Jeff Nelson was living in Pohang, South Korea teaching English at a Christian International High School when he had a feeling that it was time for him and his new wife to return to the United States.  Two months after returning to Lincoln, the door was opened to Christian Heritage and he truly felt that God was directing his steps to join the team.  Christian Heritage has been ministering to Nebraska’s abused and neglected children for more than 30 years.  Jeff’s role at Christian Heritage is serving as the Supervisor of Recruitment and Training and he oversees their recruiters at their Kearney and Omaha offices.  Jeff is also attending graduate school and will receive his MBA from UNO in December.

Tell us a little about your family.
My wife Munju and I recently celebrated our 6th year of marriage.  We have no children yet, but hopefully have many in the near future.  I am very blessed to have such an amazing wife.  She is such a talented individual and is very self-sacrificing.

What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life?
It’s a combination of two things.  I had a career-ending back injury in 1999 while I was a defensive tackle on the UNL football team.  It completely dashed my dreams and really broke me down.  Then after my first year in Korea in 2004, I met a Korean man on the street one night who introduced me to faith in Jesus Christ and it was then that I was able to find what I had been searching for so many years.

What is your favorite thing to do on a day off?
Gardening or relaxing.

What is the most unique or interesting thing about you that most people probably don’t know?
I would say that I speak Korean at an intermediate level.

What are you the most proud of?
My mother who raised me and taught me to be a man of integrity and character.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Love your neighbor as yourself and love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

What is the one goal you would most like to accomplish?
Right now my one goal is to see Nebraska become a state where no child ever has to be placed in a youth shelter due to a lack of families willing to help them.

What is your greatest talent that you don’t utilize in your daily work life?
I am blessed to work with an amazing boss Brad Brown and an amazing team that provide me with a lot of freedom to be creative and use my talents.  The one thing I would like to do more is implement strategies that I come up with on an organizational level.

Which talent would you most like to have?
I wish I had a talent with medicine to know how to help people when they are sick or hurting.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I feel blessed that I regularly have new ideas of ways to change or improve our services running through my head.  I fail at the ability to choose one thing and stay focused entirely on it.

What is your favorite book or the last good book you read?
The Bible

What is your favorite movie?
A River Runs Through It

What is your favorite TV show?
Lost

What is your favorite Lincoln restaurant?
The Oven

If you could have dinner with one famous person from the past or present, who would it be?
Abraham Lincoln.  Now that would be some amazing dinner conversation!

What is the best way to contact you?
Call 402-421-KIDS (5437) or visit us online at http://www.chne.org.