Long Term Missions
Contact Information Global Outreach Director |Michael Oakes (click to email)
“Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”~Matthew 9:37-38
Through our Global Outreach ministries, Oak Hills Church seeks to participate with God in the great task of building his Kingdom around the world. Our global ministries support four key strategic objectives:
- Completing the task of bringing God’s word in every language through Bible Translation.(Matt 24:14)
- Building God’s church through Church Planting & Evangelism in places with no local church or witness. (Matt 16:18)
- Training Local Leaders to grow and multiply the church in their context. (2 Tim 2:1-2)
- Join Jesus in his mission to bring good news to the poor through ministries of Mercy and Compassion. (Isaiah 61:1-3)
OHC’s global partners fall into three main categories:
- Oak Hills Missionaries (M) - missionary families who receive monthly support, pastoral care and have the deepest ongoing relationship with Oak Hills and our campuses.
- Missionary Partners (MP) - missionaries who share our goals and values and receive varying levels of financial support through generous missions donations of our church.
- Organizational Partners (OP) - strategic partnerships on specific Kingdom projects with like-minded missions organizations.
The local Oak Hills Church body also engages in practical, hands-on ways through our Short Term Missions (STMs) and through several Global Campaigns (GC) held throughout the year.
God has called OHC to have be involved around the world, not just in one or two specific countries. While there is overlap, our partners fall primarily into one of these four categories. The following is a summary of our current partnerships and locations:
BIBLE TRANSLATION
Pioneer Bible Translators Headquarters Staff, Dallas Texas
Greg & Rebecca Pruett (M)
Archie & Mandy Chankin (M)
Marsha Martin (M)
Melody Warford (MP)
Togo, West Africa - Steve & Melinda Visosky (M)
Siberia, Russia - Matt & Shaylea McMillan (M)
Deaf Bible Translation - Mary Helen Bush (M)
Papua New Guinea - Brian & Hannah Paris (MP)
Asia Pacific – Kathy Klopman (MP)
East Asia - Hannah P. (MP)
East Asia - Lauren T. (MP)
Global - David Bush (M)
East Asia - Lauren T (MP)
Nicaragua -
Messiah Project (OP)
Bantayan Island, Philippines - Bantayan For Christ Mission (OP)
MERCY AND COMPASSION
Recife, Brazil -
Dennis Downing (M)
Cap Haitian, Haiti - Moisse & Altagrace Toussaint (M)
Benjamin, Haitii - Good Shepherd Orphanage (OP)
meet the long term missionaries of oak hills church:
NORTHEAST BRAZIL
Natal, Brazil-Bryan and Jannet Carruth
Bryan & Jannet planted and pastor Grace Haven Church (Igreja Refúgio da Graça) in Natal, Brazil. They envision a growing community of believers living out the call to be Jesus in neighborhoods in this urban city of over 1 million people through working integrally with the municipal high school and the local community. They have a heart for sharing Jesus and serving the needs of the communities surrounding their church, and have also sent several missionaries outside of Brazil.
Recife, Brazil-Dennis Downing
Oak Hills missionary in Brazil since 1990, Dennis Downing ministers to the homeless and chemically dependent through the “Jesus in the Streets” ministry in downtown Recife and also in partnership with the "Cristolandia" ministry. His vision is to see Spirit-inspired servants leading the lost men, women, and children from the streets and slums of Recife to hope through Jesus and a home with our Father. Regional leaders are being developed through partnership with the International Leadership Institute. Dennis is also a contributing author and manager of two Portuguese language websites: Hermeneutica and Iluminalma offering devotionals and Christian leadership training materials, as well as a Brazilian Portuguese site hosting daily devotionals by Max Lucado.
São Lourenço, Brazil-Bio and Dayse Nascimento
In São Lourenço, Bio & Dayse Nascimento minister at a local church, focusing on maturing new Christians and developing new church servant-leaders. Their vision is to have a healthy, independent, growing church to disciple young leaders and to help the church youth improve their educational opportunities through Project Hope. Bio also teaches at the Escola da Bíblia in Recife.
AFRICA
North Africa -Steve & Melinda Visosky.jpg)
The Visoskys heard God’s call to the missions field while attending a short-term mission trip to North Africa. They joined Pioneer Bible Translators to use their God-given skills - Steve is an electrician and Melinda is a nurse - to serve and support missionary teams in Africa, filling gaps and providing care and support. This support allows translators and church planters to work more efficiently in their mission. The Visoskies arrived in Togo in the Fall of 2020 and have begun their work as part of the PBT team.
