Dominican Staff

Amanda Braisted /Coordinator of Ministry Photography

Amanda went on a month-long mission trip to Swaziland, Africa and fell in love with serving overseas.  She later graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with a double major in Graphic Design and Photography.  Her two passions united in 2006 when she joined G.O. to tell the stories of the Dominican and Haitian people.  Her photographic specialty is children and she enjoys being able to spend time with the many children she encounters daily at nutrition centers, medical clinics and worksites.  Amanda uses photography and video to tell the stories from the Dominican Republic and Haiti and paint a picture of life on the island to inspire partnerships and future ministry growth.

Amanda lives in the DR with her husband, Mike, and two children, Landon and Nohemi and is eternally grateful for the opportunity and responsibility God has placed on her life as she continues to follow His will daily.

Click Here to View Personal Blog: Braistedadventures.blogspot.com

Help Continue Amanda's Ministry with G.O.

Audrey Partin / Coordinator of Teams

Audrey Partin was in college at Trevecca Nazarene University when she went to the Dominican two times on sports outreach trips.  Her boyfriend at the time, Will, invited her to join him because the trips had been so impactful on his life.  As a basketball player herself, Audrey enjoyed teaching young people the sport.  A year after she graduated, Will and Audrey married and moved to the Dominican in September of 2005.

Audrey works closely with team leaders and coordinates all of the logistics for each short-term mission team that travels to the island.   She is blessed to be a small part of God's plan for restoration to His people, to His creation, and to be a part of furthering His Kingdom.

Click Here to View Personal Blog:: Dominican-updates.blogspot.com

Help Continue Audrey's Ministry with G.O.

Cathy McIlvoy  / 

God put missions on Cathy’s heart when she was a child growing up in Southern California. She loved listening to and watching the slide shows of the missionaries who shared about their ministries at her church. So, when she he grew up, she married carefully and chose a man who shared her heart. For over four years she and Rob (with their four boys in tow) served in Germany, but she has spent most of their 25 years of marriage in the role of pastor’s wife. After two missions trips with G.O. Ministries, it became clear, however, that God was leading them back to the field…

Cathy started with G.O. in July 2011 as the Coordinator of Field Communications and Hospitality. She looks forward putting aside her freelance endeavors and focusing her writing efforts on subjects she is passionate about, namely the Dominican and Haitian people—their experiences and stories. She will also serve her fellow teammates and others by coming alongside to encourage and uplift them by exercising her gift of hospitality. It is highly likely that this part of her role will also include chocolate chip cookies.

Click Here to View Personal Blog: http://mangomayi.blogspot.com

Help Continue Cathy's Ministry with G.O.

Deloris Norman / Medical Team Facilitator

As a child, Deloris Norman listened to the testimonies of her uncle and aunt who were missionaries to Africa.  Over the years the stirring to serve in this capacity began to solidify within her as she traveled on many short term mission trips including those with her husband before he passed away in 2007. It was on her three month mission trip with G.O. that she felt the confirmation to finally pursue full time ministry to the people of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

As a retired nurse, Deloris has an incredible skill set to work alongside Dr. Vladimir Canela at the G.O. Medical Clinic in Santiago. She also facilitates short-term medical mission teams to do medical clinics in outlying communities and team members rest in assurance that if they get sick on their trip, Deloris will be there to care for them.  She also oversees the kitchen staff and maintains sanitations standards for all of our dormitories.

Click Here to View Personal Blog: delorisinthedr.blogspot.com

Help Continue Deloris' Ministry with G.O.

Dianne Miller / Director of Field Administration

Dianne is responsible for the planning and directing of activities that contribute to the management and collection of information on the G.O. Kids! Sponsorship program. She is also responsible for the implementation of highly functioning operations that continually improve the collection efforts. She also helps in the development and administration of policies, procedures, and budgets n the field. She maintains the records of national partnership support: including the reconciling and payment of support for nationals on a monthly a accounting.

Dianne Miller came from Illinois with her church on a mission trip in March of 2005.  She returned to her job as Director of Patient Financial Services with a deep desire to return to the island of Hispaniola.  She later joined G.O. Ministries in April of 2007 as the G.O. Kids! Coordinator.  Her vision for the kids program is to organize and grow fully funded nutrition and school programs thereby giving children the resources they need to break the cycle of oppression and encourage them in order to raise up strong Christian leaders for tomorrow.

Click Here to View Personal Blog:: Dmholyground.blogspot.com/

Help Continue Dianne's Ministry with G.O.

Eric Leach / Director of Ministry Events & Projects

After spending ten years working in professional sports Eric was introduced to G.O. Ministries by his girlfriend at the time. His first trip to the Dominican Republic was as part of a baseball clinic and he came away with a peace about making the transition from his sports career to full time ministry. Eric has been on staff with G.O. since October 2008 and the girlfriend who introduced him to G.O., is now his wife Sunshine.

