Our Story

The dream started about ten years ago…

Leslie and I had been working with young people since the 1980s, and it was becoming clear to us the world was evolving in a way that was making things very difficult for young adults. Everything is harder now: getting a job, buying a house, getting married, finishing a degree. And somehow in the midst of this increased difficulty, young people have been losing their connection to the church. The result of all of this is that many young adults are alone.

Now it’s complicated, but we think that one of the root causes of most of these problems is the high cost of education. It backs everything up. Can’t get a house till you get a job. Can’t get the job till you finish school. Can’t get married till you have a house. Have to work long hours and switch schools (i.e community college) to afford the school.

So we began to dream about how we might provide young adults with an opportunity to learn in community, surrounded by loving adults who cared for them, discover the scriptures, while gaining needed educational credits, and all without going into debt.

For a couple years we debated how we could do this, then Leslie started noticing French Chateaux. She quickly discovered that there are amazing properties in Europe that are much much cheaper than in North America. This costs savings could allow us to offer a program for a reasonable cost. The location in Europe meant that the program would be an amazing experience of discovery and exploration. When your school is in Europe, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on advertising!

So we formed a non-profit organization, secured an articulation agreement with Multnomah University and ran the first study abroad program in 2019 with 16 students and 4 volunteer faculty. It was an amazing experience over two months and nine countries. We read through most of the whole Bible, and grappled with the meaning of passages. We spent time learning in community, discovering our world, and ourselves. It was a time of meaningful growth (Click testimonials to read about it, or here to see the recap videos.)

The Loire Valley Study Abroad program is a labor of love. It is born out of a deep concern and care for young adults and is run completely by volunteers. Our hope is that while in the program, students will discover the world and themselves, connect with God, learn the scriptures, and gain academic credits leading them towards their intended program of study down the road.