You can learn about each of the missionary families we support. Remember to pray for our missionaries and the work God is doing through them to touch the hearts and lives of people who otherwise may not know of God's love and the hope they can have in him.
Bennett Family, WorldVenture, Rwanda
How does a single missionary in Japan meet a single widower missionary in Rwanda? The simple and short answer is "The Internet!" Gary Bennett met his wife, Barb, through eHarmony.com, an Internet dating service. Rwanda has been Gary's home for the last 26 years. He met his first wife in Rwanda, where she was teaching. She died in 2001 of breast cancer leaving behind Gary and their two daughters, Melissa and Megan. Barbara's goal in Rwanda is to work with children by forming choirs in churches. She sees this as opportunities for discipleship and evangelism. She also teaches English to the pastors and is teaching music at the school Melissa and Megan attend. One of her passions is giving kids the opportunity to develop musical skills. With donated used musical instruments, she has been able to start a band at the school. The Bennett's serve in Rwanda with WorldVenture, which is based in Littleton CO.
Contact information: gbbennett@worldventure.net
Dan & Marcy Schuring, New Tribes Mission, Brazil
Dan and Marcy Schuring have returned from the northeast Amazon area of Brazil, after working with the Waiapi people for the last number of years. Currently they are serving and teaching at the New Tribes Ministries’ Missionary Training Center in Missouri. Teaching linguistics and practical preparation to students, ministering and encouraging them as they prepare for the mission field where they have been called.
Contact: dan_schuring@ntm.org
Tom & Kathy Lindstrom, Twin Cities U of MN Campus, United States
Tom & Kathy Lindstrom have been involved with China Outreach Ministries since their marriage in 1996. Kathy lived in Shanghai and Tianjin before their marriage and speaks Mandarin. Tom is campus team leader - he inherited the role when Glenn Kenadjian who started COM at the UMN moved to Florida in 2015. They have 3 boys; Stewart, Kenny, and Martin. This picture was taken just before Christmas 2016 on the Continental Divide Trail in Savannah Portage State Park, west of Duluth.
Contact: com@umn.edu
Sheppard Family, Baptist Mid-Missions, Liberia
The Sheppard's are the sole remaining representatives of their mission board in Liberia after the civil wars in Liberia and neighboring Ivory Coast. During the Liberian war they ministered in the refugee camps in Ivory Coast. They are back rebuilding the church association in Liberia, thanking God for the UN and democratic government stability in the country. They participate in national conferences, work individually with church leaders, help the local Bible college, nurture orphans, and provide a home for believers needing to visit the capital. We are the sending church for the Sheppard's.
Contact: MarkandNancy@sheppardsmissions.org