Go Near Ministry
Chelsea Case
Chelsea describes herself as 23-year-old, delightfully single, sweetly saved and eager to serve across the globe.
For years, she knew she wanted to be a missionary, but then God told her she needed to be one.
She is incredibly grateful for His provision and promises. She is a tangible example of Psalm 37:4, which says, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and HE will give you the desires of your heart.”
In the summer of 2013, Chelsea traveled to Nairobi with Go Near Ministry for the first time. During her time in Kenya, the Lord prompted Chelsea to purse an internship with Go Near. She currently serves in the special place where she left her heart – Nairobi, Kenya. More specifically, her heart strings were attached to a place called the ABC Center.
She is so thankful for this organization,which rescues children from the streets who are victims of abuse and abandonment, and the ABC Center leadership for allowing her the oppurtunity to take part in this with them. Chelsea is interning with Go Near Ministry on the field in Nairobi from October 2013 to January 2014.
This is Chelsea’s life until God tells her differently. He knows her heart, and she cannot wait to express gratitude to Him through loving His little (and big) ones.
Our Team
Annie Sixby
Annie Sixbey first traveled to Kenya with Go Near Ministry in the summer of 2012. Her experience in Nairobi–8,000 miles from her home in Little Rock–dramatically transformed her heart and her vision for her life.
During those two weeks, she fell in love–she fell in love with the country, the culture, the people, and their willingness to serve God.
In Annie’s words, “I lost my own plan for my life, and I gained the courage to follow God’s plan.”
After a second trip to Kenya in the summer of 2013, God confirmed Annie’s calling to Kenya. Annie continues to live in Nairobi and serve with the ABC Center, an orphanage for children found on the streets, until March 14, 2014.
When Annie first visited the orphanage, she felt God’s unmistakable call in her heart to intern with Go Near Ministry, to tutor, to listen, to council, to love, and to go to Nairobi. She is thrilled to have this opportunity to live her passion and share these experiences with you.
Bobby and Brandy Reese
Bobby grew up in Zimbabwe as the son of missionary parents. He moved to Arkansas for college and studied Civil Engineering, eventually getting a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Water and Wastewater Treatment.
After graduating, Bobby and Brandy got married and moved to Little Rock where he began working for the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department designing bridges.
Bobby’s prayer is that he will use his background and knowledge to glorify God and serve those who are without water and lack the basic infrastructure that most of us take for granted. Already God has opened many opportunities for him to serve in Kenya and he looks forward to what is ahead.
Brandy grew up in Illinois before moving to Arkansas for college. Although she thought she was moving to Arkansas to run cross-country and track for the Razorbacks, God had much bigger plans.
After a knee injury ended her running career, God surrounded her with several Christ following friends who began to share the Lord with her. Following nearly four years of unknown prayers on her behalf, many conversations, and some life circumstances Brandy understood her great need for Jesus. God quickly revealed His heart for the nations to Brandy and He has particularly burdened her heart towards children who are lost or in need.
She is especially thankful to God for not only giving her the opportunity to teach students from around the world, but also placing her near children in extreme poverty whom she can minister to in her free time. Brandy’s prayer is that Christ’s love will shine through her teaching and that she and Bobby would live intentionally to glorify God while in Kenya.
Blake Welch
Blake Welch is serving Go Near Ministry through media, travel logistics and administrative support.
A Bryant, Arkansas native, Blake lived in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Nairobi, Kenya, for three years serving with the International Mission Board (IMB).
In Johannesburg, he worked as an administrative assistant in the mission office and ministered to the homeless and disabled persons in the townships through discipleship and meeting physical needs.
In Nairobi, Blake provided leadership to the mission media team and traveled throughout Africa as a member of IMB global communications team. He also ministered to students with special needs and in Nairobi slums. Blake returned to Little Rock two years ago and actively serves in missions, student ministry, and discipleship at The Summit Church. He also works as Communications Coordinator for EAST Initiative
Interns
Elizabeth Bostwick
Elizabeth is excited to work alongside Go Near staff as an intern to Melody. Elizabeth attended both Little Rock Christian and the University of Arkansas, graduating with a bachelors degree in Journalism and English and minors in business and Spanish.
