Jerad & Kelly Morgan
Ministry Essentials Staff
Our Story:
I (Jerad) grew up in California and Nevada with little Christian influence. I saw time and again the effects of sin and brokenness (divorce, addiction, etc.) I tried almost every avenue except God to find joy in life, but after being robbed at gunpoint at 17, God got my attention. I called out to God, opened the Bible, and God met me there, in the midst of my sin and brokenness. For the first time, I understood and believed that Jesus came for sinners like me, so that we might live in relationship with Him.
Kelly grew up in Missouri, and when she was 10 moved to Indonesia, where her parents served. Though she knew all the “right” answers, she too found herself in sin and brokenness. God met her there, and as Kelly threw all of her sin at God, He responded to her with unconditional love. Watching other global worker families struggle, especially as their kids entered their teenage and young adult years, planted in her a deep desire to care for global worker families.
Kelly and I met in a college ministry at a church in California. In that season, we both completed different discipleship programs and volunteered in various roles in student and young adult ministry. We connected over our shared belief that God still does extraordinary things and our love for other cultures and overlooked people.
In 2021, with our 10-month-old in tow, we moved to Southeast Asia as God answered our prayers to live among the unreached and support families serving in those regions. We now have three young children and serve primarily with a hybrid boarding and homeschool program.
Our Ministry:
We provide care and resources for families serving in less resourced areas—so they can persevere, thrive, and be fruitful. Many of these families face limited access to education and Christian community. We help lead a hybrid program that invites 7th through 12th-grade students to join us for one week each month.
The purpose of this program is to partner with parents to help their students thrive spiritually, socially, and academically while empowering their families to continue living in places where there is a great need for kingdom workers. Our program is centered around Christ and provides quality educational support within a loving community of peers and adults.
Most of our time is invested in caring for the families and students who are part of this program, and we are also actively working to help organize camps and retreats for other global worker families and their children, as well as serving with youth in our local church here.
When we describe our role we often say that the core of what we do is cultivate rhythms and community which become safe spaces for parents and students to invite Jesus into every area of their lives, into the good and especially into the messy and hard. We then offer care, encouragement, and tools to take steps forward to follow Jesus as He meets us where we are at and leads us into the life He has for us.
