Staff

Staff 

Every year Teen Missions Int’l Australia sends out hundreds of teenagers to the mission field. We also send out Adult Work Teams and are responsible for other overseas Boot Camps. None of this would be possible if it weren’t for the staff who put in many hours of hard work throughout the year to make it all happen. 

We would like to introduce you to the staff of Teen Missions Int’l Australia. 

Overseas Staff 

  

Mike, Rena, Katie-Rose and Michael Reilly 

Mike (from New Hamshire) and Rena (from Illinois) Reilly came to the ministry in stages. Mike joined staff at Teen Missions Florida in 1986, coming from Denver where he was a fire fighter and EMT. After joining staff, Mike served in the Print Shop and Leader Placement. Rena, a former children’s pastor, joined staff in 1990 as Mike’s new wife. They met in Florida the previous year at a friend’s wedding. Once she joined staff, Rena spent time teaching in Munchkin Missions and homeschooling their children. Mike and Rena have two children, Katie Rose and Michael. They are all living in Australia, where Mike and Rena serve as base coordinators. 

Mike is also involved with the Overseas Boot Camp in India. 

Elizabeth Little 

This year marks 45 years of living and working as a missionary for God. He has been good. I am living in my home country of New Zealand, working to bring the first Teen Missions Boot Camp to our country. God’s call came when I was 12 years old. After nursing training, Bible school in Tasmania, Australia and SIL with Wycliffe I was on my way to Venezuela – single! By the time my first furlough came five years later I had married a fellow-Kiwi husband, Robin, had two little boys and was expecting a third baby. 

For seventeen years we worked in literature distribution. During those years we had four Teen Missions teams put up three buildings for us. In 1980 we joined this mission and with four children, immigrated to Florida. Fifteen busy and fruitful years followed, until Robin became ill and we returned to live in New Zealand. He passed away in 1998 and I have continued to try to fill a very big pair of shoes! 

Cochrane Family 

Dave, from Sydney, Australia, was introduced to Teen Missions when he visited the Boot Camp in Cebu, Philippines back in 1988. In 1991 he participated as a leader at the Australian Boot Camp on a team to Israel. He was hooked and the next few years saw him taking part in Boot Camps in Australia, the Philippines and the US. By the end of 1995 he had joined staff with Teen Missions in Australia.Vanja, from Belem, Brazil, was a team member at the Brazil Boot Camp in 1991, returning every year as a leader or volunteer until 1996.Dave and Vanja first met when they came to the US to join the Missionaries To America team. In 1997 they led separate US teams but wedding bells were ringing and in October of that same year they were married in Brazil. Since then they have been working with Teen Missions in Brazil. 

They worked for some time in Porto Velho in Western Brazil but they now operate the Teen Missions base in Belem. 

Their responsibilities include running a Boot Camp each year, coordinating a BIBLE, MISSIONARY & WORK (BMW) Training Centre and doing other ministries. Dave and Vanja have two children who were both born in different countries. 

In 1999, Vanja gave birth to Jasmin Joy in Brazil. The following year, while in Australia, Samuel Lucas arrived.