Edi

My family began serving as career foreign missionaries on a Caribbean island when I was 12. From the very beginning I enjoyed being involved as the pianist for the two churches my father pastored as well as traveling to multiple Caribbean islands for different ministries. I was privileged to serve as a Sunday School teacher, a piano teacher, and in literature distributions, Bible Clubs, and girls' clubs. I learned and experienced much that would serve me as an adult missionary later in life. Growing up with the beautiful Caribbean Sea off a rocky shore just 200 yards from my front door was a fringe benefit God allowed us! 

At age 14 while on a literature distribution with my family in Costa Rica, I felt God dealing with my heart in a personal way about global evangelism. As I continued to seek God's direction, He gave me a burden for Hispanic people groups. 


Both Roy and I are grateful for our parents' example of missionary dedication and longevity as they continue to serve as missionaries: Roy's parents for 54 years and my parents for 50 as of 2019. God is so gracious to allow each of us to be servants in His vineyard. 

Additional Note: Edi's dad passed away in February 2019. 

Roy

As a nine year old boy, I climbed into the back of a Chevrolet station wagon on August the 13th, 1965 and started on a journey with my family from Chattanooga, Tennessee to San José, Costa Rica. It was the beginning of a life-long adventure in missions. My parents were beginning their missionary career and I, along with my brother and sister, were blessed to be part of this wonderful experience. We lived in Costa Rica for the first year so that my parents could attend language school. That first year was also my initiation into the language and culture as I attended a Costa Rican school. It was an experience that still serves me today in my ministry. 


After a year in Costa Rica, our family moved to México. The Yucatán Peninsula would become my home for many years. I had the privilege of watching first hand and participating in evangelism and church planting. While not pushed into ministry, I was greatly encouraged to serve as opportunities became available.


The Early Years

At age 18, both of us returned to the U.S. to attend Tennessee Temple University. The four years we spent there were the platform for Biblical studies, additional ministry involvement, and our courtship. After graduation and marriage, we eagerly left the U.S. at age 22 to spend a year in Querétaro, México for Edi to attend language school. 


Our first child, Caleb Roy Seals, was born there but lived only a day. Living through such a traumatic experience during our first year in México served to teach us of God's unfailing faithfulness, goodness, and strength. Upon Edi's graduation, we left for our resident missionary ministry in Mérida, Yucatán, México in March 1980. There we were involved in church planting, radio and camp ministry, establishing a Bible Institute to train national leaders, and initiating Project Yucatán For Christ - a ministry which reached out over the whole Yucatán Peninsula. God blessed us with two daughters in 1982 and 1984 (born in México) and a son who was born during our first furlough in 1987. 

Current Ministry

Since 2003, I (Roy) have served as the Director of Global Faith Mission Agency. We are continually involved with the screening process of new missionary applicants, training new candidates, working with the GFMA missionaries, and serving on various foreign fields throughout the year. 


Even through we currently reside in the U.S., we continue to minister to the Hispanic population that resides in this nation through our Cross Cultural Impact work. Our personal experience in the Hispanic world has opened many doors in churches from Texas to New Jersey and from Florida to California as well as in our local Spanish-speaking church. Through Cross Cultural Impact, we engage in evangelism, discipleship, and local church ministries. 


We continue to be involved in Project Yucatán For Christ, a ministry we established in 1980 while living in Mérida. We maintain a personal connection with the churches, ministries, and church leaders in the Yucatán while having the opportunity of enabling teams from U.S. churches to be involved in partnership with churches throughout the Yucatán Peninsula.