Missionary Partners

God has blessed the Gideons International ministry for more than 120 years. The Gideons began in 1899
when two travelling businessmen met together for scripture reading and prayer. Since then, it has
become the most effective, comprehensive, and integrated Bible distribution network the world has
ever known. Over two billion Scriptures have been placed and distributed through the partnership
between The Gideons International and churches across the globe. We have about 12,000 missionary
touchpoints (camps) and 248,000 missionaries (Gideons and Auxiliary). All must be members of a local evangelical or Protestant church in the 200 countries, territories, or possessions where we operate. The Gideons are home missionaries uniquely positioned to reach most of the world’s 7.9 billion people.

Seeking God’s continuing blessing and favor, we strive side by side for the faith of the Gospel. Our single objective is to win others for the Lord Jesus Christ through the association of Christian business and professional men for service, personal testimony and personal work by individual Gideons, and placing
the Bible—God’s Holy Word—or portions thereof, in hotels, hospitals, schools, institutions, and one-on-
one in the world’s byways.

The Gideons International is not about Scripture distribution but about who a man is before God. The
primary focus remains to help Christian business and professional men maintain a strong testimony for
Christ. We are blessed that our wives, strong women of faith, work side-by-side with us to accomplish
that goal.

The Extra Mile is our partnership with multiple organizations in Mexico (Tijuana, Nogales, Hermosillo, Mexicali, Cananea, Tavojoa) that meet very real physical and spiritual needs in the lives of people.

Our ministry partners show God's love by helping people experiencing addiction, homlessness, physical disabilities, and hoplessness.

Part of their ministry is specifically to at risk youth and families living in extreme poverty.

We take regular trips to Mexico to serve, provide resources, and support these partner organizations and churches.

Every semester, over 12,000 international students from over 140 different nations flood the campus of Arizona State University. These precious souls and influential future leaders are a foreign mission field right at our doorstep. Not only is the opportunity for interaction much greater on campus than in their native countries, but they represent a powerful potential missionary force as they return to their homelands. James' energy, enthusiasm, and genuine love for these students is a natural connecting point. Physical fitness training, swimming lessons, slack lining, hiking, conversational English classes, etc. are used as opportunities to build bridges towards meaningful relationships that open up relaxed and honest conversations to evangelize and disciple.

Working hand in hand with "Friends Of Internationals" (an ongoing Missions Door campus ministry for 30 years), James utilizes hospitality ministry, monthly activities, host-family programs, furniture giveaways, and one-on-one/group Bible studies to orchestrate ministry impact.

Lee Styer is a native Arizonan who has been married to his wife, Mary, for the last 30 years. His role as a father and husband have been such a blessing as they have prepared him so much for his work in ministry.

Lee's call to serve in missions came one Sunday when his pastor encouraged the congregation to get involved in serving. A short time later, Lee met Eddie Baugher, and through conversation found his way to serving as a chaplain for Racers for Christ.

"God has shaped me into a person who loves to meet new people. I‘ve always been intrigued to walk up to someone, introduce myself, and start up a conversation to get to know that person. Through everyone I’ve met through the ministry, I’ve come to realize that connecting with all the different personalities God has brought into my life has given me an understanding as to why He created us as social beings."

The Josephs were appointed by Missions Door in 1983, and started their ministry as Campus Ambassadors in 1984. At Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, the Josephs have the opportunity to minister among the more than 15,000 students who have come to the United States from over 140 different nations. Eighty percent of these students are from the 10/40 window, the least evangelized parts of the world. Ben says, "America is fortunate to have the world come to her - a foreign mission field at her doorstep. There may be no better opportunity for world evangelization than that of reaching international students for Jesus Christ. Not only do they represent a potent missionary force as they return to their homelands, but the opportunity for open interaction is often much greater on a university campus than in their native countries."

Ministry is orchestrated through a variety of activities and events: airport pickup, hospitality ministry, monthly activities where students can meet other students and American families, host-family programs, which provide a home away from home, conversational English classes, furniture giveaways, one-to-one and group Bible studies.

