MEET OUR
TEAM
Dr. Eric & Brittany Gibbs
Eric and Brittany began Live Love Ministries in 2010 after answering God’s call to serve the Gila River Indian Community and the Tohono O’Odham Nation in Southern Arizona. They were commissioned by the North American Mission Board as Church Planters and Ministry Coordinators. From the beginning their heart has been to reach people with the gospel and equip those that they reach to become missionaries to their own communities and beyond.
Eric and Brittany came to Arizona with two children, but God has faithfully grown and continues to grow their family through adoption, foster care, and community involvement. Eric graduated from Mid-Continent University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Church Leadership and Development, from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master’s of Missiology, and Gateway Seminary with a Doctor of Ministry. Brittany’s passion for serving others lead her to complete her Bachelor’s of Social Work from Arizona State University.
Through partnerships with churches, the addition of missionaries, and the growth of Live Love Ministries, God has allowed us to see numerous people come to faith in Christ. God continues to expand the reach of Live Love Ministries beyond the borders of the reservation to the ends of the earth with partnerships in DR Congo, Malawi, & Cambodia.
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Julia Curtis
Julia’s first trip to Arizona was in the Summer of 2014 and her life was forever changed. The following summer she interned with Live Love Ministries and continued to make trips to Arizona while she was in college. Over time, she realized that the Lord was calling her to full-time mission work in Arizona serving Native communities. Julia graduated from Murray State University in 2017 with her Bachelor's Degree in Organizational Communication and a Minor in Nonprofit Leadership Studies. She is currently attending Gateway Seminary and is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Global Engagement.
Julia’s main roles with Live Love Ministries are teaching children, discipling teenage girls, and leading Bible studies in some of the communities. She is passionate about children and teens coming to Christ at a young age and breaking cycles of darkness.
Jordan & Kayla Barton
Jordan and Kayla were born and raised in western Kentucky and have been married since 2014. Jordan graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2013 with a Bachelors of Science in Biology. He has spent the last 3 years working at a bank. Kayla has an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from Sullivan University, an Associates of Science in Nursing from West Kentucky Community and Technical College and a Bachelors of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Kentucky. She has been a registered nurse since 2014. God has grown their family through foster care and adoption and they now have three children who will be serving alongside them on the mission field.
In 2016 they came on their first short-term mission trip to Arizona to serve alongside Live Love Ministries. They continued coming every summer to give away backpacks and school supplies. In July of 2021 they realized God was calling them to be full time missionaries and they moved to Arizona in July of 2022.
Their primary roles with Live Love Ministries include administrative duties such as bookkeeping, planning and organizing. They will also assist the rest of the team with developing relationships and discipleship.
Desire & Zawadi Farini
Pastor Desire and his wife Zawadi are Congolese by nationality (DRC). They married in 2012 and were forced to leave their country only four months after their wedding. They currently live in Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi. They arrived to the camp in January 2013. Adjusting to the refugee life was not easy, however, God has used Desire and Zawadi in many ways since arriving to Dzaleka. They both have a heart to share the gospel with fellow refugees, not only those from the DRC, but to the many other refugees from across sub-saharan Africa that call Dzaleka home.
Desire is currently pastoring a church and loves organizing different outreach events in the surrounding villages to share the gospel to the host community (Malawians).
They have seen many people come to faith in Jesus during their outreach ministry which created in them a passion for church planting. In 2020, they started the first church in Chale village and they have seen God do amazing things. This new church is growing and they are seeing lives changed by the power of the gospel.
Pastor Desire and Dr. Eric have known each other since 2014. Once they met, they became fast friends. Their heart for the nations and their heart to reach people who are hurting and often forgotten allowed them to partner together in many ways over the years. As Live Love Ministries began to grow in Malawi, it was clear that Pastor Desire was the one whom God had chosen to lead it.
Under his leadership, Live Love Ministries has started a theology program with 22 church leaders from multiple churches throughout the camp. The students are enrolled in the Advance Program at Gateway Seminary. Live Love Ministries is currently building a Ministry Center in Dzaleka Refugee Camp where refugees of different ages and from different backgrounds will be ministered to in a variety of ways. The center will host different activities such as bible studies, leadership trainings, youth trainings and seminars, retreats, and other various campaigns. The center is also planning to offer vocational training in the future.
Pastor Desire has earned a diploma in Theology and Social Work and Zawadi has a diploma in Psychology.
God has blessed Desire and Zawadi with six children.
Tionge Chimamba
Tionge Chimamba is the director of Live Love Ministries, Chejika Schools in Lilongwe Malawi. Tio believes in working with children from all walks of life to ensure that they have access to a quality, Christ-centered education. As a young person, she began studying business, but soon realized that God had given her a passion for working with children. Tio went on to obtain a certificate in Preschool Education from Zhejiang normal University of China and another certificate in Early Childhood Development from the Ministry of Gender and Child Welfare in Malawi.
She was introduced to working with children by her mother, Christina, who was also a teacher and was deeply involved in serving others. After the passing of her mother in 2010, Tio knew that the Lord was leading her to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Since then, Tio’s heart has always been to work with children living in poverty and helping to meet their basic needs. Her deepest passion is to work with at-risk and the most vulnerable children in Lilongwe. Her work has helped to provide a quality, biblically based education to hundreds of children over the years. As the director of Live Love Ministries School, the education and mentorship she provides has allowed her to help prevent many at-risk young girls from human trafficking, prostitution, and/or early marriage.
Tio loves sharing the Word of God with the students in our school and is passionate about using her platform to make the name of Jesus known.
Tio became a part of Live Love Ministries in 2016 and has been an integral part of the ministry ever since. Her heart aligns with that of the ministry and God is using her do great things throughout Malawi.
Tio currently lives in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi where she manages the school and other Live Love Ministries projects. God has blessed Tio with one son, Kuwala.