Missionary Spotlight ~ Ron & Peg Smith, Florida

Ron and Peg met at a Bible study in Washington, DC in 1981 when Ron moved there to work at a local radio station. They married in 1983 and lived in Arlington, Virginia until 1992.

Being unsuccessful at starting a family, Ron and Peg pursued an international adoption, culminating in a six-week trip to South America in 1990, where they adopted their son, Benjamin Ramón. Ten months later, Peg gave birth to Allison Maria!

The Lord opened their eyes and hearts to overseas missions on that adoption trip, so they left their careers in 1992 and moved to Jackson, MS to attend Reformed Theological Seminary.

Following seminary and Ron's ordination, the Smiths joined MTW's Guayaquil, Ecuador Church Planting Team, where they served from 1996 to 2005. Ron and Peg began English conversation clubs and classes, children's ministries, women's Bible studies and couples' ministries -- all with an evangelistic thrust. Peg taught Sunday school and trained others to teach, while Ron was involved in discipling and counseling, as well as planting and pastoring San Agustín Presbyterian Church.

In 2005 San Agustín and another church plant combined to form a congregation with an Ecuadorian pastor. With their ministry coming to an end, the Smiths returned to the U.S. to see where the Lord might lead them next.

They have been asked by Mission To the World to open new fields of mission opportunity in the English-speaking Caribbean. Their efforts include training pastors and church planters, along with mentoring, challenging and encouraging leaders as they develop strategies for communicating the Gospel and growing the church.

In the States, they hope to develop church partnerships, encourage churches to send their pastors to teach, and find some who will want to join ministry teams.

The Smiths have two children: Benjamin (12-7-89) and Allison (10-5-91).