Rod has been working with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for nearly 40 years. He has loved and served college students in four different states and on nearly 20 campuses. He currently serves as a Senior Campus Staff Minister with InterVarsity's Graduate and Faculty Ministries-- focusing his time and energy on reaching graduate students and faculty members throughout New Mexico and El Paso, TX. He has graduate student ministry and faculty ministry that is active at both the University of New Mexico and the University of Texas at El Paso.

His passionate interests include leading students and faculty in Scripture study and helping people to learn how to study the Scriptures inductively. He also cares deeply about sharing the gospel with non-believers, teaching students and faculty how to communicate the gospel message, and having conversations about things that matter for eternity. He is married to Andrea Carson Pauls and they have a beautiful daughter named Mattea, who is a freshman in high school. Andrea works part-time as a mental health therapist, and both she and Mattea help Rod with the grad student ministry in a variety of ways.

Bob has served as a senior pastor for 25 years. He holds a Master’s degree in Bible and theology from Northwest Baptist Seminary, and a Doctorate from Talbot School of Theology in church leadership. Eileen served for 17 years first, as office administrator, then as Assistant Executive Director for the Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization in Chandler, AZ. Starting in 2016, Eileen began serving full-time with Bob in the work of training pastors and Christian leaders around the world.

Bob and Eileen have been married for 41 years and have two adult daughters and one adult son. All are married serving the Lord, and have now blessed Bob and Eileen with 9 grandchildren. The Edmondsons have always had a heart for missions and have actively promoted missions efforts in the churches they have served. They have personally engaged in missions work in other countries whenever possible. They now find it a great joy to serve God full-time in the strategic work of training pastors and church leaders all over the world, who can then go on to reach and teach others.

When I (Sean) was 8 years old, I heard my first missionary share her story as God had called her to go to France. I remember when she was done that I heard this small voice say, What about missions? Over the years as similar events took place, I would continue to hear that same small voice asking the question, but never felt I could answer this call. It was not until 2011 did I hear that voice one more time say those same words, but no longer small in nature. It was bold and loud! At that point, I realized God would not let go of this path for my life, and I finally heeded his call.

I finally got the nerve to share this information with Ruthann.

“I think God wants me to be a missionary,” I said. It seemed so foreign to me that I did not know how she would react. Fortunately my words were met with words of encouragement only a wife could offer as God had already been working in her heart to GO.

Over the next 2 years we explored missions and mission agencies, and were finally appointed with WorldVenture in 2014, still unclear where God wanted us to serve; only that he had called us to be faithful and GO. In 2015, after much prayer and counsel from friends and family we were able to take a vision trip and heard God make it clear to us that he was calling us to serve in Spain.

Our journey will continue as we serve in Madrid, Spain to work alongside an already established WorldVenture team in conjunction with the local church reaching out to North Africans with love in both word and action.

Jim and Teri live in Camp Verde, Arizona. Previous to this they lived in Chandler, Arizona where Jim had been the Senior Pastor of Mesa Baptist Church from 1992 to January of 2008. Prior to coming to Mesa, Jim was Senior Pastor at Idaville Bible Church in Tillamook, Oregon. Jim also served in two Associate Pastor roles for six years prior to Idaville. He is a graduate of Arizona Christian University (B.A. degree in Bible) and Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon (M.Div in Pastoral Ministries). Jim has also completed his Doctorate in Ministry (D.Min) from Phoenix Seminary in 2016.

Jim and Teri were married in May 1981, and have five children and five grandchildren. Teri loves to be a mom and grandmother, as well as encourage other women in ministry.

Jim has put out 6 music CDs; Resting, I Believe,

Christmas Joy, Living Loved, Mosaic, and Because He Lives.

Jim is passionate about reproducing disciples of the Lord Jesus, using his teaching and music to equip and encourage leaders for Christ. He is so thankful to be able to do that through the world-reaching ministry of GTN!

Since 2008, Jim has been privileged to train over 3,000 pastors, church planters and Christian leaders in 11 countries (Argentina, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Liberia, Myanmar, Micronesia, Rwanda, Russia, Sierra Leone, and Ukraine). He’s also trained Native American leaders in the USA. Jim serves as the Ministry Partner Development Director (MPD) for GTN while equipping majority world Christian leaders across the globe.

Rick and Debbie Seltzer represent over 40 years in active ministry. They have served churches across the wouthwest from Texas to Arizona. Currently Rick serves as the church health consultant for Venture Church Network Southwest. Rick has also served various churches as an interim pastor during, guiding their process to health and eventually calling a new pastor.

