The Missions Academy

Andrea loves all things cozy: mugs filled with warm drinks, blankets and books. She is usually found organizing, creating a system, decorating her home, being a mom to 3 kids, or stretching her mind through a book or podcast. With 5 years experience living overseas in Uganda, Africa, Andrea's passion is equipping and training students in cultural understanding and preparing them for a life of mission.

My name is Tim Dedrick and I am the Missions Director at Touch the World. I became involved in missions at a very young age, participating in trips all through middle school and high school, and eventually went on to lead countless trips myself. After college, I followed a call to serve as a full time missionary in Ireland for 2.5 years, helping run youth outreach programs to teens in the region. Today, I am excited to share my experiences and expertise with others in my role at Touch the World. My main focus is to come alongside youth leaders, to help them effectively serve their students and equip their students to live out the mission of God in their daily lives.

My name is Jesse Kroeze and I’m the Executive Director at Touch the World. Short-term mission trips have played an incredibly important role in my life since high school. It was through those trips that I was able to experience God in a tangible way, embrace my faith as my own and then step into my calling to serve in a longer term capacity. For 5 years, I helped lead and work alongside a team of Ugandan, Kenyan and American missionaries serving a rural community in Northern Uganda. Traveling and living abroad has taught me more about myself and about God. With that experience, I now serve on the Board of Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission and full-time day-to-day I lead Touch the World, a missions organization that exists to equip youth to live out the mission of God every day, no matter where they are and whatever role God has called them to.