Our Story
God is using his people to bring physical and spiritual healing all over the world, and calls his followers to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.” Andrew and Shannon heard this call and their hearts were drawn to the country of Senegal on the western coast of Africa. Now back in the US after years abroad, their vision for their family has remained constant: to be a part of bringing the good news of Jesus to people around the world, to see them restored, and to help develop flourishing communities.
Andrew and Shannon's story together starts back in 2001 when they were in high school in small town Iowa. Their shared love to dive deep into God's Word and to experience new adventures (and a timely Spanish class) brought them together. They married in 2005 and lived in St. Louis for several years before moving back to Iowa with their four children.
Early in their marriage, when Andrew was finishing his master’s degree in Urban Planning, Shannon and Andrew sought to find work that integrated their professional skills and desire to spread God’s love and compassion to the poorest regions of the world. When they heard about EMI and its vision of using design to bring the Gospel hope to the nations, they were excited about the future possibilities. In 2017, Andrew volunteered on a project trip in Niger designing a Christian children’s hospital where he got to see firsthand how his skills and passions could be used to spread Christ’s love to the world’s poorest. Following the completion of French language school, Andrew and Shannon joine the EMI Senegal office.
After nearly eight years of overseas ministry mentoring young professionals, guiding local staff, and working closely with ministry leaders throughout West Africa, in 2026 Andrew was asked to lead EMI's US office and Shannon was asked to join the Member Care team. So taking another step of faith, Andrew and Shannon moved their family to Colorado. They are excited to lead this incredible team of professionals in the US serving ministries in hard-to-reach places and to support our expatriated missionaries serving in our offices around the world.
Each year, EMI’s people complete over 80 development projects which serve the poor and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To keep these design services affordable for Christian ministries, professionals on EMI’s staff are responsible for raising their own salaries. We are so grateful for God’s provision through the generosity of donors. Would you prayerfully consider partnering with the great things God is doing through the Jensen's ministry with EMI?