John and Trina
John and Trina have been married for 31 years, and are blessed with a daughter, Chaili, and a son, Carey. Our family and our children are the treasures of our lives. We recently concluded our 19th and final year of homeschooling and feel a deep call to discipling our family and the generations to follow. John was born in the city of Chicago and is a lifelong fan of his Chicago teams. His other interests include running, working outside, and watching movies with the family. Above all, John loves studying God's Word, knowing Jesus more, and thoroughly enjoys getting to share Him through both writing, speaking, and teaching as he travels throughout North America and works with students online. Trina was born in Michigan and is a country girl at heart, though she came to think of Joliet, IL and the Chicago area as home during our six years there, but loves our country home in Tennessee. Trina is a certified teacher and was the primary facilitator for Chaili's and Carey's home education, and we are grateful for all God did in the life of our family through those years. In addition to her other responsibilities, Trina works full time from home in the field of medical billing, as well as doing a great deal of work behind the scenes for LifeMessage International. Trina also loves working outside and getting her internal "solar batteries" charged. Trina travels with John occasionally these days.
Chaili
Chaili is twenty-three years old and in 2017 graduated with her bachelor's of science in nursing from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, TN, where she also served in student leadership as a peer mentor, as well as singing in gospel choir and playing piano for the jazz band. She is now a registered nurse and employed as a labor and delivery nurse in a local Nashville hospital. Chaili has a sweet, gentle spirit and has always had a tender love and care for people. She has also had a lifelong love for horses, and she was very excited for us to welcome our horse, Storm, in the summer of 2010. Chaili, along with Trina, has thoroughly enjoyed working with Storm and learning the skills of horse training and horsemanship --- an ongoing education. In addition to her horse, Chaili loves her dog, Dolly, and the several outdoor cats who call our property home. Chaili enjoys the opportunity to travel with dad on trips occasionally. She has also been a great help in editing dad's books, and was the primary editor for John's books, The LifeMessage of Philemon and No Shortcuts. Mom and dad are proud of all of Chaili's academic and professional achievements and for the young lady she is and continues to become. Most of all, Chaili is a young lady who desires more than anything to respond to Jesus in her life, and this is continually evident in her, for which we thank the Lord each day.
Carey
Carey is seventeen years old, a 2019 high school graduate, and is a gifted and strong young man with a sensitive heart. He loves languages, computers, and history, especially military history, where his particular area of interest is World War II as he was likely influenced by Trina's father, who was a WWII veteran. Carey is also an avid collector and player of strategy games, which he uses to hone his strategic mind. He also enjoys swimming, and was a member of a local high school swim team. Carey has always had a love for airplanes, and his lifelong dream has been to enter the U.S. military as a pilot. He accepted an appointment to the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, and began there the summer of 2019, majoring in cyber systems., and will graduate as a commissioned office in 2023. Over a period of seven years, he traveled with dad quite regularly on trips to various parts of the country, and took his first overseas trip to Kenya and Uganda in 2017. He enjoys meeting new people and finding ways to serve. We are thankful that Carey is a young man with a heart that is open to Jesus, and our prayer is that he will continue to grow as a man who is strong in the Lord and who will lead and disciple his own family in Jesus as well as serving his country.