Born in Sioux Falls, SD and raised in George, Iowa, BilliJo and BobbiJo met The Salvation Army in second grade when their parents were missionaries to a trailer park in Des Plaines, IL. The local Salvation Army had a daycare program which led them to attend the local corps (church). “We went there and felt immediately at home,” says BobbiJo. The twins’ parents, now officers (pastors), began attending the Des Plaines corps, which began their journey to officership. 

The twins describe being children of officers (pastors) as a “never boring, crazy adventure with new things happening every day.” Being involved in their local corps (their parent’s current appointment) allows them to experience things they would not if their parents had “normal jobs,” BilliJo describes. One example of this is helping with Emergency Disaster Services. The twins recently helped after a house fire left a family with eight children homeless. After getting food for the family and first responders from a local restaurant, the twins focused on the spiritual needs of the eight kids, creating a peer bond that would not have been possible through an adult.     

BilliJo and BobbiJo also have a passion for The Salvation Army Motorcycle Ministries. This passion culminates in an annual mission trip to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota every August. The twins first attended in 2021 as “tourists” while their parents preached at the local corps in Rapid City. The next summer, they went back as part of the mission team: giving out water bottles, helping with bike blessings, engaging in evangelistic conversations with bikers, praying and giving out Bible verse cards. “There are many in the crowd that don’t know the light of Jesus, and you can make a huge impact in their lives if you share about God there.” 

The twins shine this light closer to home as well. At school, they seek to be friendly to everyone, not just those within their social group; they smile and say hello to people they pass in the hall. Both BilliJo and BobbiJo encourage their peers to find ways to show God’s love through their talents and interests, while encouraging others to be adventurous and try new things as their journey has shown them “you never know how God will use you.”