Tanzania -David & Mary Helen Bush
David and Mary Helen Bush serve with Pioneer Bible Translators. David works as a Scripture Impact Adviser giving input on various methods and strategies helping to lead local believing and unbelieving people to transform their lives through the use of their translated vernacular Bible. David also works with the Pioneer Bible Translators development team as a donor advocate speaking to churches, foundations, and individuals all over the world seeking partnerships. Mary Helen helps lead a project to translate the scripture into a visual Bible for Sign Language for the Deaf, reaching one of the world's largest and most marginalized people groups in the world.
CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Cap Haitien, Haiti-Moise and Altagrace Toussaint
Moise and Altagrace Toussaint are an indigenous missionary family who serve their church and community in Cap Haitien, Haiti. They have been serving some of the neediest of their people for years through a feeding center, school, orphanage, elder home and church-planting. This relationship was built over many years through short-term mission teams traveling and working alongside the Toussaints and others.
Monclova, Mexico-Jose Luis and Valentina Estrada
The Estrada family and their church in Monclova, Mexico strives to reach the local community with a message of grace. Their community church evangelizes and disciples people in nearby neighborhoods through small groups. They invest in children and families through summer camps, retreats, and marriage seminars. Their vision is for every believer to be transformed into a leader for Christ.
San Salvador, El Salvador-Rafael and Raquel Rosales
Our faithful missionary to El Salvador - Rafael Rosales, went to be without Lord on November 11, 2020. We are grateful for Rafael's ministry in equipping local leaders of three different churches in urban and rural El Salvador to teach God's grace and serve the surrounding communities. These three churches have supported the spiritual, physical and educational development of some of the most impoverished children in the villages of El Sunza and Las Brisas. We are grateful of the ministry of these churches that have invested heavily in the youth of these communities, helping young people to discover Jesus as a source of life and hope and an alternative to the gangs and severe poverty they see all around them. We ask that you continue to pray for the ministry that continues in El Salvador and these three churches and communities. View tribute video to Rafael Rosales.
ASIA
Bantayan, Philippines -Robert & Jay Latreille
Robert, Jay and Luke Latreille relocated to the Philippines in 2016 to mobilize the Filipino Church to share the Good News to the unreached peoples in Southeast Asia. Their strategy is to help develop a national Perspectives program, a movement that transforms lives and mobilizes the body of Christ into global action. Their vision is to see followers of Christ in the Philippines empowered and equipped to share the Good News to unreached peoples of SE Asia.
Siberia, Russia -Matthew & Shaylea McMillan
The McMillans were called to serve with Pioneer Bible Translators to be witnesses for Christ among the nomadic “Nenets” people of Northern Russia through evangelism, scripture translation, discipleship, church planting, arts, and music. They are currently in language acquisition training in Russia. In Siberia, Matthew will serve in a translator role, while Shaylea will provide support services and utilize her artistic skills to share the Gospel. To keep up with the McMillans, email Matt to be added to their mailing list: matt.mcmillan@pbti.org
India - Filipe and Karen Aires
Pursuing their passion for unreached peoples, Filipe and Karen Aires utilize their gifts in the Arts, Education and Media to serve God in India, home to the majority of the world's unreached people groups! Filipe and Karen believe that God is raising a generation of artists who are entering nations, revealing beauty, bringing the good news of the Kingdom of God, and stimulating social transformation and dignity! After implementing a project for a ballet school and an art gallery for a year, they have returned to their base city in Northern India to establish a business as mission project. They also partner with two Indian NGOs reaching over 57,000 children throughout India and actively advocating for the rights of "the least of these", while fighting human trafficking, slave labor and child prostitution.
GLOBAL – BIBLE TRANSLATION
Pioneer Bible Translators in Dallas, TXGreg and Rebecca Pruett
The Pruetts lived for twelve and a half years among the Yalunka people in West Africa, where they completed translation of the Old and New Testaments. In 2006, Greg and Rebecca moved their family to Dallas where Greg now serves as President of Pioneer Bible Translators. Greg and Rebecca are leading PBT to greatly expand strategic efforts to bring the gospel to the Bibleless peoples of the world.Archie and Mandy Chankin In 2008, the Chankin family returned from the mission field in Burkina Faso and joined Pioneer Bible Translators. Archie leads PBT's formation department, which provides training, coaching and sending of new missionary families and teams in training. They also provide coaching training to other PBT leaders and travel to PBT's mission sites to train leaders and build teams. The Chankin family also helps with PBT's fundraising and grant writing.
Marsha Martin
Marsha served with Pioneer Bible Translators for over a decade in West and East Africa, focusing on scripture impact, training local literacy teachers and serving as a crisis intervention/support minister to the many missionaries serving in the region. She recently returned from Africa and serves at PBT's headquarters, where she continues to provide missionary care and coaching to current missionaries and team members in training.