Our Missionaries
Romy and Linda Caringal – Asia Area Director
Romy and Linda Caringal are physicians from the Philippines. They began their first term of missionary service in Zambia from 1988 to 1995 where they both provided holistic patient care at Zimba Mission Hospital. They served in Nepal with Global Partners under the International Nepal Fellowship (INF) and United Mission to Nepal (UMN) from 1998 to 2006. Romy provided patient care at Regional Hospital in Pokhara and was pediatric consultant at Patan Hospital in Kathmandu. Linda served as the HIV and AIDS program technical adviser.
In July 2007 Romy was appointed to serve as the Asia area director for Global Partners, and Linda assists him in various ways. Overseeing the Wesleyan ministries in 11 countries (Cambodia, India, Japan, Nepal, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, South Korea, Sri-Lanka, Thailand, and the Yawfa people) and supporting missionaries and national leaders in these countries are major parts of their responsibilities.
The Caringals earned their medical degrees in the Philippines and their master’s degrees in public health from Yale University (Romy) and Boston University (Linda). They both completed cross-cultural studies at Overseas Ministries Study Center in Connecticut. Romy is an ordained minister of The Wesleyan Church. They have twin teenagers: Hannah and Nathan (’97).
Their threefold vision is (1) to see many lives transformed through a personal relationship with Christ, (2) to be used in ministries of compassion, and (3) to help leaders in developing and strengthening the churches in Asia.
Matt and Caryl Aukerman – Albania
As children, both Matt and Caryl Aukerman accepted Jesus into their hearts. They met at Indiana University, where their involvement in Campus Crusade for Christ opened their eyes to the Great Commission. After graduation they were actively involved in various lay ministries in their local church, while Matt taught middle school math and Caryl served as a social worker and then a full-time mother.
From 1997-1998 Matt and Caryl served with Global Partners as GO-Net Volunteer missionaries in Russia. Then in September 2006 they began serving as long-term missionaries in Albania, a former communist state in which the majority of residents today profess to be Muslim. In Albania the Aukermans are involved in personal evangelism and discipleship, cell group ministry, and ministries of compassion, among other responsibilities.
Matt and Caryl desire to continue seeing God work in the lives of Albanians through their own lives as they share Christ with their friends, disciple new believers to live for Him, and contribute to the establishment of The Wesleyan Church in Albania.
Matt and Caryl have three children: Noah (’99), Grace (’01), and Hannah (’09)