BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President

Sara initially became connected with COTP through her friendship with Bud and Jan Bonnema, founders of COTP. Upon completing her degree in Education at Northwestern College, she served as a youth pastor. She has since worked in many spheres of NGOs and with organizations helping to fight the orphan crisis through job creation, health care and education. Sara now serves as the Missions Director at First Reformed Church in Orange City, Iowa. Sara and her husband Tim are parents to six children, two of whom came home through COTP.

Vice President

Kurt was first introduced to COTP in 2014 on a mission trip with Daryl Huinink (fellow COTP board member). Since then, he and his family have been actively involved in the ministry of COTP. He has been the co-owner of Steensma Lawn and Power for 22 years. This outdoor power equipment dealer sells and services lawn and garden equipment, whole house generators, and snow removal equipment. Kurt and his wife Megan have been married for 20 years, and call Kalamazoo, Michigan home. They are parents to three children, one of whom was adopted through COTP.

Secretary

Clarence served as a high school history teacher for 36 years, and now works as a site foreman for a small commercial construction company. He was first introduced to Children of the Promise through a former student, Daryl Huinink (fellow COTP board member). Clarence visited the campus in Haiti for the first time in 2017, and returned again in 2019. He has been faithfully serving as a board member since. “God is doing amazing work at Children of the Promise through the dedicated work of both those on the ground in Haiti and those working at the head office in Willmar and I am thankful to have the opportunity to do my part as a board member.” Clarence and his wife, Alice have four children and six grandchildren, and they live in Dorchester, Ontario.

Secretary

Graeme earned his Masters from the University of Ottawa and a GPC.D designation from the Governance Professionals of Canada. He currently works with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in a program that funds environmental and climate change initiatives in Canadian municipalities. Prior to his current position, Graeme worked in governance with Nutrition International and the United Nations Development Programme. Graeme and his wife Christie reside in Ottawa, Ontario with their three-year-old son.

Rebekah first heard about Children of the Promise through Jan Bonnema, one of the founders of COTP. Jan was visiting Whitworth College, where Rebekah was studying nursing, and spoke about the need for medical professionals at COTP. When Rebekah graduated from college, she accepted a position at a hospital but couldn’t stop thinking about COTP. She moved down to Haiti in 2009 and stayed through 2010. Working as a nurse at COTP inspired her to go back to school to learn how to take better care of children. She is now working as a pediatric nurse practitioner at a pediatric clinic in Washington state.

Esperandieu Pierre is the President and Founder of Nehemiah Vision Ministries (NVM), a ministry located in Port Au Prince, Haiti.  Pastor Pierre’s impact on COTP goes back to the very beginning, as he extended the original Haiti invitation to COTP’s founders Bud and Jan Bonnema, and then played a key role helping establish COTP in its early years.  In addition to leading NVM, he has also played an active leadership role with Campus Crusades in Haiti.  Pastor Pierre and his wife, Dianne, currently live in Florida and regularly travel back and forth to Haiti.  They have 3 adult children who also reside in the US.

One year after graduating from North Park University in Chicago, IL, Jenna moved to Haiti to serve as the Volunteer & Media Coordinator with Children of the Promise. She spent two years in Haiti, growing COTP’s social media presence and investing deeply in the volunteer program and whom it welcomed. In 2015, she moved back to her home state of Minnesota. Jenna worked alongside COTP for a total of seven years and served in the roles of Volunteer & Media Coordinator, Photographer, and Marketing Director. She continues to work in the marketing & photography industry as a freelancer and owner of her own photography business. Jenna, her husband, Patrick, and their two young sons live in Valdosta, Georgia.

Heidi currently lives in Newberg, Oregon with her husband, Michael, and children Grace, Cole, and Katia. Her degrees are a B.A. in Sociology/Social Work and an M.A. in Counseling. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in adoption and attachment issues. Her current job is working as an adoption social worker (her and her husband also own two airbnbs that she manages). She lived in Port au Prince from 1994-1995 and in Cap Haitien from 2001-2004, which is when she met the staff working at COTP at that time. Her daughter, Katia, was adopted from COTP in 2008 and her family has returned there several times to volunteer and visit.

Guenson Charlot is the current president of Emmaus University, located just outside of Cap-Haïtien, Haiti.  Guenson began his ministry at Emmaus in 2006 after he completed his B.A. from Bethany Bible College in Canada, now Kingswood University. He worked as a translator and a lecturer. In 2008 Guenson married his wife Claudia (from Jamaica) while pursuing an MDiv at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson Mississippi. He and his wife returned to full-time ministry as self-supported pioneer missionaries to Haiti in 2010 after his MDiv. He helped plant a thriving church, Discipleship Evangelical Church, in 2012 where he is currently serving as one of the pastors. While working at Emmaus and pastoring the church, Guenson completed his Doctorate in Ministry (DMin) from Asbury Theological Seminary, Kentucky in 2019.