Changing Pathways Reaching Goals
Roxanne (Alexander ’81) Jones, RN, BSN, MA, never imagined her nursing career would take her around the world—and back again. When she transferred to Mid-America Nazarene College (now MNU) in 1978, it was a decision born of homesickness and faith. Her family had relocated to Kansas from Pennsylvania, and rather than continue at her former college in Indiana, she chose to move to Kansas, live at home and focus on her studies. That shift launched a career path of caregiving, leadership, and cross-cultural service.
From the age of four, Roxanne knew she wanted to be a nurse. She also grew up hearing about missions, influenced by the many missionaries she encountered as a pastor’s kid. Although she didn’t aspire to be a missionary, things changed. “I thought, you know, my desire to be a nurse came from the Lord,” she said. “And I was like, well, that’d be a good combination.”
Roxanne is a member of the university’s first class of nursing students from 1978-81, and the rigorous curriculum tested her resilience. “We had everything thrown at us because the college wanted to get its program accredited,” she recalled. But she credits professors like Dr. Pam Smith for their unwavering support. “I was a horrible test taker,” she says. “But Pam was very patient and gentle and encouraging.” That support helped her succeed—and made her the first nursing student to walk across the platform at commencement.
Rooted and Ready for Life
For Roxanne, MNU wasn’t just academic training; it was also formational. “My dad always told us kids, ‘You must go to a Christian school for at least two years to get your grounding.’ I went all four years,” she said. That foundation carried her through life. “We were always encouraged at MidAmerica. I loved that there was always prayer and scripture before class. It set the tone.”
After graduating, Roxanne began her career at Research Medical Center in Kansas City. She went on to earn two master’s degrees, one in gerontology, and worked in long-term care, home health, nursing education, and consulting. Though initially she never pursued missions, a short trip to Haiti with MANC professor Dr. Charles Morrow in 1983 sparked something unexpected. While serving the Haitian people in terrible need, she said, “I fell in love with something so great.”
Life Reimagined
Roxanne’s missionary calling deepened in the 1990s. Having successfully progressed in her nursing career stateside, she agreed to take a short-term mission assignment to Moscow. Later she returned to Ukraine and Russia to teach for six months. Then she served for five years as a global missionary with the Church of the Nazarene. In that position, she coordinated efforts across Ukraine, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Armenia. Some of her best, long-time friends today are in Ukraine.
In 2007, a gentleman named Caroll Jones landed in Kiev with a Nazarene Work and Witness team. Caroll was instantly enthralled with Roxanne.
She was oblivious at first, but six weeks later, they were married. Roxanne returned to the U.S. and Caroll’s home state of North Carolina, where they would live for six years until his passing. Roxanne then returned to Kansas City, continuing her nursing and teaching work at the Shawnee Mission School District until her retirement in 2022. But even then, God wasn’t done with her.
“I just asked the Lord for a purposeful retirement,” she said. Three weeks later, war broke out in Ukraine. Within days of finishing her school nursing contract, she was on a plane to Poland to help refugees. That led to her current work with Global Care Force, a nonprofit that places medical volunteers in underserved areas of the world, where she started by leading a medical team to Ukraine.
Left: Caroll and Roxanne Jones.
She is now vice president of global programs, having led 16 medical teams to Ukraine while helping to expand the organization’s efforts to Jordan, Egypt, and beyond.
Lessons Learned
Roxanne believes her nursing background uniquely positions her to serve missions globally. “Nursing translates across cultures because it’s patient-centered,” she said. “You may never be a missionary, but you can go on medical mission trips or just mission trips, period.”
She encourages others—especially retirees—to seek purpose with prayer. “You don’t need to find your purpose [by yourself]. Just ask for your purpose and let the Lord lead you,” she says. “It may not look like anything you’ve ever done, but everything you’ve done so far has led you to the next step.”
Even now, she remains open to wherever God might lead next. “I just think, Lord, use me until you can’t use me anymore,” she said. “And I know He will.”
Read more profiles of purpose at mnu.edu/purposeful-lives.
