SAM Ministries is honored to have a leadership team who represent a broad range of experience and skills. These dedicated and successful people have backgrounds in business, medicine, architecture, law enforcement as well as Christian pastoral ministry and Christian missions.

Matthew Christenson (Chair) – Matthew’s love for God’s people came at a very young age and grew even stronger when he became a believer at the age of 23. With SAM Ministries he hopes to bring fresh ideas and perspective and give as much time as possible on the home front and looking forward to making short term missions to Mozambique with his wife a reality.

Kerstin Deleeuw (Secretary) – Kerstin grew up in Carrot Creek, AB and was introduced to SAM Ministries through Prairie College. She visited the mission for the first time on a short-term trip with Prairie and instantly fell in love. Two years later she returned for a 6 month internship and by the time she left she felt God’s calling to serve there. Currently Kerstin is working on her B.Ed degree through online courses and hopes to return to Mozambique in 2025.

Kimberley Wood (Treasurer)–Kimberley grew up in BC, Canada and a passion for missions was birthed in her young heart when missionaries came to her church and shared stories about the mission field. She was able to serve on a mission outreach to Baja, Mexico in 2003 and her interest was kindled again later when her friend went to Africa to serve for 3 months. In 2006 she attended YWAM in Nuneaton, England. In 2022 she and her husband became acquainted with members of the SAM Ministries board and welcomed the opportunity to be involved in needs abroad through serving on the board.

Bob Guzak (Advisor to the board) – Bob is a retired businessman whose business background was in the Oil Industry, running a service rig company, which was the family business. He has held a private pilot’s license since 1980 and had the privilege of assisting in ferrying the mission aircraft from Canada to Mozambique in 1996. In 2013, Bob and some of his family spent a month visiting our mission in Mozambique where he undertook numerous tasks. Bob has been involved for many years with SAM Ministries.

Rev. Arthur Lagore (Advisor to the Board) – Arthur is a founding member of SAM Ministries. He has over 50 years of experience in Christian missions and pastoral ministry. He served in Transkei, South Africa for 38 years before returning to Canada. He was the senior pastor of Heimdahl Community Church for 10 years before becoming the associate pastor and seniors’ pastor at Crossroads Christian Assembly in Edmonton. He served SAM Ministries as chairman of the board for 10 years. Arthur is an amazing man who serves the Lord in everything he does.

Dawson Winsor (Director) – Ft McMurray, Alberta has been home to Dawson and his wife, Winona, for the past 43 years. During that time he has been actively involved with McMurray Gospel Assembly (MGA) in various ministry, leadership and committee roles. It was in the early years of attending MGA that they met Earl and Ruth Trekofski, caught their vision, and became active supporters of their mission. Dawson and Winona are avid travelers having visited all 7 continents including stops at both SAM Brazil and Mozambique locations. Dawson is now retired after 38 years with a major oil company, a career that spanned various Operational, Management and Leadership roles.

Robbyn Ducheminsky (Director) – Robbyn is a Chartered Public Accountant who has worked the public service in Edmonton for the past 12 years. She previously served on the Board and had an opportunity to travel to Mozambique and Brazil to see first hand SAMM’s mission of loving God and loving people so they have a chance to love God and love people being practiced every day in a practical way. 

Chelsea McManus (Director)–Chelsea first felt the call to missions at the age of 18, after a short-term mission trip to Mexico.  The desire to show God’s love in action led her to pursue a degree in nursing. She graduated from Grant MacEwan in 2013 with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing. She served as a missionary in Mozambique with Lynn to help equip our health workers and strengthen the health ministry in Mozambique from 2019-2022.

Joshua McManus (Director)–As a young boy Josh dreamt of the day he would one day reach the nations for Christ. After high school, Josh enlisted in the Canadian military, and served for 5 years at the Edmonton Garrison. Here, he met his wife Chelsea. After leaving the military, Josh first trained as a Water and Wastewater Technician at Nate Technical School, then later completed his Private Pilot’s Licence at Centennial Flight Center. He has worked with his church in Canada many years serving in youth ministry and this has become one of his many passions. He served as a missionary in Mozambique from 2019-2022 and was involved in many aspects of the work including aviation and children’s ministry.

Carlos Hajen (Director)– Carlos is of German descent, born in Mexico, and raised in Canada when his family immigrated there when he was 13 years old. He became a mechanic and later attended Portland Bible College in Oregon where he graduated with a bachelor degree of Theology in 1988 and he and his wife served Christian Motorcyclists Association of Canada in evangelism training. They came to know about SAM Ministries through his church in Morinville and friends serving in Mozambique as missionaries.

Rick Neufeld (Director)–

Patricia Green
Office Administrator
Patti is a member of Richfield Christian Fellowship where she assists the treasurer and serves wherever she is able. She has served in the office of SAM Ministries since 2001. Patti along with her husband Bill felt it a privilege to travel to Brazil with our missionaries in 2004 and have a strong desire to visit the mission field in Mozambique as well. Patti says, “no one can describe the mission field, you must experience it first hand, and when you do, you will never be the same.” It is the commitment of our missionaries to the people they serve that encourages others to help in whatever way they can.

