Delecia Seay Carey is a Global Missionary of The United Methodist Church, serving as administrator of Bridge of Hope Vocational Training Center in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The Bridge of Hope Vocational Training Center supports underprivileged and poor young people in Cambodia. Its work resonates with Global Ministries’ work to alleviate suffering among the most vulnerable. Delecia earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Millsaps College, a master’s in English from Tulane University, a master’s in educational administration from Louisiana State University, and a doctorate in English from Michigan State University. She served as head of school of Trinity Episcopal Day School and as English department head and instructor at Episcopal School of Acadiana. She is a lay member of Asbury United Methodist Church, Lafayette, part of the Louisiana Annual Conference. “When I met my future husband,” Delecia said, “his father was an active volunteer missionary, planning and leading annual medical mission trips. Before we married, Tom Carey went on a trip to Jamaica with his dad, and he felt confident that he wanted to serve in the mission field eventually. “As we finished our education, built our careers and grew our family, we always held the idea of mission work in our hearts. After teaching English for a few years, I became headmaster of an Episcopal school and earned a degree in school administration. That was not something I had ever intended to do, but now I realize that it was one of the ways God was preparing and equipping me to serve in mission.” In 2010, Delecia and Tom made some big decisions about downsizing their lives. Tom sold his medical practice, and the couple moved from Mississippi to Louisiana. “Our intention,” she said, “was to become debt free, help our children reach independence, and put ourselves in position to become full-time missionaries. God blessed us through these endeavors, and as soon as our youngest son graduated from college, doors started to open. I’m sure God could have used us earlier in our lives, but I’m also sure he was using our life experiences to prepare us for what lay ahead. At the beginning of 2024, they started the process of applying to become missionaries and selling their house to be free to serve should they be accepted. “Almost immediately,” Delecia said, “we learned about an opportunity in Cambodia that exactly fit my school administration qualifications, and our home sold on the first day we listed it. It seems clear to us that God’s hand is behind this process, and we are excited to embark on the next season of our lives.” Delecia grew up in the Southern Baptist Church, a denomination that emphasizes mission service. She learned about, prayed for and contributed to missionaries. “One key component of growing up as I did,” she recalled, “was the strong emphasis on learning memory verses. A verse that has shaped my adult life was Jesus’ instructions in Luke 12:48 (KJV): ‘For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.’ God has blessed me in material and spiritual ways. I am confident that in this upcoming season in our lives, I will be responding to Jesus’ instructions to honor those blessings through serving in his name.” Delecia’s 86-year-old mother is excited about her daughter and son-in-law’s missionary service. “She is the most devout Christian I know,” Delecia said, “and she believes that if God calls us to serve, the only answer is, ‘Here I am, Lord, send me.’ Our three adult children have always known that their dad and I felt called to serve as missionaries. They have given us their blessings.” Delecia believes God calls us to serve one another. “Mission is the most effective way we can illustrate God’s love and majesty and grace,” she said. “I’d like to think that when I am serving others, I will be an example of Christ’s love for them. But even if that’s not how I am perceived, I know I will be serving God, and that is enough. “Christ doesn’t necessarily call us to convert others. He calls us to serve others in his name. Mission is important in the world today because it is a real, concrete and definite way that we can fulfill the mandate: ‘To whom much is given, much will be required.’”

Dr. Floyd Thomas “Tom” Carey Jr. is a Global Missionary of The United Methodist Church, serving as a medical doctor at Hebron Hospital and Mercy Medical Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at Millsaps College, Tom received his M.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. He continued his residency training at Michigan State University/Sparrow Hospital. Pursuing a post-graduate degree, he did his residency in obstetrics and gynecology. Tom is a lay member of Asbury United Methodist Church, Lafayette, Louisiana, related to the Louisiana Annual Conference. Blessed to grow up in a home that valued God and people, Tom recalled, “My mother had a social justice leaning to her life and taught us to treat everyone with dignity and respect. My dad was our family’s spiritual leader. His faith involved not just a love of God, but also a gift of service to people. I always thought I would become a physician just like my dad, and I was blessed and supported by my parents such that I was able to pursue my education straight through from high school, to college, to medical school, to residency. “Throughout my years of education, my 16 years in a private OB/GYN practice, and my 14 years as an OB/GYN hospitalist, God has been preparing and equipping me to serve in mission. I had amazing role models such as my dad and my senior partners, and I have faith that God has put people and opportunities in my path to enable me to fulfill his calling.” Tom and his wife, Delecia Carey, believe that God calls them to tithe both their money and their talents. “We have served our churches in countless ways,” he said, “and we usually felt we were doing our best. But now we feel that we have the opportunity to tithe our working careers, and that is how we look at the coming years of missionary service. “I completed my residency, and Delecia earned her Ph.D. in 1993. We have worked for 30 years for ourselves and our family. Now it is time to work for God. It feels a little challenging to give up the generous incomes we have been used to for so many years, but we feel confident that God will help us adapt as we embark on new careers as missionaries.” Tom’s father set an example for him – both in vocation and in mission. “My father loved interacting with and caring for people. He became deeply involved with foreign missionary work and led medical groups to Honduras, Roatan and Jamaica for more than 30 years.” When their father died, Tom and his three siblings established the Dr. Tom Carey Medical Mission Memorial Fund to support mission teams who continue his work. As a dietician with the Mississippi Health Department, Tom’s mother loved interacting with all kinds of people. “She considered her job a food ministry and helped with a community food pantry as a volunteer,” Tom said. “We were taught through her words and her actions about how to provide care for people in need in a way that maintained their dignity. “Mission is one of the most important ways God works. People who care and love others can provide ends to isolation, depression, anxiety, hate, and so much more. Building projects and skilled people provide shelters, worship centers, and clean, accessible water. In doing mission work, we bless others and are, in turn, blessed by them. With such a powerful tool, the necessity of mission in our world today is paramount.” Active in United Methodist congregations since youth, Tom is grateful that his spouse is a devout Christian. “With her support,” he said, “I have served in church offices and taught Sunday school off and on for about 28 years. I have tried to serve my patients with Christian values and as a mission to their needs. And, yet, my wife and I feel we have been called to do more. She said that we’ve tithed our money for all these years, but now we can also tithe our careers. Since I’ve been in medicine for 30 years (and been blessed by it), we feel now is the time to work in missions.”