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meet our staff

Bob Ekblad

ExecutiveDirector

www.bobekblad.com

Bob Ekblad is executive director of Tierra Nueva and The People’s Seminary inBurlington, Washington. A minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), he holds a ThD in Old Testament and is known internationally for his courses and workshops on reading the Bible.  Bob and his wife Gracie minister at Tierra Nueva and at their home-based retreat center New Earth Refuge. They have three children.

 

Gracie Ekblad

Executive Director

Gracie Ekblad, along with Bob, began the work of Tierra Nueva in Honduras in 1982. There, she led Bible studies, ministered, visited, and taught sustainable farming techniques and preventative health education through natural means. Gracie is the assistant director of Tierra Nueva and a minister in the Presbyterian church.

 

Bethany Dearborn

Family Support Center

 

Salvio Hernandez

Family Support Center

Salvio joined the Tierra Nueva community several years ago, attending the Spanish service with his wife Victoria, and children, Flor and Hector.  We quickly affirmed his gifts of humility and service, along with his desire to grow in Bible study and pastoral care. Salvio is the co-director of the Family Support Center, where he uses his Mixtec language skills to meet a variety of needs among the migrant workers of our community

Chris Hoke

Jail and Gang Chaplaincy

UNDERGROUND coffee

chrishoke@gmail.com

Like the migrants we accompany, I arrived here after a long journey north up the West coast, looking for something more. After high school, I left Southern California and my years of upper-middle class church involvement and leadership to live among the poor in inner city East Oakland, attracted to the lifestyle Jesus modeled. Soon I was hooked, after a year building relationships in a homeless shelter, run-down living rooms and street curbs. Yet I only had more questions, which led me to the lecture halls and streets of Berkeley for four years. The more I learned, the hungrier I grew to see the kind of kingdom Jesus offered and the more I wanted to distance myself from the church. Weary of cynicism and empty of faith, I arrived here in Skagit Valley desperate to hear good news. Now, in labor camps, in the jail, and surrounded by the community at Tierra Nueva, I'm discovering good news alongside migrants and inmates, with a new hope in Jesus and his church, with its power of love to kick down the gates of hell all around me.

 

Amy Muia

Migrant and Jail Chaplaincy

I've been at TN since 1999, when I became coordinator of the Bible program in the migrant camps and served on the board. In 1990, I was forever changed by a trip to Central America that awakened me to the realities of oppression, poverty and violence. I found in Tierra Nueva a place where I could serve the most marginalized, where we could study the Scripture together and discover God's heart for the healing and liberation of us all. In 2005, I was deeply changed by a new work of the Holy Spirit at Tierra Nueva. My study and preparation suddenly became filled and empowered. What I love about Tierra Nueva is this unique blend of Word and power--that we can, in the wind of the Spirit, reach the most marginalized in our community and around the world.

 

Mike Neelley

Pastoral Support and Discipleship

I came to Tierra Nueva with my wife, Susan, in May of 2008 after many years doing work as a Presbyterian pastor in Seattle. I get to work alongside the staff of Tierra Nueva, doing pastoral support, spiritual direction and prayer ministry, as well as accompanying Chris Hoke with the men from the Underground fellowship of ex-offenders and gangsters. I love what the Spirit of God is doing here!

 

Elizabeth Turman-Bryant

Hospitality and Accompaniment

I moved to Tierra Nueva in 2003 from Vancouver, where I attended Regent College. While a Regent student, I attended Bob's class, "Breaking the Chains," here at The People's Seminary. I had no idea that two years later I'd find myself moving to Burlington to join TN. I love the ‘holy chaos’ of life at Tierra Nueva. Most nights I go to bed chuckling at the events of the day. I am privileged to be able to live out my passion for hospitality, for making room at the table for a wide variety of folks, and the richness this brings.

 

Nick Turman-Bryant

Honduras Special Projects

I first came to TN looking for something to do for the summer, a place to live and learn from people who had experience working in Central America and with migrant farmworker families in the Skagit Valley. But I guess I got hooked. Or maybe I've fallen in love.  Whatever it is, I'm still here, and I have this increasingly unabashed affection for the place, for the quirky community in which I find myself, for the time I get to spend with the people that come in, and for the opportunity to drink deeply from the wealth of thought, experience, and love that I've found here. If you're ever in the area and thirsty, I hope you'll come by for a drink.

 

Sara Wevodau

Worship and Accompaniment

Juvenile Detention

 

tierra nueva honduras promoters

Ángel Davíd Calix

Head Coordinator for Asociación Tierra Nueva, Davíd lives in the neighboring community of Mal Paso. When he's not checking in with the other promoters or connecting with Tierra Nueva-Burlington, Davíd has been the head soccer coach for the young men in his village.

Jorge (Jorgito) Calix

Davíd older brother, Jorgito, also lives in Mal Paso and serves as the supervisor of accounting for TN-Honduras. Formerly a leader in land recuperation, Jorgito is a talented musician and likes working with livestock. He currently visits the communities of Mal Paso, San Francisco La Peiña, and Minas de Oro.

Miguel Castro

One of the younger promoters from Minas de Oro, Miguel is also a retired teacher. When he is not visiting the communities of Camalotal 1, Montecitos, and Tablón, Miguel serves as a pastor for a small, evangelical church named Sena de Luz.

Eulogio (Ramiro) Dominguez

Treasurer for TN-Honduras, Ramiro enjoys nothing more than spending a day working on his little plot of land. He specializes in composting, coffee, and small-business stores, and is also a competent administrator. He visits the communities of Bijao, Pataste, and Chacara with his wife, Elia.

Elia Dominguez

Secretary of TN-Honduras, Elia specializes in preventative health, including diet, nutrition, and anything having to do with soy. She also has helped organize a small cooperative of women manufacturing baby carriers for sale as a small business. In addition to the communities she visits with her husband, Ramiro, Elia meets and leads bible studies with the women in Las Delicias.

Jorge Mejia

Although the eldest of the TN-Honduras staff, Jorge has come from the most humble circumstances. Trapped for years in a debt-cycle of indentured servitude, Jorge's work with Tierra Nueva has literally turned his life around. Not only has he become a successful and respected farmer in his community, but he has also gained confidence as a promoter of small-scale horticulture. He currently visits the communities of Minas de San Antonio, Igarito, and Iran.

Celio Mejia

Before working with Tierra Nueva, Celio served in the military. As a result, he is very punctual in his visits to Camalotal 2, Minas de Plata, and Carbonera. He also excels at teaching soil and water conservation to the small-scale farmers he visits.

Eda Zuniga

Wife of Celio and sister of Paco, Eda has was known for her volunteer development work long before she began to work with Tierra Nueva. She specializes in natural medicine and has organized a small cooperative of women to manufacture baby carriers for sale as a micro-business. She visits Camalotal 2, Minas de Plata, and Carbonera with Celio.

Francisco (Paco) Zuniga

President of Asociación Tierra Nueva, Paco is an accomplished farmer and livestock owner. Before connecting with Tierra Nueva, he worked as an informal primary school teacher. He now teaches sustainable agriculture and small-scale horticulture to farmers in Rio Colorado, Coralitos, and Huertas.