During college, Elizabeth was blessed with the opportunity to study in several different countries. She has lived and studied in London, Belize, and Florence. During her semester in Florence, the Lord exposed Elizabeth to the lack of gospel influence in Italy.
Following graduation, she interned for a year with CRU Ministry at the University of Bologna in Italy, working with a team of eight people to pioneer a student ministry at the oldest university in the Western world.
After returning to the U.S., the Lord provided the opportunity for Elizabeth to join Go Near in working on a variety of projects, including grant proposals, public relations, website development, and social media strategy, among other tasks. Go Near has provided the perfect outlet for Elizabeth to both apply her skills and learn about the administrative side of a nonprofit.
Elizabeth is passionate about working with the poor locally and globally. She is currently completing some graduate coursework locally while also investigating other options for graduate study.
Melanie Boutiette
Founder of Out of Africa Event & Shop My Closet
Melanie is known in Little Rock as event planner extraordinaire with a heart to encourage and empower others in their gifting.
She and her husband, Arthur have championed numerous charitable causes in Arkansas. Melanie is a painter, a writer, and enjoys teaching women’s Bible studies.
She traveled to Nairobi, Kenya in the summer of 2013 and returned with a passion to ignite others to adopt her personal philosophy to “radically give and radically live” and especially focused on widows and orphans in Kenya. Within a few months, she originated the very successful Go Near Ministry “Shop my Closet” event in her home. Melanie rallied women to go through their closets and donate fine clothing and accessories to be resold for Go Near projects.
Her second event, also held in her home was the “Out of Africa” event. Women were offered the opportunity to taste African dishes and wine while purchasing christmas gifts made by and benefitting women and children in Africa.
Mary Smith
God continues to weave Africa through His story in Mary's life and she couldn’t be more in awe of His hand in everything – the big and the small.
She grew up in Texas, the first half in the Houston area and the second half in the Dallas area, and attended college at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, earning a degree in Accounting and Finance. After college she practiced public accounting in Dallas for four years during which she made her first trip to Kenya with friends from college. Needless to say, it left a lasting impression on her.
She then went to law school at the University of Texas and made two follow-up trips to Kenya during her three years in Austin – one to the Mt. Kenya area focused primarily on evangelism and the second to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. After law school she practiced corporate law at a firm in Dallas, Texas for 5 years and made several visits to sub-Sahara Africa with groups of Christian lawyers and others with African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries for Biblical conflict resolution, forgiveness and reconciliation discipleship trips.
In 2011, she married Scott and moved to the Little Rock area. The next year she and her husband were blessed with the birth of their son Eli. The past two years have been an adjustment for – to being a wife and now mother – and this summer was the perfect time to jump back in to what God is doing in sub-Sahara Africa as well as here in the U.S.
After about two years in Arkansas as a family, they are still in the process of making a home. They have been regularly attending The Summit Church as well as participating in ministry in various ways around town.
She is so thankful to God for His grace and mercy to save her from herself time and time again – and for His mercy to expose her to His followers on the other side of the world to continue to remind her to live for His glory and not for the elusive happiness of this world.“Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?” James 2:5
Jennifer Bentley
After spending 13 years in East Africa among the people of Tanzania and Kenya, Jennifer is deeply passionate about serving those in need.
Melody and Lewis Taylor invited her to accompany them on a Go Near trip to Nairobi in 2011, and Jennifer heard the call to return and work as Go Near staff member in Kenya after meeting and serving the precious people in Nairobi on the trip.
Jennifer currently works with James 127, a branch off of Go Near Minisrty. She has spent the last two years serving with Beatitudes, a ministry partnering with a women’s empowerment program in Haiti.
“God is moving in incredible ways through His people in Kenya, and I am honored to go and serve alongside them.”
Click here to read Jenifer's blog