Meet the Team

SAM Ministries’ Canadian Board

SAM Ministries has an amazing leadership team with diverse experience and skills. The members have backgrounds in business, medicine, architecture, law enforcement, and Christian pastoral ministry and missions.

Matthew Christenson (Chair)

Matthew’s love for God’s people came at a very young age and grew even stronger when he became a believer at the age of 23. With SAM Ministries he hopes to bring fresh ideas and perspective and give as much time as possible on the home front and looking forward to making short term missions to Mozambique with his wife a reality.

Kerstin Deleeuw (Secretary)

Kerstin grew up in Carrot Creek, AB and was introduced to SAM Ministries through Prairie College. She visited the mission for the first time on a short-term trip with Prairie and instantly fell in love. Two years later she returned for a 6-month internship and has since returned to Mozambique in a variety of capacities. She completed a B.Ed degree from the University of Calgary and continues to serve the mission faithfully with her skills and experience.

Kimberley Wood (Treasurer)

Kimberley grew up in BC, Canada and a passion for missions was birthed in her young heart when missionaries came to her church and shared stories about the mission field. She was able to serve on a mission outreach to Baja, Mexico in 2003 and her interest was kindled again later when her friend went to Africa to serve for 3 months. In 2006 she attended YWAM in Nuneaton, England. In 2022 she and her husband became acquainted with members of the SAM Ministries board and welcomed the opportunity to be involved in needs abroad through serving on the board.

Bob Guzak (Advisor to the board)

ob is a retired businessman whose business background was in the Oil Industry, running a service rig company, which was the family business. He has held a private pilot’s license since 1980 and had the privilege of assisting in ferrying the mission aircraft from Canada to Mozambique in 1996. Bob has been actively engaged in the mission of SAM Ministries for many years!

Dawson Winsor (Director)

Ft McMurray, Alberta has been home to Dawson and his wife, Winona, for the past 43 years. During that time, he has been actively involved with McMurray Gospel Assembly (MGA) in various ministry, leadership and committee roles. It was in the early years of attending MGA that they met Earl and Ruth Trekofski, caught their vision, and became active supporters of their mission. Dawson and Winona are avid travelers having visited all 7 continents including stops at both SAM Brazil and Mozambique locations. Dawson is now retired after 38 years with a major oil company, a career that spanned various Operational, Management and Leadership roles.

Robbyn Ducheminsky (Director)

Robbyn is a Chartered Public Accountant who has worked the public service in Edmonton for the past 12 years. She previously served on the Board and had an opportunity to travel to Mozambique and Brazil to see firsthand SAMM’s mission of loving God and loving people so they have a chance to love God and love people being practiced every day in a practical way. 

Chelsea McManus (Director)

Chelsea first felt the call to missions at the age of 18, after a short-term mission trip to Mexico.  The desire to show God’s love in action led her to pursue a degree in nursing. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Grant MacEwan in 2013. She served as a missionary in Mozambique with Lynn to help equip our health workers and strengthen the health ministry in Mozambique from 2019-2022.

Joshua McManus (Director)

As a young boy Josh dreamt of the day he would one day reach the nations for Christ. After high school, Josh enlisted in the Canadian military and served for 5 years at the Edmonton Garrison. Here, he met his wife, Chelsea. After leaving the military, Josh first trained as a Water and Wastewater Technician at Nate Technical School, then later completed his Private Pilot’s Licence at Centennial Flight Center. He has worked with his church in Canada many years serving in youth ministry and this has become one of his many passions. He served as a missionary in Mozambique from 2019-2022 and was involved in many aspects of the work including aviation and children’s ministry.

Carlos Hajen (Director)

Carlos is of German descent, born in Mexico, and raised in Canada when his family immigrated there when he was 13 years old. He became a mechanic and later attended Portland Bible College in Oregon where he graduated with a bachelor degree of Theology in 1988 and he and his wife served Christian Motorcyclists Association of Canada in evangelism training. They came to know about SAM Ministries through his church in Morinville and friends serving in Mozambique as missionaries.

Albert Kwong

Albert was born in China and came to Canada as a teenager. Over the next 15 years, he explored Canada by living in 3 different cities from London, Ontario to Vancouver, British Columbia and then settled back in Edmonton in 1993 with his wife Lee and son Brandon. The following year, his daughter Jasmyn was born and he started his own furniture upholstering business which he continues to enjoy to this day.

Over the years, Albert has been to 8 missions. 2 in Denare Beach where he helped build the Teen Challenge building. 4 in Mexico where he helped build a house and reupholstered different pieces of furniture. 1 in Mount Horeb, Brazil with Earl and Ruth Trekofski, and one in Mozambique where he taught some of the locals how to sew handbags as well as how to reupholster dining room chair seats.

After 28 years of attending RCF and getting to personally know the people and the vision behind SAM Ministries, I feel now is the time in my life, that God is calling me to serve on the SAM Ministries board and I look forward to the opportunity to contribute towards the vision and to work with the other members on the SAM Ministries board.

Rick Neufeld (Director)

Rick currently serves Gruthal Abundant Life Fellowship, Grunthal Manitoba, as lead pastor. Rick and Heather, his wife, served SAM Ministries for 8 years in Mozambique leading the orphan ministry and assisting in leadership training and other roles. Rick continues to return to Mozambique every year to assist with ongoing pastoral and leadership training and brings his significant pastoral and missions experience to the board.

In loving memory of SAM Ministries’ first president…

Rev. Arthur Lagore (Deceased 8th February 2024)

Arthur was a founder member of SAM Ministries. He had over 50 years of experience in Christian missions and pastoral ministry. He served in Transkei, South Africa, along with his dear wife, Gladys, for 38 years before returning to Canada. He was the senior pastor of Heimdahl Community Church for 10 years before becoming the associate pastor and seniors’ pastor at Crossroads Christian Assembly in Edmonton. He served SAM Ministries as chairman of the board for 10 years and as an advisor to the board until his passing. Arthur was an amazing man who served the Lord in everything he did.