Birthday: January 9
Gerritt grew up as a Pastor's Kid in South Jersey. His dad and grandpop co-pastored his home church for 25 years of his life! He was called to ministry when he was 12 years old at a Royal Ranger Retreat. He went on his first missions trip to Mexico when he was 16 and followed it up with the six-week World Warrior program in El Salvador when he was 17. He knew he would return to El Salvador. Upon graduating from high school, he took the leap of faith to go to college all the way out in Minnesota where no one would know his family name.
A passionately gifted and creative communicator, Gerritt loves inspiring young people to dream GOD's dreams for their lives and attempt feats impossible by human effort alone. He loves reading leadership books and talking with buddies (and fellow Mac geeks) in ministry, completely convinced that "iron sharpens iron".
Tara was born in Wisconsin but grew up in Central Florida. She grew up as a non-traditional church kid, being raised by families in the church. Upon her family's relocation back to Wisconsin, she went on her first missions trip to El Salvador when she was 16 years old and returned the following year for the six-week World Warrior program. It was during this time that she knew God was calling her to career missions.
Graduating from high school early, she went directly to North Central University in Minneapolis, MN, to prepare for her missions call.
Whether ministering during altar time or teaching students in a Bible School, Tara desires to see young people healed of the deep, inner hurts that hinder them from experiencing GOD's BEST for their lives. She invests her time in EQUIPPING the called to see their God-given dreams become REALITY.
Malachi is our little Missionary Kid (MK). He was born in El Salvador during our first term. This means he has dual citizenship and travels with two passports!
He is an absolute blessing to his parents and everyone he meets. He is a people person who needs social interaction like others need air. Mom and Dad do not quite fulfill his extensive social needs.
Malachi's current favorite pass-time is swimming. He is a graduate of Infant Swimming Resource where he learned survival swimming. He's becoming a little fishy!
We met on Tara's 20th Birthday at Templo de Fe, a bilingual church in St. Paul, while attending North Central University. It became quickly obvious, soon after meeting, that we were destined to be a ministry team as our dreams and passions were the same. We dated 2 1/2 years before getting married on August 16, 2002. We've been enjoying the journey together ever since.
Upon graduating from North Central, we had the amazing privilege of serving on the youth staff of Emmanuel Christian Center in Minneapolis, MN, for two years before beginning our missions journey. It was there that we were intensely mentored and challenged in our call to ministry.
We left ECC to begin our Missionary-In-Training term in El Salvador, mentoring under Don & Terri Triplett. They are the founders of King's Castle Ministries, an international ministry to children that has extended its reach to 32 nations. It was under their guidance and blessing that we were called to Panama to launch our own last harvest ministry.
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Gerritt
& Tara Kenyon
Missionaries
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Youth Culture of Panama
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