John Leininger, President
John and his wife, Diane, have four married children and 17 grandchildren. Their family gatherings are an event to behold!
The Lord has given John a heart for Haiti for over four decades and over 100 teams. One-on-one ministry is his passion. Getting into the lives and hearts of people and seeing them soften and eventually accept our Lord as Savior brings John unspeakable joy. Haitian’s openness to hearing the gospel and willingness to discuss spiritual matters keeps drawing him back.
As Mercy International grows, John is in awe watching the way the Lord provides for the needs that are brought before us and he prays that God allows him many more years of ministry.
Joey and Becca Burda
Joey and his wife, Becca, were married in May of 2004 and currently live in Flower Mound, Texas. Joey graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in Finance. He works for Santander Consumer USA as Vice President of Strategic Operations. His first trip to Haiti was in April 2014 after being invited by his brother-in-law, Brian. Joey’s heart was set on building beds for the families in Merci de Dieu Village, but little did he know that God had much bigger plans! He came home with a love and passion for the Haitian people. As Becca once wrote, “He Left His Heart in Haiti.” Joey has since returned 3 more times with no plans on slowing down!
Teaching children has always been Becca’s passion. She was a first grade teacher and piano teacher before becoming a stay at home mom to their 2 girls, Presley and Hope. Haiti has always held a special place in her family’s heart so she was excited to finally have the opportunity to visit Haiti for the first time in January 2015 along side her husband. It was during this visit that she fell in love with the people living in the Village of Merci de Deiu.
“We both returned from Haiti with the knowledge that we learned more about God’s love and less about what we have done for Him. What a blessing it is to be in the midst of seeing God work in the lives of this sweet village. Our deepest desire is to have all of the children in the village attend a local school with a Bible based curriculum. Education will enable the children in the village to provide for their future, learn more about God’s love and grace, and hopefully put them in a position to help others.”
Brian and Sara Cummins
Brian and Sara Cummins met at Texas A&M and were married in 2002. They now reside in Cedar Park, TX. Sara taught junior high and high school for 4 years and now stays at home with their two boys, Reid and Grant. Brian graduated with a degree in Computer Science and is an Executive at a technology company in Austin.
Sara’s love for Haiti developed after her first mission trip to Haiti with Dr. Leininger when she was 14 years old. After several return trips, she knew this country would forever play an important part in her life. After much prayer, God gave Brian and Sara the opportunity to go to Haiti together on a mission trip in 2014. Brian soon returned to Haiti just two months later, as he too was drawn to serving and teaching the people there.
Now, thanks be to God, they are in the process of adopting from Haiti. They are excited to be serving on the Board of Mercy International. Their desire is to see Haitians being trained up as leaders, sharing the Good News in their own community, and impacting their country for Christ.
