Home and Heart

 

Len and Mary serve with TeachBeyond in Germany and arrived in country in 1997 with three young children. In the last 24 years we have had a variety of different roles; dorm parents, administrators, member care and hospitality. Hospitality began 39 years ago in our home and hearts but Sanctuary began in 2008. Our greatest joy is to serve others!

 

Len:  Born to missionary parents serving in Thailand, I grew up until I was 11 in Thailand.  I went to a British boarding school in the Cameron Highlands for grade 1 and 2 and then 4 and 5.  My parents then moved to Saskatchewan, Canada where my father taught in a Christian Bible School.  It was there at Briercrest Bible School that I met Mary and we started our married life in Toronto.  After 15 years working and serving in our church, Bayview Glen Alliance, we heard the call to go to Black Forest Academy to serve as dorm parents, then I served as facilities manager for all the 8 dorms and then ministered to missionaries and Christian workers from 2008 to present in a Member Care and Hospitality centre, “Sanctuary”.  We have now completed almost 6 years in the UK and are seeing the Lord moving us forward to serve in Canada to promote TeachBeyond in the country of its roots. 

 

Mary:  I was born and grew up in Ontario, Canada.  My parents came to know the Lord early in their married life and we grew up serving in our local church.  It was there that missions became alive as we helped 5 missionary families directly with their packing, prayer letters and hosting when they were on their furlough.  As nursing was a part of my studies, it certainly came in handy when looking after the 40 teenage boys in the dorm when we first arrived in Germany.  Seeing the coming and goings of missionaries was instrumental in our desire to serve and help in restoration.  After our oldest son went through cancer and chemo a door opened for us to begin a ministry for those who need rest and restoration and this has been our focus since 2008.