New IAHE Region 15 Representatives

We are pleased to announce that Jeff and Lori Bennett of Howard County are our new IAHE Region 15 Representatives!

                                                                              

Here's their story:

I grew up in Logansport, Indiana and Lori is from Santa Maria, California. We met while both of us were serving active duty in the Air Force at Nellis AFB, NV. We married there in 1988. We became Christians at the same time while stationed at Misawa Air Base, Japan on July 30, 1990. We found fellowship at the Misawa Hospitality House, a ministry of Cadence International. After much time spent with a homeschool family in our fellowship, we knew that we would homeschool. We didn’t know it at the time but, it would be another 9 years before we had children! In 1993, we were relocated to Offutt AFB, NE. We left military service in 1994 and then moved back to my child hood home of Logansport. I began a career working in Retail Management first with Wal-Mart and then later on, Staples. We spent the next several years getting ministry experience, educated in the Bible and then having kids.

It went from “famine to feast” at our house. We went 11 years with no children and then suddenly within 3 years, had 4 children! Our first son, Matthew was born in 1999. 

Our twins Joshua and Timothy followed 10 months later in 2000. Yes, I said “10 months later”! That is not a typo!  And then, our son Nicholas was born in 2002. We began homeschooling Matt in the fall of 2005.

We also entered full time ministry in 2005. We served as missionaries to the military with Cadence International. That journey involved a lot of travel and finally a move to Ft. Lewis, Washington. It was such an unbelievable privilege to serve our men and women in the armed forces. However, after five years, God convicted us that this was not the time in our children’s lives for us to be serving in military hospitality due to the labor intensive ministry out of our home. The ministry coupled with homeschooling was simply too much. Believing that our family is our “first” ministry, I returned to Retail Management. I am currently a manager at T.J. Maxx here in Kokomo, IN.

Apparently, God had some other plans for us too! We have had countless opportunities to encourage young families to consider and begin homeschooling. And, in 2010, we formed a Co-op along with three other families. Lori and I serve as the Coordinators for the Logansport Homeschool Co-op (LHC) of 27 families. This was and is an “unexpected” ministry and a HUGE blessing! God has blessed each step along the way!

We see the opportunity to serve as Regional Representatives as yet another opportunity to serve, support, and encourage other home school families. We are grateful for the opportunity to homeschool and to serve others in the journey! 