Meet The Missionaries
Joe Konopa was born and raised in north-central Indiana. Joe received a BA in Telecommunications from Ball State University before joining FOCUS staff. Joe is beginning his third year as a missionary and continues as the team director for JMU. He will do anything for a meal at Chipotle. Joe has many hobbies and interests including soccer, running, cooking, photography, and camping. He also enjoys watching movies and playing board games, especially Settlers of Catan. He has read the Lord of the Rings books over 5 times, but has yet to crack open Harry Potter.
Andy Norton grew up in the Midwest (Michigan, Indiana and Ohio) and graduated in 2010 from Franciscan University of Steubenville with a degree in Theology and Catechetics. Andy is beginning his third year as a FOCUS missionary, previously having served at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Other than having to throw away a lot of GMU t-shirts, he is excited to serve at James Madison University, engaging students in sharing life and in sharing Christ. He enjoys soccer, frisbee, volleyball, games and reading. And food.
Ambria grew up in Brownsburg, a suburb of Indianapolis in the same house her mother grew up in. She graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Journalism. This is her first year as a missionary with FOCUS! In her spare time she blogs about vegetarian food at: Vegesus.blogspot.com. She also enjoys painting, music, travel, and board games. Ambria is known for talking frequently about her birthplace, California and St Francis De Sales. She lives by Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.”
Born and raised in south-eastern North Dakota, Jackie graduated from Fargo South High School in 2007. Soon after graduation she headed to Florida where she majored in theology and minored in music and philosophy at Ave Maria University. After graduation she spent one year working as Youth Minister at a Catholic parish in North Dakota. Jackie is now serving her first year as a FOCUS Missionary. Jackie has many hobbies and interests including hiking, running, basketball, softball, singing, playing guitar, reading and taking time for personal study, biking, rollerblading, and camping. She cannot wait to go explore the mountains and caves nearby Harrisonburg!