Meet Our Staff

Each member of our staff is committed to creating a caring atmosphere, lead from our Christian values and set high expectations on each other.

We are proud to say each of our staff have servered in the mission both here on staff and in-country helping those we support.

Michael Miller

President

Michael Miller is an Eagle Scout and a graduate of Horseheads High School, Horsheads, NY and the B.O.C.E.S. program where he learned carpentry. He is also a 2016 inductee in the GST B.O.C.E.S. Hall of Fame, honored for life-time achievement. Being a builder and a doer was the way of life for Mike and it comes natural. He owned his own construction business for years, but God had other plans. He became active in his church, Horseheads First United Methodist Church, and got involved in Kairos Prison Ministry as well as Short-Term mission trips to Central America. It was on a mission trip to Honduras and helping to reconstruct things after Hurricane Mitch of 1999, that Mike and Glenda were both touched by the need of the people. God called them to sell the business and most of their possessions, leave family, home and job and move to Tegucigalpa, Honduras to live as full time missionaries. They fulfilled that call beginning in February 2004 and have been faithful ever since.

Michael's life verse is from Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Brad Hinman

Vice President and Public Relations Director

Brad is our Vice President and Public Relations Director. He serves the ministry with a passion for Jesus Christ and for Mike and Glenda. Brad and his wife Janet worship at Victory Highway Wesleyan Church.

They have two daughters. Currently employed as a Funeral Home Assistant, he has served as Lay Leader, Chair of Trustees, Mission Team Leader and Certified Lay Speaker in The United Methodist Church.

Brad and Janet have served on dozens of mission teams both local and international. They served on their first BBM Construction Team (#20) in 2012. Since then they have led a construction team every year.

Brad and Janet live out their life verse, Matthew 25:40, “…Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Laura Cummings

Secretary

Laura Cummings attends the First Presbyterian Church of Elmira and supports many volunteer activities there and in her community. She is married to Kevin and they are the proud parents of Daniel, who is a gift from God. She and her husband have been supporters of Border Buddies since 2008 and are both veterans of BBM Team #4.

Her attention to detail and faithfulness over the long haul has proved to be a huge asset to to the entire board as our Secretary.

Paul Wills

Treasurer

Paul is an active member of Mike and Glenda’s home church, Horseheads First United Methodist Church. He is a career accountant and brings keen insight and great ability to this very important function. Paul and his wife Audrey have known Mike and Glenda for a long, long time. Paul was on a mission team with Mike and Glenda way back when God was laying the foundation for Border Buddies. Paul's many contacts with a wide variety of people and to a wide variety of organizations helps us to continue our growth. He is a well rounded Christian who helps keep us on track.

Glenda Miller

Director - One School Sponsorship Program

Glenda Miller is a native of Tegucigalpa and lived there until age 12 at which time she moved to New York City with family. She is a graduate of Elmira Business Institute, and it was while she and Mike were both working a part-time job at the same place that they met and fell in love. The rest is history. Together they form quite a partnership that has taken them into some very challenging situations in the prisons and in the barrios, yet because of their love for Jesus, they are blessed to share the gospel and bring healing to “the very least of these”. They love working with youth in the barrios, with the parents of the youth, with incarcerated men and women, and their reward is to see miraculously changed lives.

Karen Meiklejohn

Missions Director

Karen is a 1980 graduate of Penn State University. In the summer of 1983, she was radically rescued by Jesus and He has been her Lord & Savior ever since. In 1988 she graduated from Grace Institute of Biblical Studies and has served in many ministries along the way. She and her husband, William, were married in 1984 and have 2 amazing adult daughters. Karen home-schooled both daughters, has worked in sales, worked as an admin for a local church, and substitute taught. The whole family moved to Corning, NY in 2004 to join a church plant in the area. She and her husband are active members of Victory Highway Church. In 2014, she joined her husband in the real estate business. After surviving cancer, she decided to explore missions and has ventured to Brazil & Honduras. She is also part of the Child Sponsorship Program.

My life verse: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Gal 2:20

Harold Lefever

Spiritual Director

Harold was a missionary to Honduras for many years and brings enormous insight to us culturally and spiritually. He and his wife Joyce now live in our area and as members of the Southside Alliance Church, they find working life and church life very fulfilling. Harold also serves as Assistant Pastor for Southside Alliance. As Spiritual Director for Border Buddies, he teaches, leads, exhorts and corrects the Board as needed as we start each meeting focused on God, stay focused throughout the meeting and close the meeting focused on God. They have a daughter and son-in-law who are international workers in Nepal.

My Life Verse: 2 Corinthians 5:20 We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Bruce Williams

Accounting Specialist

Bruce Williams is a member of Westside United Methodist Church, where he and his wife Gail serve in leadership on a variety of committees. Bruce is a career accountant and he also brings great capabilities to BBM. His job is to look at the larger picture, spots trends and make sure all of our financial paperwork is correct and filed in a timely fashion. He oversees our annual ECFA renewal and financial audits and puts in many hours to make sure every detail is correct. Bruce had the pleasure to serve on Construction Team #33 in May of 2015.

Gerri Sias-Roche

Helping Hands Coordinator

Gerri comes to us with a BA in Bible Studies has served in full-time Christian service for 10 years with 3 adult children one of whom is married. She has a loving husband Renny and together they served special needs students in transporting them to school for 15 years. Gerri continues to drive a special needs school bus, is a schoolbus Driver trainer, participant of Team 52 leader of Team 56 an active member of Higher Hope Church.

From Gerri’s youth, she enjoyed sharing the needs of ministries and raising funds to help. God moved her heart while in college that someday she would be a missionary of helps and while in Honduras 2018 He renewed that call and said now is the time -do what I have given you a passion to do. Help spread the word of Hope by being a helping hand to Mike, Glenda, and BBM.

She enjoys sharing the Border Buddies ministry with those she comes in contact with and seeks to inform local businesses of the needs as well as accomplishments God is doing in children, families, and communities in Honduras.

My life verse is Philippians 1:6 "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Mark Erway

Website Administrator

Mark is a retired United Methodist Local Pastor who also served as an Associate Pastor, Worship Arts Pastor and Celebrate Recovery pastor, after a career in a manufacturing business. It was through Mark’s starting a Kairos Prison Ministry unit, that Mike got involved in prison ministry. Their friendship grew and he has been a supporter of Border Buddies from the very beginning of this venture. Mark first traveled to Tegucigalpa with Dale Cleveland in the summer of 2004, and they went into Honduras prisons with Mike and Glenda and ministered to incarcerated men and women. Since then he has been co-leader of numerous BBM Construction Teams starting with Team #1 in 2005; served on 2015 Medical Team #2 as “Gopher” and most recently on Team #50 in May of 2018. Mark and his wife Anne sponsor a child in the School Sponsorship Program. They have two sons.

My life verse: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8