About Us, the old team leaders. 

 

I thought that just maybe you might want to know who the old team leaders are.

 

We are:

 

Bert and Leslye Beria

 

We have been married for almost 44 years, have two children, almost 39 and 35, and three grandsons.

 

Bert is a Part-time Local Pastor in the United Methodist Church in Cleveland (Tennessee). He has been a pastor since 2002. He is bi-vocational which means he also has a job along with pastoring. He owns his own business called Bert Beria Painting. He has been painting houses for 36+ years, several years in Southern California and the rest in Southeast Tennessee. Bert has been in the restaurant business, a Sunday School teacher, a Vacation Bible School teacher, a Bible Study leader, a Lay Servant (Speaker), and Lay Leader in the United Methodist Church as well as being on a Lay Witness Mission Team, as I have also. He has been on 23 mission trips  in and out of the country, including 2 trips to Jamaica and 1 to Cherokee, NC. Pastoring is what he loves and hopes to do as long as God calls him to it. He has had a yearning in his heart for many years to lead people in God's work. We have been  leading this team for 21 years.

 

I am a certified mission team leader with United Methodist Volunteers in Mission. I went on this particular mission trip with our first team leader for two years and fell in love. (See Our Story in order to see where the team began.) I have a health business in supplements with Unicity and am an Avon Representative and have been for about 25+ years and love to minister of God's love to my customers and friends. I taught Sunday School for many years as well as directed, taught in Vacation Bible School, and been a choir director for many years. I have also been on 23 mission trips in and out of the US, including 1 to Brazil and my first 2 trips on this trip with another team leader. 20 of my trips I have been on and am leading (this trip) with Bert.

 

My heart is in serving God in any way that I can. But I especially love to minister to children showing them the love of Jesus. 

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In November of 2018, Bert and I went on our first disaster relief mission trip to Jacksonville, North Carolina with Samaritan's Purse. It was an absolutely amazing trip (not the reason for the trip) and we are ready to do it again although we certainly don't want any more disasters. Mission trips are an awesome way to serve the God of the universe. For He is good all the time!

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We have decided to retire and pursue other mission work as well as stay on this mission team in a team member capacity.

                              

                                                                                   Sincerely in Christ,

                                                                       Bert & Leslye Beria