seeks to share the Gospel, do relief work, and minister alongside local churches.

Fascinated by the work that OM does, especially their ships that sail around the world doing relief work and promoting literacy, Jen contacted them. From 2008- 2009, she served on board OM’s ship the MV Doulos. With a staff of volunteers from 52 different countries, the MV Doulos travels the world to poverty-stricken nations, to sell very low-cost books on board their floating bookshop. Teams also leave the ship to share the Gospel in local villages, partnering with the churches there.

In 2015, Jen became the OM local ministry co-ordinator in Italy for two years. She worked with local churches to establish new outreach ministries such as English conversation classes, art exhibitions, and open mics.

Currently, she works in OM Canada’s office in Port Colborne, Ontario. As the project manager of communications and development, she helps raise funds for a variety of relief projects, and communicates with OM’s supporters. She explains, “Every day, I get the chance to connect Canadians to the work OM Canada is doing.”

Jen is incredibly grateful for her time at Crandall. Besides meeting her two dearest friends there, she had the opportunity to study with other believers from a variety of denominations and backgrounds. She says, “Crandall really prepared me for the greater experiences I had overseas. It helped me realize that there is more than one way to worship and love the Lord.”

Jen still uses the principles she learned in Dr. Ted Newell’s worldview class to advise those about to embark overseas with OM. She has discovered how useful her communications degree is, as she has taught English in South Korea and has also worked in so many diverse roles with OM. She shares, “God clearly brought me to Crandall to prepare me for the variety of work that He had in store for me.”

Asked to tell one especially meaningful story of her time overseas, Jen recalls how in 2016, she served in a refugee camp of 1,000 people in Serbia. She shares,

These people were waiting for the opportunity to move to the E.U. or elsewhere. They were in such desperate need. My task was to share God’s love with as many as I could by building relationships with them. I had the chance to meet an 11 year old boy whose parents sent him from Afghanistan alone, so he could have a better life. Hearing his story was heartbreaking, but I had the opportunity to share joy and love with him that week, and still since I left. He is in Germany now, and remembers the fun we had together. God used me to help this boy know that someone cares for Him.