Select from this list to see more Czech Republic missionary biographies like the one below.

No wonder we’re called SEND International! Not only do SEND missionaries serve around the world—they also come from all over the globe. SEND missionaries include Japanese serving in the Philippines; Filipinos serving in Poland, Spain and Taiwan; East Indians serving in Taiwan; Taiwanese serving in Ukraine; and the list goes on. Here’s your chance to meet the members of the Czech Republic team!

Doug and Lynn Harder are Canadian missionaries that have been with SEND International since 1985. Doug grew up in Abbotsford, B.C. and Lynn hails from Red Deer, Alberta. Both attended Briercrest Bible College and graduated there with Bachelor degrees in Christian Education. Doug was initially planning to go to the Philippines as a single in 1984. But a whirlwind romance with Lynn just weeks before he was to leave changed his plans dramatically. They were engaged days before Doug left for the Philippines in June of 1984. After 7 months of language learning, Doug returned to Canada to marry Lynn in February of 1985. A few weeks later they returned to the Philippines as newlyweds!

Doug and Lynn spent 15 termendous years as church-planters in the Philippines. Both of their girls, Quinea and Jennifer, were born there. Quinea is now 13 and Jennifer is 10. There son Josiah was born on home service in Canada in 1995.

After two years of initial language study in Batangas City, Doug and Lynn spent almost three years in the coastal town of Daet, Camarines Norte helping establish a Filipino church there. Then in 1992 Doug led a new church-planting team to the city of Cabanatuan, 100 km north of Manila. This international team of Canadians, Americans and Filipinos worked together in friendship evangelism, patient discipleship and then began to gather new believers into home cell groups. Eventually a cell church was formed called New Life Community of Christ. Today NLCC has over 100 believers in the cell groups and worship services, and a beautiful building and property. A team of SEND and ABCCOP missionaries carries on the vision there.

During the Harder's home service year of 1999-2000, they sensed God was leading them in a new direction. After much prayer and consulting with church and mission leaders, they felt led by the Spirit of God to join SEND's ministry in the Czech Republic. Doug and Lynn with their 3 children arrived in Prague in September 2000 and began studying the Czech language. Their daughters are enrolled in an English international school in Prague called Riverside. Their son Josiah attends First Grade in a Czech elementary school. Doug and Lynn are mid-stream in a two year Czech language program.

The Czech Republic is night and day from the Philippines linguistically, culturally, and in most everything! The radical change in lifestyle and focus have not been easy for Doug and Lynn. Yet by faith they desire to serve the national church in any way possible in this very spiritually desolate country.

>> top of page