2023 Team Members

Kathy Chrzanowski

I am the mother of three wonderful children, Brian, Sarah, and Mark. They are all married and have blessed me with three grandsons plus a foster grandson. I have been a widow for many years now, and since retiring from teaching high school I substitute taught, but finally retired from that too! I now care for my grandsons when needed. 

Mission trips were not on my radar until I went the first time to Alaska. From then on, I have volunteered many times doing mission work and going on trips. I have now been to India five times, loving the people and feeling grateful we can help to give so many the gift of improved eyesight and better yet they also hear about our Lord and Savior Jesus. I am a leader for MOST ministries which is the mission that organizes our trips, collects glasses, and gets them ready to go with us. I also help with the international sewing. and belong to two Bible study groups. It is so interesting to get others' perspective of the studies we have done. When I retired from full time teaching, I decided to learn how to sail, so now, after 16 years, I am teaching sailing.

Thank you so much for following our team and praying for us who go to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Start praying, too, for Jesus to lead you to be a goer and sender. We are so blessed to have so much prayer support from our St. Matthew family. Don’t forget to come to hear what happened on our trip when we do our presentation.

Clay Donnell

I am married to my lovely wife Lori. I have 4 fantastic children, raising my 10 Grandchildren, for our Lord. I worship regularly at the 8:45 service at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Walled Lake Michigan. I love Mission trips and helping folks. I went to Everlasting Life Ministry in 2017 and 2019 with MOST. I went to Guatemala to build houses with Habitat for Humanity. Helped build a maintenance building/gym in Costa Rica. Each mission is a little different. The goal is always to lift up Jesus Christ.

I accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior in 1977 at the ripe old age of 18. Campus Crusade for Christ came knocking on my door at the dormitory at Michigan Tech. They wanted to share the 4 spiritual laws and ask me if I wanted to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. Initially I said no. I thought I had the whole world by the tail. I was a starting linebacker for the Huskies varsity football team my freshman year. Then the Lord continued working on me. I thought back to when I was 14 and my best friend died of Leukemia. Ricky McComb used to tell me that God loved me and had a plan for my life. I just needed to accept his gift of eternal life for the penalty of my sin. I told him at that time that I was a science guy and believed in evolution. When Ricky died at 14 I couldn’t believe that the God he talked about would let him die. After all he was one of the few guys I knew that actually practiced his faith.

Later in college I wrestled with God and the Holy Spirit and finally gave my life over to following Jesus. In the summer of 78 I followed the direction of scripture and made a public profession of my faith and was Baptized in Lake Superior. It still makes me shiver to think about it.

Ever since then I have tried to lead my life to the glory of God. Some periods of life are better than others. But because Ricky shared his faith with me I know that God has forgiven me when I didn’t get it right. Thank you Lord! Thank you Jesus! Thank you Ricky! That is why I go to the mission field. Only born again Christians can share how salvation works to those who don’t know. It is my reasonable service to go.

Brian and Becky Bonkowski

Brian & Becky have been married for 35 years.  They have three grown sons, 1 daughter-in-law and 1 granddaughter. Brian works as a production manager at a printing company while Becky watches their granddaughter and volunteers in her spare time. 

Brian will be the glasses "adjuster" on our trip while Becky will be trying glasses on people and helping hone in their prescription. 

Brian is thankful that God has continued to bless him with grace and mercy and feels this calling is a wonderful opportunity to step out of his comfort zone. Becky has always looked forward to a day when she could participate in a mission trip.  God has blessed her with this opportunity and she is very excited to witness all that God has planned for all of them.  

Please pray for protection & health of the whole team as well as Pastor Daniel, his family and congregation, that God's word would take root as the Gospel message is shared, that He would open our eyes, hearts and minds to know how better to be His hands & feet, and that we would be able to make an amazing difference to all those with vision needs. 

Ray Riggs

My wife Tracey and I have been members of St. Matthew for over 35 years. Our three kids, Alison, Dan, and Colin attended St. Matthew School through 8th grade.

I am a retired firefighter/paramedic, and currently work as a professional musician and photographer. I have served as Chairman of the Board of Elders and President of the congregation in the past, as well as on several Pastor and teacher call committees. Currently I am on the Board of Elders and I play drums with the Prayer and Praise band.  

Ray's onion goggles

This is my 4th mission trip. Tracey and I went to Biloxi, Mississippi with a group from church following hurricane Katrina and I went to India in 2017 and 2019. I would encourage everyone to consider a mission trip. In my experience, you’ll end up getting more out of it than you’d ever expect. 

