Adoption and Child Welfare
The Tree Began With Me - a book for adoptees and their children
Jamie Ko Wilson is a Korean adoptee and lifelong resident of Minnesota. She was adopted by her white American parents, Wayne and Diane Ensrud, and older brother Joshua (biological child of Diane and Wayne) in December of 1983 when she was just 10 weeks old. Three years later, her younger brother, Jordan, was born. Reflecting on her life experience growing up in a primarily white world as well as the only Asian face on both sides of her adoptive family's extended family planted the early seeds for her to ponder on her own family tree. It wasn't until she was a mother herself, however, that her deep feelings of establishing her family legacy and roots took hold. She realized for the first time how immense the love of a child is and how deeply she wanted her own children to know where they came from. Jamie's first child, Ainsley, was the inspiration for this work. Jamie is now married to her husband Lucas, who is also a Korean adoptee, and together they share two daughters, Whitney and Greta, in their blended family. Jamie hopes this poem, accompanied by the beautiful illustrations of friend and neighbor, Chris Bowman, can help parents who were adopted tell their adoption story to their own children and generations to come.
The book is a great gift idea for someone who is adopted or for families with adopted children. This simple poem will give some language to the longings of an adoptees heart while honoring their reality.
Water sports ministry & JSAW
Our love of water sports has turned into a life changing ministry! Lucas and I never dreamed we would live on a lake or enjoy the blessings a boat could bring, but in 2019 we were able to do just that. Little did we know then, but the Nautique/Correct Craft mission is “Building boats to the glory of God” and out of that flows “Nautique Cares.” After a spontaneous 2020 trip to The Boarding School in Orlando, FL I knew we had to use these gifts for more. While at TBS, I felt a strong connection to God being in the sun, water, and having some quiet time away from the distractions of everyday life. It was in that quiet I had the clarity to google “non-profit wakeboarding” and stumbled upon JSAW which happened to be located near the Twin Cities. It was definitely a God orchestrated plan!
From there we made our first connection with Jonny, the founder and executive director and the rest is history. I’ve found that my gift is making connections and seeing where the intersection of people’s lives and experiences should come together to glorify God’s kingdom. Over the course of the next year we engaged in using our boat to teach kids in foster care how to wakeboard, hosted them here on our lake, and sent the boat off on a weekend retreat for middle school boys as well. We see the joy that comes from those experiences and hope our lives can bear witness to putting our faith in God for his provision, strong stewardship principles, and what fruit can come from an obedient (though far from perfect) life.
Health & Lifestyle
As I shared, I went through my own divorce and lived the pain of that process followed by the journey toward healing. One thing that happened along the way was my awakening to the connection between physical, emotional, and spiritual health. During the 8 months of the divorce (we were cohabitating with our daughter through the entire process), my dad also became ill and passed the same month we were court ordered to mediate. The stress of all that took a toll on my body and I lost weight through it. I wasn’t taking the best care of myself but a night came where I decided I needed some relief and found myself at the gym on a treadmill (I’d loathed running all through life) and ran until the pain in my legs and lungs replaced the pain in my heart and soul. I felt God and I felt Good!
As I continued my life after divorce, I discovered how much I needed a good sweat to relieve my stress and provide mental clarity. In the time I would take to run, I also found that as a time to pray, listen to podcasts or sermons, and uplifting music. It truly became my therapy (along with actual therapy) and a goal to show my daughter what real health looks like. It is not just a physique but the intersection of a healthy spirit, a cared for body, and mental stamina. Fast forward 10 years and I find myself working for a company that creates plant based functional and health enhancing products! I work my own schedule which allows me time to be the wife, mom, and mediator/facilitator I want to be while also pouring energy into growing a company that aims to help people lead vibrant and healthy lives.
I love seeing how the passions in my life, fueled by God, have allowed me this beautiful mosaic of a career and lifestyle.