Martha has 17 years experience at Boeing, having worked in fabric construction, paint shop, machine parts inspection, and retired as a Quality Engineer.  She has an AA in quality control technology with an additional year of study in business administration.  She has knowledge of farming from first hand experience, having grown up on a farm.  She has owned and operated her own dressmaking business both here and in Germany.  She has done upholstery work. 

She brings her organizational skills, knowledge of home construction, dressmaking and upholstery skills. During her six month stay in Guinea-Bissau (her third trip) she surveyed the country to determine what skills and needs are most apparent, as well as to determine where would be the best location for the establishment of an industrial school, "Jesus' Industrial School" (Escola Industrial de Jesus - EIJ). She organized the non-profit Freedom Life African Ministries Emanuel (FLAME). She was introduced to Herb Reynolds by a mutual friend in 2001, and married him on March 16, 2002. Together they share the common goal of serving the Lord in Guinea Bissau.

She brings to the group a passion for the health, both physical and spiritual, and welfare of the people of Guinea-Bissau.  

Chris Collins, 27, grew up near Seattle and was a journalist in California's Central Valley for five years. His stories ran in newspapers across the country, including The Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star and The Seattle Times. While covering county government for a newspaper in Merced, Calif., in 2006, he wrote about the county district attorney's misuse of taxpayer funds. The stories led to the district attorney's resignation and received several awards, including the national Associated Press Managing Editors' Public Service Award and The California First Amendment Coalition's Beacon Award. Chris began working for The Fresno Bee, the largest newspaper in the San Joaquin Valley, in late 2006. The next summer, he spent six weeks in Baghdad writing about the war in Iraq for McClatchy Newspapers, the country's third largest newspaper chain. At The Bee, he spent two years covering local courts and another two years writing about local government.

Chris graduated from Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash., in 2005 with degrees in journalism and political studies. He was recently awarded The Whitworthian Legacy Award for his work as editor of the student newspaper his senior year.

Chris traveled with Tom Crompton, a member of the West African Vocational Schools board, to Guinea-Bissau in 2008. There he learned first-hand about WAVS's work in one of the least-developed countries in the world. He was encouraged to see how WAVS's school is teaching young people critical skills that will give them job opportunities and a brighter future. Last year, he traveled with Tom to Ghana and Liberia on a mission trip

Chris has lived in Fresno for four years and is actively involved in his church. He leads Bible studies and is part of a sports ministry at a local elementary schools. He spends his free time exploring the Sierra Nevada mountains in the summer and snowboarding in the winter.

Born 02/27/1954 Seattle, WA USA
Class of 1972 - Mountlake Terrace High School
BA in Psychology and Sociology from Seattle Pacific University
BS in Accounting from Central Washington University
Full-charge Bookkeeper - University Reprographics, Inc. 07/15/1985 - present
Owner - Cindy Roberts Bookkeeping business - 5/3/1996 - present
Tax Preparer - H & R Block - 1997 - 2009
Treasurer - Homeowners Association Board - 1991 - present

Personal:
I have two children and one grandchild.
I grew up in a Christian home and have attended Seattle First Christian Reformed Church all my life.
Served on Finance Committee for several years. Also, have filled a few other roles over the years.

Born 09/05/1959 Seattle, WA USA
Blanchet high school class of 1977
B.S. Forest Management University of Washington class of 1983
Automotive Technician at Sand Point Auto Repair Seattle WA 1984-1993
Auto Tech Martha Lake Unocal Lynnwood WA 1993-1997
Owner D&H Auto Repair Everett Wa 1986-present

Personal: Became a Christian 1977

Have always been active every Church that I have attended. I have served on several mission boards, served as an Elder, Awana Commander, Vice President Fifteenth Ave Bible Church, and other positions as needed.

Tom Crompton became a follower of Christ while attending South Dakota State University where he graduated with a B.S. degree in Engineering Physics. He has served with the Navigators in several Military and Collegiate ministries before becoming a missionary to Ghana, West Africa in 1981. In 1997 he, Sue and their four children (then ages 17, 15, 13, 8) moved to the Seattle area. His prayer and passion is that God would raise up a multitude of people who are "experienced soldiers (for Christ) prepared for (spiritual) battle with every type of (spiritual) weapon, with undivided loyalty (to Christ)" (1 Chronicles 12:33).
 

Gerald van Belle joined the board of FLAME in August, 2007. He is a professor in the department of Biostatistics and the department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle
(see http://depts.washington.edu/envhlth/faculty.php?van_Belle_Gerald for more information about his professional work).

He and his wife Johanna (a retired physician) have been members of the First Christian Reformed Church of Seattle since 1974. Gerald served as elder several times, the last time being 2004-2007. During his last term he was president in 2006 and clerk of the council in 2007. In addition, he filled the role of ministries coordinator. He also served on the board of Shoreline Christian School for many years, including two terms as president. He currently serves on the board of Mountain Meadows Assisted Living, a non-profit rural assisted living facility in Leavenworth, WA. The van Belles have five children and nine grandchildren—scattered from Corvallis to Chicago, to Florida, to Munich Germany.

Herb is a retired businessman. He spent his forty-year business career mainly in marketing, including sales and product development. He retired as Senior Vice President of Product Development and Industry Affairs. He then became a staff member of the Christian Reformed Church serving as Ministries Director for the next four years.

He has served on the Board of Shoreline Christian School and Firland Mini Prison.
Herb has also worked with grief support groups after the death of his wife in November 1999.


Herb was introduced to Martha Shephard by a mutual friend in 2001, and married her on March 16, 2002. Together they shared the Lord's calling to start the school in Guinea Bissau.

My nickname is Chinda. I was born about 1949 in a village near Canchungo. I have been a pastor of the Canchungo Evangelical Church since 1984.

When I was about 16 years old, I heard about Jesus Christ and his death for all mankind, in a gramophone in my language, called Manjako. I could not read or write because there was no school in our village. I saw a boy who could read. No one from our village could read. I said to the Lord "If I can read like that boy I shall be Jesus' worker or servant", but I only said it in my mind, not with my voice. What I did not know is, Jesus hears the mind and I think Jesus did mark it.

When I, Uessa (Chinda) Mendes returned from England in 1981, as Pastor as well as Evangelist, I planted ten churches around the Canchungo area, one in Canchungo, the rest in the surrounding villages. Since then several more churches have been planted in the surrounding villages. I saw young people who were looking for schools. Some came from their villages to Canchungo in hopes of getting more education. I started an elementary school in my house, which has helped greatly to start the Jesus' Industrial School. We also need a Christian High school here.

Joel is the son of Pastor Uessa and Teresinha Mendes

Joel has graduated from High School (quite an achievement in Guinea Bissau) and studied in The Gambia, a country to the north of Guinea Bissau. He is a capable young man who speaks, reads and writes English well. He is a strong Christian.