David & Lindsay Spinale
Serving with InterVarsity
I graduated from High School and headed to the University of New Hampshire to study...something. My youth pastor told me to look for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and despite my academic exploration, InterVarsity became what I majored in. I had never seen a group of people my age so committed to scripture, evangelism, and each other. I planted the campus ministry at Southern New Hampshire University, reached students at UNH Manchester, Saint Anselm College, Rivier in Nashua, and have made my way back to the University of New Hampshire in Durham. I currently serve as the Team Lead over the ministries at SNHU and UNH where I supervise staff as well as continue to reach college students with the gospel. While being a missionary to college students, Lindsay and I married in 2015 (we met at UNH InterVarsity while in college), have had 3 children, and graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary with a Master of Arts in Theological Studies. I am passionate about evangelism, I love learning, ideas, reading books, and have been known to support New England sports teams a little too aggressively. I'm thankful for this opportunity to speak at Calvary's Mission Conference and am excited to see how God might use me in this season.
Jessica Spooner
Serving with Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF)
Jessica was brought up in a Christian home and raised in Southern NH. Since her young teen years she has had a heart for missions. She went through CYIA in the mid 90's and helped with 5-Day Clubs during many summers as well as running a few Good News Clubs during the school years. She went on to work with "Youth With A Mission" in Pittsburgh, PA. She has traveled to Poland, Romania, Hungary, Italy, Peru & Canada training & sharing the Good News of Jesus, as well as running the Children's Ministry part because of my CEF training. In 2006 she and a team of 5 others moved to Boston, MA to plant a "Youth With A Mission" base there. Since then she met and married her husband Aaron. They have been blessed with 2 wonderful children. Jessica now serves with CEF of NH as the Interim State Coordinator, HR helping to oversee many tasks such as coordinating the Child Protection screening process and in Donor Development helping with finances and to meet the needs of our donors.
Paul & Ellen Swenson
Serving in Papua New Guinea
Our family is from northeastern Vermont. Ellen and I both believed in Christ at young ages. In the year 2000, we both graduated from Cedarville University with high school teaching degrees and got married that summer. After getting married, we moved to Derry, NH to teach at Calvary Christian School. After teaching there a year, we moved back to Vermont. In April 2013, we went to Ethnos360's exposure program in Pennsylvania called Wayumi so that we could better understand what tribal church planting is and to see if that was something God was leading us toward. After leaving Wayumi, we were ready to say as a family that we would go as God opened the doors for us. In January of 2017 we moved to Papua New Guinea to be part of a church planting team there. In May of 2018, we joined the Tanguat work. We are currently involved in teaching, discipling and translating for the Tanguat church. We look forward to helping lead the Tanguat church to bring the Gospel to other Tanguat villages who have yet to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Danny Lightner
Serving in New Hampshire
Danny Lightner is Advisor for Spiritual Development and is focused on creating spiritual content for use in Zambia and training our staff on the ground in Zambia in discipleship methods and strategies. Danny is married to Sarah, and the Lord has blessed them with six awesome children! Danny and Sarah graduated from Lancaster Bible College in Lancaster, PA (where they met!), and then Danny graduated with an M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts. Danny was a Pastor for college/youth in New Hampshire for 9 years and then served as an Adult Discipleship Pastor in Des Moines, IA for six years. After 15 years of pastoral ministry, the Lord led the whole Lightner family to serve the vulnerable and orphaned children of Zambia through Family Legacy. While living in Zambia for seven years, Danny served as the Vice President for Spiritual Development for five years, and then as the Programs Director for two years. In his current role, he frequently travels back and forth to Zambia to spiritually invest in the 13,000 vulnerable children in our program and the 850 staff who serve them.
Marin & Lorena Gunbardhi
Serving in Albania
We are Marin and Lorena, fulltime missionaries serving with Campus Crusade for Christ in Albania. I grew up in a Muslim family and as my grandma was preparing me to become the next Imam (Islam leader) in our family, my life forever changed when those missionaries boldly introduced me to Jesus. Lorena, on the other hand, grew up in a household where God was never mentioned. Her life took a transformative turn when missionaries brought the message of Christ, leading her to accept Him at just 12 years old. Our hearts burn to see others experience this life-changing truth, to see lives changed and future leaders raised for Christ. Over the past nine years, we've been involved in church-planting, reaching teens, young professionals, and families. For the last five years, our focus has been on student ministry. Our goal is to transform the lives of students in a nation where 70% identify as Muslim, believing that today's students are tomorrow's leaders. We create opportunities for students to encounter God through personal conversations, impactful events, English camps, social activities, and digital tools. Each connection offers a chance to share Christ's hope. Our commitment is to raise disciples. Through one-on-one mentorship, Bible studies, and intentional training, we equip students to live out their faith with boldness and conviction. We also inspire students to live on mission, training them to spread the Gospel in their universities and cities. Many are stepping out in faith.
Mike & Mona Hajj
Arabic Bible Outreach Ministry
Michael Hajj and his wife Mona are missionaries to the Arabic-speaking people in the New England area. They have been actively reaching the Arabic and Muslim community for more than 25 years. In 2003, they founded Arabic Bible Outreach Ministry, a mission organization with a passion to extend the Word of God to the Arab and Islamic world through Media. They recently committed themselves to go full-time in the ministry, as it has grown considerably. Besides directing ABOM with his wife, Michael travels the Arab world teaching and establishing partnerships with nationals to support discipleship and church planting efforts. Michael and his wife Mona have five children.