Our Missions Director - Jenni Ramsey
Jenni gained a deep passion for cross cultural missions while attending the University of California at Santa Barbara. Her experiences on campus as a student leader with Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship as well as her participation in short-term missions trips to Mexico and Europe profoundly impacted her life. Jenni graduated from UCSB in 1992 with a degree in Cultural Anthropology and she later received a graduate level certification in the Perspectives on The World Christian Movement course through Fuller Theology Seminary. Jenni has experienced God's powerful, redemptive hand on her life in the midst of tragedies as well as miracles and she is overjoyed to share her story whenever possible. She loves speaking on missions and orphan care and especially enjoys challenging young people with the call to the Great Commission. Jenni also loves blogging, dancing, Zumba, playing the piano, singing, spending time with her amazing family and friends and leading Moms in Prayer for her daughter's school, where she works as a substitute teacher when she isn’t traveling.
Jenni met her husband Mike in 1993. One of the things that drew her to Mike was the fact that he had served in short-term missions in over fifty countries. They were married in 1994. Two months after their wedding they moved to Mike's alma-mater in Kona, Hawaii, The University of the Nations (Youth With a Mission), where Mike led their three month Discipleship Training School and together they led their team on outreach for two months in Costa Rica.
Mike and Jenni have three children. Jordan (22) recently graduated with a degree in Government: Politics and Policy and a minor in International Relations from Liberty University in VA. He is hoping to move to DC in the near future to serve in politics or work for a non-profit. Aidan (20) has served with Youth With a Mission for the past two years, traveling to ten nations doing short-term missions work. Both boys have served in El Salvador for many years and have organized outreach projects for El Salvador through their schools and youth groups. The Ramseys adopted Hailey (12) in 2012 in South Korea after experiencing a failed adoption in El Salvador. The Ramseys are passionate about the orphan crisis and mobilizing others to care for orphans through outreach trips, foster care and adoption. Jenni founded the So Cal Orphan Care Network while living in California and continues to encourage adoptive and foster parents.
The Ramsey family moved to North Texas from California in 2015, where Mike began working in management and sales for Coldwell Banker in Frisco. Mike and Jenni attend Lighthouse Church in Prosper, Texas. Jenni launched RTwelve, a Christ-centered community service organization for high school students and their parents, last year in North Dallas. RTwelve CA partners with His Hands His Feet in sending mother/daughter volunteer teams to El Salvador. Jenni also serves on the board of Restoration Nation Retreat (RNR), a ministry whose vision is to provide retreats for missionaries and women in ministry. Jenni enjoys speaking at the RNR retreats as well as at other venues.
Jenni has served in short-term missions over the past thirty years in seventeen countries, mainly in Latin America as the Missions Director for New Harvest Community Church (CA), The Village Church of Irvine (CA) and His Hands His Feet. She is thrilled to be able to lead outreach trips to Central America as these trips combine her passions for missions, orphan care, discipling young people and her love for the Latin culture.
Our Administrator - Stephanie Keenan
Stephanie Keenan and Jenni Ramsey worked together for many years on staff at New Harvest Community Church in Irvine, California. Their families have been very close, serving together in California, Guatemala and El Salvador while attending New Harvest, which later became The Village Church of Irvine. Stephanie and Jenni also served together on the missions board at The Village Church of Irvine, where their mutual passions for global missions and missionary care grew. Stephanie has been volunteering with His Hands Hands His Feet for eleven years. She is passionate about reaching at risk children and works full time as a payroll supervisor for Olive Crest, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping abused and neglected children. Stephanie has volunteered as a foster parent and has also been involved in local outreach in her own community for as long as she can remember. She brings her accounting and administrative background to His Hands His Feet as well as her deep love for the people of El Salvador.
Stephanie's son Stephen began serving with His Hands His Feet as a teenager and he later volunteered in El Salvador for eighteen months with Sus Hijos, one of our ministry partners. While serving in El Salvador, Stephen met Kurt Ackermann’s niece, Alexandra. They were married in 2019 and have two children. Stephen and Alex live in Virginia, where they continue to support the ongoing work of Sus Hijos in El Salvador. The entire Keenan family travels often to serve alongside our ministry partners in El Salvador.
Stephanie has a deep burden for missions and she has served overseas in Haiti, Mexico and El Salvador. God has called her specifically to focus on building long-term relationships in El Salvador. Stephanie is heavily involved in organizing the quinceanera outreaches. The dream of hosting quinceaneras for teen girls in El Salvador was birthed in Stephanie's heart through her heart breaking conversation with teen girls in a government run orphanage in 2011. Since that time His Hands His Feet has organized and facilitated eleven quinceanera parties for young women living in orphanages and special needs homes in El Salvador.