Eric's role with G.O. Ministries continues to develop as he splits his years between the Dominican Republic and the home office in Louisville, KY. While in the Dominican, Eric assists with facilitating teams, oversees the internship program and helps with financials on partnership and construction projects. At the home office Eric's he helps coordinate fundraising events such as the Kentucky Derby, Golf outings and others. He also helps set up conferences around the country for G.O. to be a part of. Eric is continuing to love his experience serving God in this way and is excited to see what is in store for the future.  Eric and Sunshine have a son, Colton.

Click Here to View Personal Blog: Leachdrnews.blogspot.com/

Help Continue Eric's Ministry with G.O

Jackie Perez / Director of Teams

Jackie’s passion for missions began on her first trip to the Dominican Republic in 2004, just two years after accepting Christ as her Savior. During several years of full-time service at her church in Las Vegas, Nevada, she worked with youth, led Bible studies, coordinated and oversaw a thriving children's ministry program, and was a part of a church planting team with a dream of planting 20 churches in the Las Vegas area. During this time Christ continued to develop a burden and anguish for the people of the Dominican Republic & Haiti and Jackie led teams from her church to serve the Dominicans and Haitians with G.O. Ministries. After two years of crying out to God, He led her back to the place her heart knew as home, and in the spring of 2007 she moved to Santiago, Dominican Republic.

Today Jackie continues her passionate work with G.O. Ministries along with her husband Alan whom she met and married in the Dominican Republic. They have been married since May 2009.  Jackie oversees all of the short-term mission teams and coordinates the monthly e-newsletter.  It is their desire for people around the world to be connected with the true author of life, for people to be changed and made new by the freedom found only in Christ, and to challenge people towards a deeper global perspective.  Jackie and Alan have two beautiful twin daughters, Amelia Grace and Stella Natalia.

Click Here to View Personal Blog: Alanandjackie.blogspot.com/

Help Continue Jackie's Ministry with G.O.

Jennifer Goodenough / Director of Hato del Yaque Outreach

Jennifer Goodenough is originally from Corvallis, Oregon.  As a child, she wanted to be a missionary. After high school, she pursued her love of children and she worked as a nanny and in day care and preschool.  God opened the opportunity for her to serve as a missionary with G.O. Ministries in the Dominican Republic in 2004 through an internship.  Jennifer felt God leading her to work full time in the ministry and found herself moving to the Dominican Republic March 1, 2005. Today, she facilitates nearly 35 teams from North America helping build churches, nutrition centers, lead medical clinics, sports outreach and children's ministry. In addition, Jennifer is the director for the growing hub in Hato del Yaque and has great hopes to see God's impact in that community.

Click Here to View Personal Blog: jgoodenough319.blogspot.com/

Help Continue Jennifer's Ministry with G.O.

Lisa Romain / Coordinator of Field Administration

Lisa Romain traveled to the Dominican on short-term mission trips in 2004 and 2005.  After graduating from Great Lakes Christian College, she applied for an internship with G.O. and was accepted in 2005. Throughout the summer, she became passionate about the work being done and had a huge desire to help the people in the Dominican Republic.  She joined G.O. the following year and began helping facilitate teams.

In August of 2008, Lisa married Wilbert Romain, a Haitian pastor working with G.O. Ministries.  Also in 2008,  Wilby and Lisa launched a church service in the mornings for the local Haitian community at the Central Church in Hoya del Caimito.  Lisa helps with administration aspects of partnerships and teams.  She and Wilby are parents of two boys Carvens and Ruben.

Click Here to View Personal Blog: lisaslamppost.blogspot.com

Help Continue Lisa's Ministry with G.O.

Michael Braisted / Team Facilitator

 Michael grew up the son of a pastor and a missionary kid.  After spending a year studying Spanish in Costa Rica and three years in Peru, Michael felt his passion for Latin America grow.  Although he and his family had to move back to the U.S., Michael found himself searching for ways to be a part of Latino culture by going on missions trips, keeping in touch with his Peruvian friends and using his Spanish wherever he could.  He studied Sports Management and Coaching at Indiana Wesleyan University and when the opportunity to join G.O. Ministries presented itself, Michael knew that this was what God was cultivating him for.  With the ability to speak Spanish fluently, his knowledge and ability to play sports, as well as lead and connect people from all cultures, a position as team facilitator and being a part of the Sports Outreach staff were a perfect fit. 

Michael lives in the Dominican Republic with his wife, Amanda, and their two children, Landon and Nohemi.  He continues to earnestly seek ways to interject himself in Dominican and Haitian culture and find ways to minister to people as well as develop partnerships with American churches and individuals.

Click Here to View Personal Blog: Braistedadventures.blogspot.com

Help Continue Michael's Ministry with G.O.