The Shirley Family

Phil, Andra, Luke and Logan

Andra and Phil have been married for twenty years, the majority of which was spent in Illinois. In 2017, after sensing a call from God, they moved their family to Central Florida. It has been quite a change but they have seen God open doors and help them build new friendships, while working in new roles. Their sons, Luke and Logan have settled in to new schools, and they are thriving. Phil has enjoyed spending the last year coaching and encouraging youth leaders in the area and getting to know pastors from all around the county. Andra teaches 5th grade in a local public school and has a passion for helping kids learn.

For nearly twenty years the Shirley family was blessed to lead SonTours Ministries, a Mobile Retreat Ministry that used two converted buses to coordinate student teams on trips throughout the United States and Canada. On many of those trips they witnessed God using them to build and repair homes, clean up after storms, prepare churches for ministry, and be an encouragement to local pastors and community leaders. They realized the highlights were always getting students engaged into opportunities where they could be stretched by God and then come to the realization that He could use them no matter what their age or ability.

Phil recalls his first trip and had this to say, “my first mission trip was in 1982 and I was amazed by how I was personally impacted by the people I met and how much bigger the world became, and that was just to the inner city of Chicago! Since that time I have seen first-hand the impact that a mission trip can have in the life of a student.”

With Phil’s new role at World Wide Village as Director of Student Impact Teams he will be developing team trips for Middle, High School and College students to travel to Haiti, allowing them to be “Salt and Light” to the community. Through community development projects, sports camps and VBS-style programs the students will be able to share the Gospel while meeting the needs of the people, by being the hands and feet of Christ. Most returning impact team members tout the fact that they were ministered to by the Haitian people much more than they were expecting.

In Phil’s new role, he will also be tasked with launching efforts focused on local outreach in Central Florida, initially working in one of the poorest areas in Brevard County. The goal is to facilitate student groups looking to engage on impact teams, serving both locally and globally, always seeking God’s guidance as we partner with local churches.

Phil also commented, “We are so excited about this opportunity and we look forward to how God will use us in the coming years.”

From Randy Mortensen, President: “Since taking on the role of leading World Wide Village back in 2006, I’ve been looking for a proven leader, with a passion and experience in leading student ministries to join our team, and with Phil and Andra, we’ve now been blessed by their desire to join our leadership group.”

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