Our Background

Jim had attended church since he was seven years old and by the time he was 21, had acquired a good head knowledge of church doctrine and Bible scripture. On Labor Day weekend in 1968, Jim realized that God not only loved him enough to die for his sins but that He still was watching out for him. He realized that God wanted him to give his life to him. Barb was raised in a Christian family and in her early teens accepted Christ as her Savior.

Home Life: We met in Rochester, NY at North Baptist Church and were married there more than thirty years ago. Our two sons were born in Rochester and our daughter was born in Loveland, CO, where we had moved in 1977. The move to Loveland was a start for a new general contracting business for Jim and Barb; a trade Jim had learned as a teenager from his grandfather.
While in Colorado and along with church responsibilities, we really enjoyed meeting international people and became involved in an organization called International Students, Inc. This gave us an opportunity to share our faith and life with these students at Colorado State University.

How God showed us His will: Jim knew that God sometimes talks to people in a whisper or in dreams. With him, it took a 400 pound wall falling on him to get his attention. While recuperating from fractured and dislocated ribs, a broken wrist, and a broken back, he knew that God had allowed this accident to happen for a reason. After much prayer and seeking God’s will, He led us to the mission field. We left our family and friends in 2001 and moved to El Paso, TX to work for a mission organization. We have made many trips to Juarez to help build many homes and churches. For Barb, the best memory is that of painting the back of a house one very hot day and hearing the people of Mexico and of the United States laughing and talking together. Here were two different cultures working together for a common cause—to supply a family with a home. Such a feeling of happiness - to be able to help our brothers and sisters. For Jim, it’s seeing the sincere appreciation of the recipients of what God can do through the work of other Christians.

In November of 2004, we felt God leading us to start Border to Border Missions. As God guides us, we plan on helping the needy on both sides of the border as he leads teams to help us.