Richard Glenn

Learn more about Richard Glenn, his family, and their work in Kenya.

Richard grew up in Houston, Texas, in a Christian home. His father, Greg Glenn, is a school administrator and was the Head of School at Westbury Christian School, where Richard attended K-12 and graduated in 2009. They were active members of the Westbury Church of Christ (located across the parking lot), and Richard was involved in the youth group with his older sister, Amber, and younger brother, Cody. After high school, Richard attended Harding University to play soccer and run track. He pursued a double major in International Business and Biblical Languages.

 

Callie grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, and attended Central Arkansas Christian K-12. Her family was a part of Chenal Valley Church of Christ and was involved in planting smaller congregations in Central Arkansas. Callie is the youngest of three children, with an older brother, Jeremy, and an older sister, Amy. In high school, Callie excelled as a track athlete and later enrolled at Harding University to pursue nursing. She graduated from the Harding University Nursing School in December 2012.

 

Richard and Callie met on the track team and instantly bonded. After a brief dating and engagement period, they were married over Spring break on March 12, 2011. In 2011 summer, they partnered with organizations like YoungLife, traveling with a group across Europe, sharing the message of Jesus. Over the next few years, they lived and worked in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Nashville, Tennessee. Richard pursued entrepreneurship and worked in the Insurance and Investment Industry, owning agencies in Middle Tennessee. Callie worked as a Registered Nurse at St. Vincent Hospital in Little Rock and Centennial Medical Center in Nashville.

 

In 2014, they started their family with the birth of their daughter, Emma, and 16 months later, their son, Stephen, arrived. They thought their family was complete for the time being and they accepted a position to be the Executive Director for a Christian non-profit based in Pignon, Haiti. Promise for Haiti hired them to run the operations on the ground, and in 2018 and 2019, they lived as missionaries in Haiti, where they welcomed two more children, Charlotte in 2018, and William, born in February 2020. Unfortunately, the outbreak of Covid-19 prevented their return to Haiti.

 

After taking time to regroup and settle in during 2020, they had the opportunity to serve as the Ambassador for Friends of Tenwek at Tenwek Hospital in rural Kenya. They spent most of 2021 preparing for the move and eventually relocated to Kenya in January 2022 to serve for 18 months in that capacity. Following a successful first term, Friends of Tenwek promoted them to Field Directors and asked them to return to Kenya for a second term, which they graciously accepted. They plan to continue their service at Tenwek, evaluating their calling after two more years.

 

While in school, Richard interned at Central Church of Christ in Little Rock and developed a deep connection with the people, staff, and congregation. Attending Central has been a tremendous blessing for their family, children, and marriage. As they prepare to go back to Kenya, they are seeking to add more support to walk alongside this ministry with them. Stepping into the Field Director role brings new challenges, greater opportunities, and more chances to further the Gospel and share the love of Jesus.

 

During their time as ambassadors, their focus was on hospitality and support, but now, as Field Directors, they will be tackling development issues within Kenya and Africa as a whole. Their goal is to expand the work already going on and to find sustainable ways to spread the Gospel financially, organizationally, and structurally. Growing a surgical hospital in rural Kenya can be very difficult to fund. They are thinking critically and problem solving to find ways to maintain a high level of care to a demographic that cannot quite afford it. We treat, Jesus heals is their motto and is their chance to use healthcare to spread the Gospel in Kenya. They are excited to share their vision and see what doors God opens to guide their steps during this time.