Our Story

Risa decided to follow Jesus when she was in Kindergarten, and the missionaries serving in her community nurtured her young faith, teaching her what it looked like to have a personal relationship with Jesus. She often wondered what it would be like to leave everything behind to take the Gospel overseas. Risa’s family moved to the states when she was a teen, where she met Josh, and finished High School. In college Risa studied music and German, and completed month long terms in China, France, and at the United Nations. She graduated with a degree in Cross-Cultural studies and Sociology.

After college Risa worked for a ministry serving at-risk youth, and developed a passion for sitting with people and hearing their stories. She felt called to return to school at Western Seminary, earning a Master of Arts in Counseling degree. She opened a private practice, and began teaching college course in Psychology, Human Development, and Counseling. Now as a licensed professional counselor, Risa specializes in complex trauma, relationship and parenting challenges, and concerns unique to those who work in ministry and other helping-professions. Risa's own ministry experience includes Sunday school, youth group, women’s groups, worship, and church planting.

Josh grew up knowing there was a God, but did not know Jesus. Over the course of his life he always felt something was missing, but didn’t know what. Risa and the church taught him about Jesus, but he was hesitant to believe. Risa was amazing a modeling Jesus’ love and forgiveness in his many blunders and mistakes, but yet he resisted. Finally, in the midst of a downward spiral in his personal life, Josh called out to Jesus and accepted Him into his heart. In Christ, he finally found hope. Since then, Josh has worked in church planting, focusing on worship, teaching, and men’s groups.

Josh has spent his career focused on the restaurant and hospitality industry. Graduating culinary school at the top of his class and working in many different restaurants and hotels, he passionately sought out to learn cuisines from different cultures. This passion was also explored as Risa and Josh travelled to Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, Mexico, and the Middle East. During this time, Josh studied with local chefs in Thailand, Nepal, Mexico, Japan, and Hong Kong. In the midst of the travels, Josh accepted his favorite job of teaching international cuisine at a local culinary school. Feeling called by God to future Kingdom work, Josh also completed a ministry degree and attended the Perspectives course.

Since the beginning of our marriage we have dreamed of running a bed and breakfast, and living in Europe. Over the years our dreams have been changed and shaped by the education, life, and ministry experiences God has been equipping us with. In the midst of school, jobs, travel, church planting, and raising kids, God planted the seeds of a vision in our hearts that we could not ignore. As we began to intentionally pursue His vision, He led us to TEAM and the plans for an Intercultural Member Care Center in Portugal. We are excited that God has brought us together with others who share this same vision of a caring community where weary, hurting, or burned out ministry workers and their families can come experience rest and healing.