Why we work as missionaries at Black Forest Academy

Our vision that drives Sue and I to serve at Black Forest Academy:

1.   Our burden is for youth to come to faith in Jesus Christ and pursue His calling upon their lives. 
2. It is our joy to serve children and teens with the love of God through mentoring and teaching.
3. We are passionate about serving missionary families by being involved in their children’s education and discipleship. 
4. We are startled by the statistics that the majority of young people are not continuing on in their faith once they leave home for college.
5. Children whose parents are either foreign missionaries, military, or cross cultural workers have particular needs that schools like Black Forest Academy can care for as their main focus.
6. Sue and I believe that the Biblical worldview education and mentoring that BFA offers its students provides a great preparation for the challenges in college and beyond. 

An excerpt from our daughter Alison’s blog site gives you an idea of why Sue and I are so passionate about working as missionaries and at the Black Forest Academy in Germany:


“After the four-week course I have been taking after church for the past four Sundays, I am finally a member at The Nations Church (in S. Korea)! The first time ever to be a church member not through family affiliation! I completely agree with their Christ centered, Bible believing core values, and I can tell that the leadership team is driven by the freedom, strength, and purpose that comes with a close relationship with Jesus Christ and a knowledge of the Scriptures. I’m hoping in the next couple of weeks to attend some of the worship team practices, get my feet wet, and see if I can be a part of the team. It’s a really international team, 30% Korean and the rest from a bunch of other countries. They are so genuine and all about non-performance based, humble, and spirit-filled worship, which I LOVE. And they are all very musically talented, which makes doing worship with them so much fun. I’ll have to learn to sing pieces of some songs in Korean (yikes), but I think, with God’s help, I’m up for the challenge.”

 (From her blog site: www.alisoninkorea@tumbler.com) 

Our daughter Alison graduated from Taylor University last May.  She has since served four months working with orphans in Uganda and is now working as a kindergarten teacher in a Christian school in S. Korea.  In less than 6 months she joined a church and has gotten involved in their outreach to the homeless and at an orphanage.  Alison came to understand that her growing up as a missionary kid with all its painful transitions were part of God’s preparation for His plans for her.

From Missionaries In Bologna, Italy:

A parent’s testimony from sending their son to Black Forest Academy:

“Mark attended Italian public schools from 1^st to 8^th grade.  Early on it was obvious that he had a learning disability, but in Italy it was considered “laziness”.  He was told over and over by his teachers to try harder but his efforts to do so didn’t solve the problem.  By middle school we were worried that he would fail.  I don’t think he ever passed a math test, but they passed him because he was a nice boy.  At the end of eighth grade his teachers told him to drop out of school because he wasn’t smart enough.  We sent Mark to BFA.  In four years he was constantly encouraged (a very new school experience for him), teachers believed in him and let him know it, dorm staff helped with studies and tutoring, and there was a special program for his learning disability. Wen he graduated in 2000 he graduated with high honors.  The boy that was told to “go get a job” by the Italian school system! When he graduated from Moody Bible Institute it was because of all of you. And when he finished his studies at Wheaton with an M.A. in Greek, Hebrew, and Theology again it was part of what you have done.  Was it worth investing in the life of a teenage boy from Italy?” 

Mark returned to Italy as a missionary with his wife and two little girls to work with a church planting ministry in Bologna, Italy.  This is the same city where he grew up and where his parents continue to serve as missionaries.