Summervilles' Testimony
After moving to the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California in 1993, Greg and Jeanette Summerville started attending Calvary Chapel of Lake Arrowhead. At the time, CCLA supported a missionary in Mexico by the name of Luke Everett. Luke's parents founded a school for the Deaf of Mexico called Rancho Sordo Mundo where Luke worked as the director and his brother Eddie as the administrator. Every year CCLA would organize short-term mission trips for helping the school. It was in 1995 that Greg started to participate in these work weekends. Later, Jeanette and their children joined the work trips.
Howard and Janet Grobstein joined the RSM staff in 2007. Howard would talk to Greg about their desire to go to Guatemala and start a mission work for the Deaf in that country. In the beginning of 2008, Howard and Janet asked if the Summervilles would join them in Guatemala. Both Greg and Jeanette believed that God was leading them in that direction. Their motto at the time was "We will march in that direction and if God keeps opening the doors, we will keep marching".
Their first support letter was mailed on September 22, 2009, and by Christmas they had the necessary funds raised to move their family to Guatemala. Just before leaving they received a phone call from Howard saying that their plans had changed and they would not be moving to Guatemala. The Summervilles were convinced that God wanted them there, so they continued with their plans to move.
They arrived in Antigua on February 5, 2010, their minivan packed with clothing and essentials. along with 5 of their 8 children: Hannah, Lydia, Josh, Luke and Julia. After 12 weeks of learning Spanish and Guatemalan Sign Language, they moved to San Cristobal (near the capital city), not far from the deaf church they were attending.
After two years in San Cristobal, the Summervilles moved to the city of Jutiapa to assist Jonathan and Aura Pappa in their school for the Deaf. In the beginning of 2018, they moved the school and ministry to a much larger location in El Progreso in the department (state) of Jutiapa. All of their children are now living in the States. Greg stays busy with his teaching, preaching and administrative duties; Jeanette teaches Sunday School and is very involved in writing curriculum. She is also the school nurse and teaches one of the students digital art in Adobe Illustrator. God continues to open doors and they keep marching.