About Team Members
Sarah and her husband, Kevin, have had the privilege of having Beth help welcome two babies into the world. Sarah now spends most of her time raising their kids, Hannah and Nathan. She studied social work at Roberts Wesleyan College and received her Masters of Social Work from the University of Kentucky in 1997. Sarah and her family now live and serve at Oakdale Christian Academy, a boarding school in Eastern Kentucky. Sarah is a certified social worker and works as the director of admissions for Oakdale.
Marcella Gowan
Marcella is a nurse-midwife and has a Masters in International PublicHealth. Her husband Robert is an environmental specialist and health educator. Together with their four children they have lived and worked in East Africa on and off for the last 25 years. Marcella teaches Maternity Nursing and works as a consultant teaching Life Saving Skills overseas.
Shelli Brown Kratzer is the director of development at Oakdale Christian Academy, a boarding school for at-risk teenagers in Jackson, Kentucky. Shelli and her husband, Dave, along with their two boys have lived and worked at Oakdale for the last four years. Shelli attained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Business in 1995 from Greenville College and a Masters of Social Work from the University of Kentucky in 2001. As a certified social worker, Shelli is passionate about healthy families both here and abroad. Beth Broderson Bray delivered both of the Kratzer's boys.
Sarah Beth Baldwin is the campus pastor at George Fox University in Oregon. Sarah and her husband, Clint are committed to spiritual and social outreach within their community and around the world and have taken missions trips to Hong Kong, Thailand, Guatemala and India. Sarah completed a bachelor degree in psychology from Asbury College in 1993. She went on to obtain a Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2001. Before her move to George Fox, Sarah worked as the director of campus and guest relations at Asbury Theological Seminary and also as an adjunct professor of Christian Ministries at Asbury College. Sarah's daughter, Madeline (age five), was delivered by Beth.
Trip Sweeney
Robert Todd Sweeney III (Trip) received his B.S. in Neuroscience from Vanderbilt in 2002. He's currently studying at The University of Kentucky's Medical School with a focus on International Health. He spent two months in Chile providing community support for disadvantaged youth. He also spent 10 months in Brazil doing research on Hepatitis C, working in a public trauma hospital, and providing community support for disadvantaged youth.
Patrick Sweeney
Patrick Sweeney is currently in the Masters of Public Health program at Tulane University in preparation for medical school. He has a degree in soil science from the University of Kentucky and has focused on food production techniques that can improve nutrition for rural people with limited resources. Patrick‚s future goals include agricultural and/or medical development work in a hunger-prone region. He particularly has a heart for Africa.
Brooke has a master's degree in development anthropology from the University of Kentucky. She has lived in rural Zambia where she did applied research about how international loan requirements adversely affect teachers' ability to properly educate students. Brooke is currently the HIV/Aids Coordinator with the Mennonite Central Committee in Mozambique. She is very passionate about sharing the love of Christ and helping to meet the basic needs of people in Africa.