 

When considering going to India the first time, I asked my daughter, who has been on several foreign mission trips, if she thought I should go. She immediately responded “Yes!  Absolutely! The answer is always yes. If you’re waiting for a sign, you’ve already got it. The Lord said go. If it’s not right, He’s big enough to stop you.”

 

So, here am I. Send me.

Tracy Riggs

I am a retired orchestra teacher and professional violist. Retirement has allowed me to participate in the International Friends Ministry at St. Matthew and to devote more time to the Joyful Noise handbell choir, which I have directed for 35 years.

Retirement has also given me more time to spend with family. My husband, Ray, and I have been blessed with 3 children and 5 grandchildren. Much of my time is spent enjoying the company of my 8-year-old granddaughter, who lives nearby. However, we follow the roads to Alabama (Alison) and Maryland (Dan) to see the others as often as we can.

 

I am excited to be joining Ray on this mission trip to India.  It is my first and his third. He has seen the Lord at work on the past two trips and encouraged me to trust God and go!

 

Your prayers for me are appreciated!

Dee Tyler

This is my first international mission trip.  For many years my late husband, Randy, and I wanted to participate in a mission trip like this, however we never got to live out that dream together.  In the past we did many LCMS National Youth Gatherings and youth servant events with St. Matthew youth and youth from other LCMS churches, which we always found very rewarding and brought us closer to God. 

My entire life changed drastically since Randy went home to heaven in December of 2021.  In addition to this huge change in my life there were several other significant losses that rocked my world even further in 2022.  I felt like all that I knew was in ashes, however God was faithful.  The past 14 months I have been striving and focusing on fully relying on God no matter the circumstance I find myself.

When I learned of the India Team mission from Team Leader, Kathy Chrzanowski, it felt like it would be a great place to re-set my life and my soul.  I have found in the past that I am at my best when I serve others.  Even though I was nervous about going to India, I felt a significant tug towards this trip.  After prayer and meditation, it seemed clear that God was leading me to commit to this mission trip.

I am a registered nurse with 41 years of experience, so on the India Team I will serve as the Team Medic.  In this role I will conduct the eye health assessment/exam of the people who come to the eye clinic, as well as care for the health of the Team.

My family consists of two children.  A son, Ryan, who is married to Allison and a daughter, Drue, who is married to Ryan Joseph.  I have 2 grandchildren, Calvin who is 12 years old and Daryn Michele who is 11 weeks. 

Please pray that God’s leading will always remain visible to the Team as well as for the safety of the Team. 

Sandy Gulick

Hello and greetings from India!

My name is Sandy Gulick, a long-time member here at St Matthew and a third-time member of the India mission team.  

 

During this trip I will be filling the eye glass prescriptions for those who need corrected vision. What I enjoy most about this role is I’m able to match stylish frames with the person in need. I love seeing the smile on people’s faces as they leave clinic with their improved eye sight. 

 

Please pray for the health and safe travels for our team and for the Holy Spirit to open the eyes, ears and hearts for those we’re there to serve. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Melinda Cummins

My husband, Brian, and I have been members of St. Matthew for approximately 26 years. I was baptized, confirmed, and married at St. John Lutheran in Fraser, MI where I also attended day school first through eight grade. Brian and I have 3 children who all graduated from Hearts and Hands Child Development Center at the Wixom Campus and St. Matthew Day School in Walled Lake. Our youngest child is a senior in high school.

This India Mission trip is my second mission trip and my second trip to India. I’m praying this time we will reach more people and allow them to be blessed with the gift of sight and learn more about Christ.

I look forward to seeing how God uses us to do His will.

Brad Bomhoff

I was born and raised in El Reno, Oklahoma, a small town 25 miles west of Oklahoma City. My Grandparents were charter members of Trinity Lutheran Church, LCMS where I was baptized, confirmed, and married to my wife of 13 years, Anna. She has two boys, 29 and 21, the oldest has a wife and our sweet granddaughter, and with my 29 year old daughter, we have a beautiful family.

Anna and I are empty-nesters, semi-retired, and have always been very involved in our church. We were both on various boards and committees and I always dreamed of doing mission work. We are very blessed by our Lord. We visited the Lutheran Church in our neighborhood on a whim one Sunday where we met the new Pastor, Gary Rohwer, a missionary! We eventually changed our membership to Lutheran Church of Our Savior, where we are now. I am currently the chairman of the Evangelism committee, involved in teaching ESL classes, and children’s guitar
lessons. I love to play the guitar and sing songs about Jesus.

I have never traveled outside the US other than a few trips to Mexico 20 years ago or more. I am very excited to meet everyone, and serve God and the people of India! Most of all, I want to shine God’s light!