CENTER for STUDENT MISSIONS

Tess Elmore

Tess attends Rice University in Houston and is majoring in English and Religious Studies, with a plan on obtaining an Education Certification in order to teach (crazy) high school students. Her missions experience includes Mexico (construction work), Washington, DC (work with homeless), CSM Houston and Birmingham, AL. She has been very involved in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Hobbies include reading and athletics (especially powderpuff football) and she loves building relationships, challenging experiences, spicy foods, her twelve-year-old brother, teaching, Dr. Seuss and Grace. “I am working with CSM because this is the kind of service I have been called to.”

Drea Legare

Drea is from the Woodlands (a suburb of Houston). She is a sophomore at Houston Baptist University (HBU) majoring in Speech Communications and Mass Communications. Her missions experience includes two summers in Mexico and two summers in Honduras and Guatemala working with youth, as well as a spring break trip to CSM Houston with her university group. During the school year, Drea has been co-leading a ministry to junior and senior high girls at Wilcrest Baptist Church in Houston. Her job at HBU was involving students in community service and urban ministry, through which her eyes were opened by God to the needs of her city. She loves to read, bake and spend time with family and friends. A fan of board games, Drea is willing to take on anyone in Scrabble! “My heart for this summer is to become more informed and more involved in urban issues and ministries in the city. I also hope to share with students how they can get involved in serving their city.”

Michael Anthony Orona

Anthony is a native of Houston and a senior at the University of Houston majoring in Communications. He went on several mission trips with his youth group and for the last several years has been working with youth at camps and at his church. His goal for this summer is to show Christ’s love to all that he comes in contact with. He enjoys sports and hopes to one day be a sports journalist. He plays drums (percussion) and loves to worship. “I jokingly say that the five greatest gifts god gave us were His Son, music, sports, food and Texas (but usually I’m not joking!)”

Kelly Sells

Kelly has degree in elementary education from Wichita State University (Wichita, KS). This past year she spent working in the Children’s Ministry department at Central Community Church also in Wichita. She has been involved in youth ministry in a variety of roles over the last few years – at a Christian camp, youth mentoring program and a teen intervention program. She’s been to Florida to help clean up after the hurricanes. This fall she will be a teacher at Yellowstone Academy. Kelly enjoys travel so she can meet new people of all backgrounds, ages, ethnicity, and gender. “My prayer is that I can use my enthusiasm, creativity, experience and resources to improve lives through the introduction of Christ.”

Rachel Routon

Rachel was born and raised in Paris, TX, a town that sports its own Eiffel Tower, complete with cowboy hat! She is a junior Journalism student at the University of North Texas (Denton, TX) and will be Life editor for the NT Daily in the fall. She has traveled all over the US and as far as Ukraine doing short term mission work with her home church. She loves reading in parks and “pretending” to know about art; she also enjoys getting to know people. “I am excited to work with CSM this summer and to see if the rumors about crazy Houston weather are true!”

Ryan Krieder

Ryan was born and raised in Columbia City, Indiana and is a junior biology/pre-veterinary medicine major at Anderson University (Anderson, IN). At his home church he is a youth counselor and loves working with teens. He is also involved in Dativus, a men’s social/service club that ministers to the community and campus. He’s a real outdoors guy and especially likes to play rugby, baseball, run and hang out with friends and family. He’s been on a CSM trip to Nashville. “This summer I’m looking forward to serving and loving others, growing closer to Christ and discovering more about who I am and the man God created me to be.”

Michael Barrett

Michael is a junior at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, which is also where he was born and raised. He’s a philosophy major which matches with is desire to learn and understand how things and people work. His experience on a trip to CSM Houston led him to become a city host this summer. He enjoys billiards (in high school he played four to five times a week!). His favorite books include Fahrenheit 451, 1984 and titles by Harrison Bergeron. “I feel moved to work in Houston with CSM this summer, because I want to move others to love with a Christ love.”