Our Executive Board
Mike Ramsey, Texas
Mike Ramsey is a founding board member. He has been to El Salvador many times as a co-leader with his wife Jenni. Mike has an extensive background in missions, having traveled all over the world in over fifty countries while serving and studying with Youth With a Mission (YWAM). Some of his highlights with YWAM include doing a School of Biblical Studies in Singapore, praying with a team of YWAM students at the Dachau Concentration Camp in Poland and traveling Pitcairn Island with Loren Cunningham, the founder of YWAM. Mike served as the elder over missions and local outreach at The Village Church of Irvine for many years, where he helped to lead missions trips to Europe and Latin America. He is passionate about the orphan crisis, having served in many orphanages throughout the world and through his own personal experience adopting his daughter Hailey in S. Korea. Mike loves to serve alongside Jenni in El Salvador whenever possible. On rare occasions, the entire Ramsey family is able to travel to El Salvador together but they are typically spread throughout the country or world studying or serving the Lord as He leads them!
Dave and Tanya Eason, California
Dave and Tanya have played a significant role in the leadership of His Hands His Feet. Dave’s grandparents were full-time missionaries to Central America as well as Dave’s father, who was raised on the mission field. The Easons invited Mike Ramsey on a trip to El Salvador in 2006. Dave and Mike were serving together on The Village Church of Irvine Elder Board at that time. They were honored to volunteer at a Christian orphanage during this trip, which influenced the Ramseys’ decision to begin their adoption process in El Salvador. Both Dave and Tanya have participated in numerous His Hands His Feet trips throughout the years. Tanya has been instrumental in serving on our quinceanera trips as an esthetician. She has waxed hundreds of eyebrows and brought joy to many, many girls in El Salvador through her ministry, “Radiant Faces.” The Easons are members of Coast Hills Church, in Aliso Viejo, CA, where Dave serves as an elder. They have four children, all of whom have served in El Salvador.
Lisa Barger, Texas
Lisa Barger is a member of Lighthouse Christian Fellowship in Prosper, Texas. She served on the first Lighthouse team to El Salvador in the summer of 2017 with her daughter Elianna, who was ten at the time. Both Lisa and Elianna fell in love with El Salvador and their family has been extremely involved as volunteers with His Hands His Feet since that time. Elianna was baptized at the beach on the last day of their trip in 2017. Elianna later returned to El Salvador on the 2019 Lighthouse trip. Lisa and Elianna also served together at the quinceanera in the summer of 2022. Lisa has a background as a certified CPA and brings a wealth of experience to the His Hands His Feet Executive Board. Her family is passionate about volunteering and serving their community. Lisa hopes to bring her husband, John, and other two children on future trips.
Our Advisory Board
John and Crys Bettes, Texas
John and Crys are members of Lighthouse Christian Fellowship in Prosper, Texas. Crys first served on the Lighthouse 2019 His Hands His Feet summer team with her mom, sister and nephew. She returned later that year in December, 2019 with her husband John, where they served with the Crossroads Community Church team. John and Crys have returned many times since then, bringing their daughter and other family members. El Salvador has obviously become a huge part of their hearts! Crys and John live in McKinney, Texas with their two children. Their family is extremely passionate about the orphan crisis. They fostered many children until the Lord placed their foster son Micah into their “forever family.”
Bill and Jane Steadman, Texas
Bill and Jane served in El Salvador in the summer of 2022, where they fell in love with the Salvadorian people as well as the Sus Hijos team. After returning home that summer, they decided to cancel their vacation the following month and return to El Salvador instead. While Bill ended up staying in Texas to care for his ailing mother, Jane flew back to El Salvador to provide encouragement to the Sus Hijos staff, missionaries and kids in the transition program. The Steadmans will also be serving on the December, 2022 team, making them the only His Hands His Feet Advisory Board members to serve three times in one year! Bill and Jane are passionate about serving “the least of these.” They currently volunteer as a respite family, providing respite care to a family who is caring for foster children. They are also passionate about racial reconciliation through the power of the Gospel. The Steadmans are members of One Community Church in Plano, TX.
Monty Day, Texas
Monty attended Lighthouse Christian Fellowship for many years and currently worships at Gateway Church in Prosper. Monty and his family have been very involved with His Hands His Feet, participating in numerous fundraisers, special events and trips. Monty was honored to attend the ordination ceremony for His Hands His Feet missionary partner, Kurt Ackermann, in Dallas in the fall of 2019. He is pictured to the right of Kurt in the above photo, taken at Kurt’s ordination. Monty has traveled to El Salvador three times and also serves on the Sus Hijos/His Children board, where he provides tremendous support and encouragement to Kurt Ackermann.
Garwin Freeze, Texas
Garwin attended Lighthouse Christian Fellowship in Prosper, Texas for many years. He served on the 2019 Lighthouse team with both of his adult children, Amanda and Brian. Garwin and his family have provided ongoing support to the His Hands His Feet teams and plan to serve on future teams.