The Avery Family: Allen and Janelle
Allen and Janelle Avery have been missionaries in Africa since 1969. They served the first 10 years in a rural setting in Zambia planting churches among the Tonga people. The focus of their work was church planting in villages throughout southwestern Zambia. During theIr stay in Zambia, both their daughter, Krista, and their son, Allen Wade, were born.
After Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, the Avery's moved their family to Bulawayo, the country's second largest city. They spent the next 24 years initiating a non-denominational church planting ministry. The primary focus of their work shifted from rural church planting to the planting of a network of both rural and urban churches. The result of this vision is Zimbabwe Christian Fellowship, a fellowship of over 40 churches spread throughout western Zimbabwe in both rural and urban settings. The Avery's two children finished school in Zimbabwe and returned to the States to attend university.
In 2004, when the Harris family was unable to obtain working permits to enter Zimbabwe to join AOM, the Avery's made the major choice to relocated again, this time to South Africa which would become the new base for AOM. The Avery's have settled in Tzaneen, South Africa and look forward to reaching the 40 years mark of service in Africa.
Allen and Janelle Avery have assisted in planting over 80 churches and training thousands of Christians and church leaders. Allen has a Masters of Arts in Missions from Fuller Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministries degree in Missions from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Janelle has a Masters of Arts in Educational Ministries from Wheaton College.
Besides the Avery's ministry in Africa, Allen and Janelle delight in the blessings of God on their children. Krista has been married to Jim Auker since 1997 and has four wonderful daughters, Caroline, Catherine, Elizabeth and Lillian. Allen Wade married Emma Cocar in 2001 and they now have three delightful boys, Jackson, Joshua and Jonathan.
The Averys - Janelle and Allen
The Avery Family
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The Harris Family: Scott, Lisa, Gabriel, Mariah, and Jayden
The Harris Family officially moved to Africa with AOM in January 2004. They are settled into life in South Africa, living in the small town of Modjadjiskloof, a small community situated 15 minutes outside of Tzaneen in the Limpopo province.
Scott's mission experiences before AOM include a 2-year internship through the Master's Apprentice Program (MAP) in Lyon, France where he learned French. Scott was then part of the Harding University African Summer Internship program in 1989 where he spent time in the following countries: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Rwanda, and Kenya. Scott has a Bachelors of Arts in Bible and a Bachelors of Arts in French from Harding University. He also has graduate hours in missions from Harding and Abilene Christian University. Scott completed a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix in 2003.
Lisa was also part of the Harding University African Summer Internship program in 1989, and spent 7 weeks in Kenya. Lisa holds a Bachelors of Arts in Bible as well as a Bachelors of Science in Consumer and Home Sciences. Lisa is an established Christian Women's Fiction writer having sold 12 books, in addition to having over 50 articles published.
 Lisa's latest book, Adam's Bride is book three in her Massachusetts series. This story is about finding forgiveness even in the worst of circumstances. If you would like to order a copy of this book or any of her other titles, contact her via email or visit Lisa's Website.
Soon after Scott and Lisa were married in 1990, they joined a team of other students from Harding University to begin church planting among the Watchi people in southern Togo in West Africa. Before moving overseas, the Togo team spent a year working together as part of the St Louis Spiritual Internship that allowed the team to bond while doing inner-city ministry. The team then spent seven months in Albertville, France, for French language learning before moving to Tabligbo, Togo. Scott and Lisa spent 2.5 years planting churches among the Watchi.
In 1997 Scott and Lisa moved to Dallas, Texas, where they spent almost 7 years before returning to Africa. During the time in Dallas, they adopted two children, Gabriel (1997) and Mariah (1999), and later were blessed to give birth to their youngest son Jayden (2001). Scott worked at an alternative public high school as an Assistant Principal and then Principal while in Dallas. Lisa ran a home daycare while at the same time beginning her career as an author.
The Harrises
Scott, Jayden, Gabriel, Lisa, and Mariah
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