Laura Bonney grew up in a Christian home in southern New Brunswick, Canada where she accepted Christ as Savior during her teenage years. After graduating from Prairie Bible Institute, she taught Bible in Ontario public schools with BCM International. Sensing God’s call to cross-cultural ministry through friendships with international students at Bible College, Laura served for two and one half years in Micronesia following a one-year assignment as Christian Education Director in a New Brunswick church. Laura has completed graduate studies in missions and Christian education at Grace Theological Seminary (’88) and Wheaton College (‘98).
Ruth Haynes was born into the family of a Christian New Hampshire dairy farmer. She trusted Christ as Savior while still young. As a pre-teen she sensed God’s call on her life to serve Him in missions. A vibrant teen group, lots of opportunities to “cut her teeth” as a children’s Bible teacher, and two short term missions exposures in Japan, were used by God to direct her life. After graduation from New Brunswick Bible Institute (Canada) in 1974, God led her to serve with Child Evangelism Fellowship in Atlantic Canada until 1982. Ruth graduated from Briercrest Bible College and has also taken graduate studies at Columbia Biblical Seminary.
Laura and Ruth went to the Philippines together in 1984 with BCM (Bible Centered Ministries) to teach and train believers in Christian education ministries. They transferred to SEND International in 1987, and served on church planting teams until 1996. Since then they have been involved in Christian Education Ministries full time, particularly in training and publications. In the mid-90’s Laura and Ruth spearheaded the revision, translation and printing of the Visualized Bible “Life of Christ” Philippine edition 13-volume series. This publication then led to the development of the Visualized Bible DVBS Series that has been used for several years by more than a hundred churches. In the late 90's, God opened up an unexpected and exciting opportunity to extend the VBS ministry to the Balangao and Ifugao tribes in the northern Philippines. Soon after that, another off-shoot of the DVBS ministry started--ASI (ABCCOP Summer Impact). ASI is a summer missions opportunity for Filipino young people and has born great fruit in the evangelism of children and in the spiritual growth of the participants. Besides children’s ministry, Laura and Ruth have also worked with editorial committees in developing the English and Tagalog evangelism and discipleship materials, “God’s Offer” and “Keys to Spiritual Growth.”
During their 5th term, God used them to help begin a ministry that would mobilize and equip Philippine evangelical churches to adopt a near-by public school and teach weekly Bible values classes inside the classroom during school time! For more details, please refer to www.voice-phils.com
Ruth and Laura continue to serve in the VOICE ministry, Ruth as Curriculum Coordinator working with a team of Filipinos to publish Bible-based, values focused teaching materials, and Laura in the promotional and follow-up ministries of VOICE. Laura is also working on a separate publishing project, "The Forbidden Book," a story of how the Bible came to the Philippines.
