MRAP

Caregiving has been a life-long ministry of Dr. Jack Rozell and his wife Adel. For many years Jack has considered his calling in life to be pastor/teacher according to Ephesians 4:11. Following a pastor who suffered a nervous breakdown as a result of ministerial stress, Jack was determined that ministry be released to the Body of Christ. During his twenty one years as counseling pastor, including eleven years as senior pastor of the Neighborhood Church in Bellevue, Washington, he founded the Neighbors Who Care lay counseling ministry in which approximately 1500 people were trained to give care to those in crisis. Jack’s teaching material has since been used around the world to teach Christian Counseling in various ministerial colleges and universities.

In 1988 Jack and Adel, with the loving consent of their family and church, followed their deep passion for missions and left for Baguio City, Philippines to engage with other missionaries in training young men and women from all over Asia for ministry. Jack taught at Asia Pacific Theological Seminary, and Adel used her nurse’s training to set up a medical clinic and conduct medical outreaches in other impoverished areas along with evangelism and education for children. However, after only six years of service, an abrupt change took place in their lives and ministry. Adel suddenly became very ill and was told by her doctors that due to her health they must return to the states.

Believing their ministry in missions was over, Jack was ready to resign when then Field Director, Bob Houlihan, proposed an alternate plan. The issues of premature attrition and in some cases outright casualties in ministry were discussed and the idea of member care for missionaries in the Asia Pacific Region of the world was born. In 1996 the Rozells launched Missionary Renewal Asia Pacific (MRAP) based in Seattle, Washington. Since then many missionaries have come through the offices of MRAP which some have referred to as a “safe place.” Through the years MRAP has been an instrument of healing, reconciliation, and refreshing in helping missionaries to finish well.

The ministry has grown as Jim and Sallee Conn, Larry and Delores Steller, and Leland and Dora Rilea joined Jack and Adel in the MRAP Core Team. With over 150 years of corporate ministerial and cross-cultural experience, the MRAP Team is not only equipped to walk with those in crisis, but to teach ministerial crisis prevention through seminars and workshops both overseas and statewide.