FROM THE MISSION FIELD TO NRCA

FROM THE MISSION FIELD TO NRCA

This fall, NRCA welcomed four new middle and high school teachers who spent time serving on the mission field overseas. Ed Blanchard teaches high school social studies, and Patricia Blanchard teaches high school science. Sara Gealy teaches eighth-grade Bible, and Todd Gealy teaches 11th-grade history. The Blanchards have served in several places, from Georgia to East Asia, and the Gealys worked at the International Community School in Thailand.

The Blanchards

If people feel like God’s moving them toward missions, they should go for it. It was wonderful just to know and learn to love people from other cultures, and I think we gained far more than we gave.

- PATRICIA BLANCHARD

Prior to starting at NRCA this year, the Blanchards were at international schools in Korea and East Asia. While on mission for the past several years, the Blanchards have been dorm parents, teachers, and mentors.

When the couple first started feeling called by God to the mission field, they knew it was meant to be. Although their first attempts to move overseas on mission did not work out, they later got a Facebook message from a friend who worked at an international Christian school in Daejeon, South Korea. Their friend explained that the law had recently changed, and their enrollment had increased. “So, in three weeks, we packed up everything and we moved to Korea. It was just us and three of our boys,” Mr. Blanchard said.

The Blanchards also worked at a school in East Asia, where Mrs. Blanchard taught science and Mr. Blanchard taught Bible. Their roles changed over time, and the Blanchards shifted to caring for new teachers from countries like America, Australia, and the UK as they adjusted to life in a foreign culture. “They needed to figure out how to order food and get around town and do all those things that we just take for granted,” Mr. Blanchard said.

Eventually, helping new teachers became his full-time job, and as they stayed longer, Mrs. Blanchard became more involved in that aspect of their ministry. The couple cared for new staff in many ways, from teaching new staff how to speak Chinese to arranging housing and finding medical care. They also built relationships with people from the local community who worked at the school.

When the Blanchards lived in Raleigh, where they started their business, they always hoped that wherever they went on mission, they would eventually return to North Carolina. They had two daughters who graduated from NRCA and a son, David, who attended as well. “We always hoped that we would be coming back to Raleigh to come work with North Raleigh Christian,” Mr. Blanchard said.

After traveling in over 15 countries, the couple encourages others to pursue opportunities to go on mission trips. “If people feel like God’s moving them toward missions, they should go for it. It was wonderful just to know and learn to love people from other cultures, and I think we gained far more than we gave,” Mrs. Blanchard said. “It’s just amazing to see what God is doing in different parts of the world.”

Mr. Blanchard echoed his wife and encouraged the NRCA community to pursue short-term missions. “You have to see because God is moving around the world. It’s not just Raleigh... Amazing things are going on around the world.” 

By: Izzie McLawhorn, Shield Editor

The Gealys

We began praying that God would open a door for our family here where we could serve and adjust to life in America again together. In a series of amazing connections, God led us to NRCA, and we are so thankful to be here.

- SARA GEALY

The Really family

Sara and Todd Gealy taught at the International Community School in Bangkok, Thailand. In Thailand, the Christian population is less than one percent, and the school serves as an outreach to students and families. “We were able to share the gospel freely with students and their families in classes and also through building relationships with them outside of school,” Mrs. Gealy said.

The couple saw the Lord leading them specifically to Thailand as they prayed for guidance in entering the mission field. “We prayed that God would lead us where he could use us in overseas missions,” she shared.

After 13 years in Bangkok, Thailand, God had other plans for their family as he led them to NRCA. “We began praying that God would open a door for our family here where we could serve and adjust to life in America again together. In a series of amazing connections, God led us to NRCA, and we are so thankful to be here,” Mrs. Gealy said.

The family put in their notices at their school. “We applied to every opening we could and spent the next few months in Zoom interviews and videoing lessons and filling out more applications,” Mrs. Gealy said. The Gealys willingly trusted that the Lord would provide for them. “After prayer and talking in more depth with another school, it became clear that God was leading us to NRCA,” Mrs. Gealy said. The Gealys, after deciding to move, fully trusted God to provide for them.

Before the Gealys returned to the United States, they endured the pandemic in Thailand. During these years, they felt a tugging at their hearts to return to the US for various reasons. One thing they prayed for was to be able to serve together as a family. When the Gealys made their final decision to return to the US, they prayed to God, asking him to open the right door for their family and help them to adjust well.

By: Tori Rowlands, Shield Writer