Child: Charity
Anniversary: May 16, 1986
First Date: Pinnacle Peak Patio
Engagement: One Year & Seven Months
Wedding Colors: Purple & Yellow
Dog’s Name: Charlie
Favorite Vacation: Narrow-boating On The English Canals
Current Home: Donetsk, Ukraine
Languages Spoken: English & Russian
Their Story (Short Version):
Eric and Beth met at Southwestern Bible College in Arizona. In the spring of 1986, they both graduated and 10 days later were married. They then moved to San Jose, California where Eric began working with the young people at the First Baptist Church while going to Western Seminary and Beth worked as a preschool teacher.
After graduating from seminary in the summer of 1989, Eric and Beth began working with the children of San Jose in full-time outreach ministries. It was during this time in the spring of 1990 that their daughter, Charity Kristel, was born. Through their ministry, they became acquainted with other children's ministries and Christian educators on both the local and national level. After being challenged to use their experience on a mission trip, Eric went twice to the former Soviet Union. Early in 1992 he traveled to Minsk, Belorussia and Kiev, Ukraine. Almost one year later he spent two ministry weeks in Donetsk and Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. Through all this the Lord was tugging at their hearts and showing them the need for churches to be planted in Ukraine.