Jennifer became the youngest female elected in 2014 as a state Representative in Florida. Her opponents teased her that she was too young and that she still lived at home while she finished college. But her army of teens and twenty-somethings worked hard and surprised her opponents. She has since been re-elected to the state House.

Already, she has had a significant impact. She sponsored a pro-life bill creating a 24-hour waiting period between having an initial conversation with a doctor and having an abortion. This bill provided the mother opportunity to see her ultrasound, if she wishes, and consider her choices. While this bill is now under litigation, Jennifer is proud that her bill will help mothers who were being pressured into unwanted abortions.

Jennifer is also proud to be a Covenant Journey ambassador from the January 2016 trip.

“I read about all of these places in the Old Testament, but then to actually be there and see the City of Jerusalem, Galilee, Capernaum, and have the Beatitudes read to us was amazing. When you get to experience what you read, it becomes so much more real! It is so powerful to be in the culture that Christ was raised in and to experience the Jewish culture as a whole,” said Jennifer.

Her time in Israel “Further ingrained my support of Israel. I share my experiences of seeing the borders and interacting with the people of Israel.” She has found that her time in Israel gives her additional credibility when sharing with her colleagues and friends.

In addition, her journey affected her own heart. “In life it’s easy to be caught up in business and so quickly take our eyes off the Lord. Being in Israel strengthened my Christian faith,” she said. The passage in the Gospel of John about Jesus being the vine, and the importance of maintaining that daily connection became even more real to Jennifer.  “I don’t want to just be busy, I want to be fruitful!”

Jennifer chairs the Government Oversight and Transparency Administrative sub-committee. When she returned from her Covenant Journey trip, there was a bill regarding sanctions against companies that were boycotting Israel. “As soon as I saw the bill come up, I made sure to put it on the agenda for our next meeting,” Jennifer said. In addition, she was instrumental in changing the bill. Originally, it only applied to contracts of more than $500,000, but now it applies to financial contracts of any amount with the state of Florida. This bill places Florida on the side of Israel, opposing companies that promote the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions).

Conversations with Israeli Defense Forces gave her a “better understanding what Israel faces with other countries wanting to wipe them off the face of the earth.” Jennifer learned about the world leadership of Israel in business, technology, and agriculture. Jennifer believes there is a correlation between the Jews tenacity to survive and the daily risks they face and their success in business and innovation. “They are fighting for mere survival and that perspective helps them to take more risks in business and to be more successful!”

Jennifer and her husband have a bright future ahead of them. She has deeper roots in her Christian faith and her understanding of Israel because of her experience with Covenant Journey.

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