Rick is a graduate of Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College (BA) and Liberty University (M. Div. in Pastoral Ministries). He is also certified by the John Maxwell Team as a Leadership Team Trainer. Debbie has her Teaching degree (BS) from Liberty University and has been a teacher in Arizona for 15 years. She decided to retire and help support teaching around the world with GTN in 2017.

Rick and Debbie were married in June of 1981 and have three grown children who are all serving the Lord. They also fostered two young ladies for 3 ½ years, whom they consider to be their children as well.

Rick and Debbie are passionate about empowering people and churches to move forward in discipleship and leadership skills so that the Kingdom of God moves forward around the world with power. They are thrilled to be a part of the GTN team and this adventure forward for the Glory of God!

Having grown up in Europe as missionary kids, Ted and Malia met in Belgium where they married in 1988. They have been serving with WorldVenture on the French-speaking side of the country since 1993.

Following 7 years in church development and 13 years in a fruitful partnership in youth evangelism and leadership development with the Belgian association Jeunesse et Vie, they have transitioned and now serve among young adults.

Their main focus is on college students and young professionals. Their aim is to pursue evangelism and discipleship by means of personal contact work, a network of small groups, and the building up of community life. This age group is largely overlooked and cries out for workers.

The Winstons are also involved in giving pre-marital counseling, speaking in camps and also serve a local church in Brussels where they teach and where Ted is an elder. This church is growing and some 250 people now attend.

Raised in a Christian home, Diane was 9 years old when the Lord called her to be a missionary nurse. Diane and her family moved to Arizona in 1978 from her native New York State. She and her parents joined MBC in 1985. In 1990, she went on a 5-week mission trip to Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa. The following year, she was commissioned by MBC to serve as a missionary nurse with WorldVenture (Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society) at the mission hospital in Ferkessedougou, Cote d’Ivoire.

After returning home in 1993, Diane was appointed in January 1994 as a long term missionary with WorldVenture. She returned to Ferke in 1996 after raising support and finishing language study in France. She continued serving with WorldVenture until 2006 when she resigned in order to be a support to her mother who was suffering with dementia. After her mother’s Home going, Diane sought to return to CI but the Lord closed that door. She continued to serve at MBC on the mission committee and teaching ladies Bible study.

In 2015, Diane returned to CI independently and lived with long time African friends in Korhogo. In June 2016, she had the opportunity to assist with a US team at a private Christian elementary school in Tanda. A few
months later the founder of the school invited her to return to Tanda to teach English. In January 2017, Diane began serving at the school and currently is teaching English to 3 rd , 4 th and 5 th graders, managing the school library, providing counseling to the girls and assisting at the orphanage next door. Her home base remains in Korhogo where she spends vacations with
her African family.

David and Kenda Jerome serve as Church Partnership Evangelism (CPE) Coordinators. Their primary responsibility is to coordinate and host short-term mission teams from US churches and partner them with Philippine churches or outreaches. Teams engage in evangelism intentionally targeted at the family, friends, co-workers and neighbors of Philippine believers

David and Kenda took different paths on their journey to the Philippines. David was a high school student in 1976 when a missionary couple named Bo and Cynthia Horlen visited the church his family was attending. He listened intently to the presentation that morning, filing the information away as “really cool stuff,” and believing something like that was not for him.

In 1980, Kenda was a teenager and a new believer at Deer Valley Baptist Church, when that same missionary couple from the Philippines came to visit. She remembers listening to them and thinking that she would like to be a missionary someday.

In 1983 the Jerome's began attending Mesa Baptist Church. After only a few weeks at their new church home, a missionary couple on home assignment visited MBC. Once again it was the Horlen's. And once again, they listened intently as they reported on their ministry.

In 2003, Bo invited MBC to come to the Philippines and participate in an evangelistic campaign known as Church Partner Evangelism. David volunteered to join the five-member team. Over the course of the week-long campaign, he was privileged to help lead thirty-three people to Christ. In subsequent years, David led six more teams from MBC to the Philippines. With Kenda already “on board,” it was apparent God was completing their journey to join Him in the work He was doing in the Philippines.