Dwight Lagore
Primary Responsibilities: Field Team Leader
Dwight is a graduate of Temple Bible College and Prairie Bible Institute and along with Lynn his wife and two children, founded the SAM Ministries work in Mozambique. Dwight is also a commercial pilot with instrument rating. He is presently SAM Ministries’ Field Team Leader for Southern Africa and is also President of ASAM or Love Mozambique, SAM Ministries’ agent in Mozambique. Dwight’s passion is training leaders to equip and motivate them to bring about transformational development. His total commitment is to see people restored to a relationship with their Father God through Jesus Christ and is confident that all true development flows from this relationship.

Lynn Lagore
Primary Responsibilities: Health Program, Women’s Literacy, School Remedial Program 
Lynn was born in Canada but raised in Brazil as an MK (missionary kid). She returned to Canada at the age of 18 and graduated from Grant McEwan College (Edmonton, Canada) nursing program in 1982. Lynn is married to Dwight and mother of their two grown children. Lynn’s passion is to provide quality health care for the rural poor who would otherwise have no other medical help. Besides her hands-on curative efforts, she is committed to the training and equipping of Mozambicans who can provide compassionate and competent care for their own people.

Andy Kuret
Primary Responsibilities: Agriculture, Aviation
Andy Kuret is a missionary from Switzerland who grew up in Bolivia as an MK (missionary kid). After a career in farming and sales, he took commercial pilot’s training at Prairie College of Mission Aviation (PCMA) in Canada. In January 2011, Andy was seconded to serve SAM Ministries in Mozambique through Mercy Air Switzerland.

Joao Benjamim
Primary Responsibilities: Mission Farm Management, School Director, Pastor’s Farmer Associations
Joao is a Mozambican who joined the team as a missionary after volunteering with SAM Ministries and receiving sponsorship to study. He completed a degree in business management in Maputo and joined the team full time in 2011.

Janette Stone
Primary Responsibilities: School Child Sponsorship, Administrative Assistant
Missions has been a passion for Janette all of her life. Janette is a graduate of Living Faith Bible College and throughout her life has enjoyed a wide variety of ministry and mission’s experiences. Janette has a passion for children with child sponsorship holding a special place in her heart. She served SAM Ministries initially as a volunteer helping the child sponsorship program, then went on to serve as a director on the board. In 2014, Janette joined the Mozambique team as a missionary. Her role will be to coordinate the Child Sponsorship Program and assist with administrative duties.

Shannon Weiss
Primary Responsibilities: Leadership Training, Mentoring Young Women, Hospitality Ministry
Shannon was born in to a large loving family, 4 boys and 3 girls in Squamish, BC. At the age of 22 she accepted the Lord as her savior while at a Chinese church conference in Vancouver. Three years later she packed up and moved to Three Hills Alberta where she completed her Bachelor of Arts in Intercultural studies at Prairie College. Following that, she headed for beautiful Otterburne Manitoba and took her Masters of Arts in Counseling and Psychology at Providence Theological Seminary. Shannon served for 16 years as the Director of Student Development for Women at Prairie College. She currently serves as a missionary in Mozambique and has a passion to see children, men, and women grow in their faith and knowledge of the word of God. She loves helping to equip them to face the challenges and transitions of life in ways that bring honour to God.

 

Earl Trekofski
Primary Responsibilities: Field Team Leader
Earl was born and raised in Alberta while Ruth (below) was born and raised on the Canadian prairies. Earl graduated from Northwest Bible Institute in Edmonton. He married Ruth (nee Schalm) in 1955 and had three children. He is a licensed mechanic and worked in a small town in British Columbia for 10 years where he served in the local church as Bible teacher and board member. In 1968, he, with his wife and family moved to Dallas, Texas, where they spent two years at a special Missions Training College. They left for Brazil in 1970 for their first term of service and spent the next thirty years there as missionaries. Earl along with his wife Ruth founded the ‘Mount Horeb Training Centre’ in the small village of Itaperucu in Parana, Brazil, which began as an orphanage and grew into much more over the years. Earl’s passion is to serve God by serving people with his many talents and gifts. He now resides in Salmon Arm, B.C. and continues his involvement in the work in Brazil with a yearly visit to help in any way he can, as well acting as president. Earl and Ruth also travel to churches in Canada promoting the ministry in Brazil.

Ruth Trekofski
Primary Responsibilities: Field Promotion
Ruth married Earl Trekofski in 1955 and had three children. In 1968, Ruth and Earl moved to Dallas, Texas where they enrolled in a Bible College for a special two-year course in missionary training. They left for Brazil in 1970 with their three children for their first term of missionary service. It became their home for the next thirty years.

Together, Earl and Ruth Trekofski founded the ‘Mount Horeb Training Center’ in the small town of Itaperucu, Parana. What began as an orphanage grew into an extensive ministry that now includes many other aspects of service to the community. Ruth and her husband Earl now reside in Salmon Arm B.C. Canada, but continue their involvement in the work in Brazil with annual visits to provide oversight and encouragement.

Adimir Artigas
Interim Director: Mount Horeb Training Center