Our Leadership

Rev. Roy & Phyllis Robertson, Founder
Roy was the first Navigator missionary, having been sent to Shanghai, China, in 1948. He married Phyllis in 1960, and she became the prayer power behind their ministry. They began TEL in 1970 as a project under the Navigators, then led it full-time after retiring from the Navigators in 1978. Roy served throughout Asia for 60 years until his promotion to Heaven on May 8, 2008. Phyllis preceded him into Heaven on November 26, 2007.

Dr. Sean Collins, International Director
Email: director@tel-intl.org
Sean's first exposure to missions was when his college Navigator bible study leader brought him to visit a Navigator missionary in the Philippines. That missionary was Roy Robertson who was with the Navigators and serving the Billy Graham Crusade in Manila as head of follow-up. At the same time, he was also starting TEL-Philippines. After college, Sean joined the Navigators serving for 3 years overseas and in Illinois. Later he earned a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Arizona. He now works as a full-time engineer. Sean and his wife, Leslie, were trained in the Robertson home and have served in various capacities with TEL since 2000. They have 4 children and live in Austin, Texas.

Don Klein, Field Director
Email: field@tel-intl.org
Don was recruited to TEL by Roy in 1985 to help establish a new branch ministry in Central Java, Indonesia. After a year and a half, he was sent to India to help with a six-month training program. He then moved to China, where he served in Hong Kong, Kunming and Guangzhou. He married Jill in 1996, then in 2000 he returned to Indonesia as TEL's business manager there, a position he continues to fill today. He makes his home in Salatiga, Central Java, from where he now serves all of TEL's overseas staff as Field Director.

Mark Bemenderfer, Director of Development
Email: development@tel-intl.org
Mark went with TEL to China in 1994, following in the footsteps of his mentor, Tom Frakes. He began serving with Tom alongside Don Klein in Guangzhou, and while there met his wife-to-be, Rachel. They married in 1996. In 1999, he and his family were sent to open a TEL work in Shanghai. In 2002 unable to get a visa to return to China, Mark was reassigned to Hong Kong where he began discipling Mandarin-speaking university students. In 2004 he was given the task of overseeing TEL's China ministry. He continues his involvement in the China field even as he takes on the new duty of Director of Development.

Lillie McWhinney, Financial Manager
Lillie has been working with TEL for more than 20 years, initially volunteering with her parents-in-law to help Roy and Phyllis mail out TELGRAMs and Roy's "Ropeholder" letters. She started keeping the ministry's books in 1989 on TEL's first computer. Her husband Don joined the board and she managed the receipts with a program designed by her son, Jimmy--who later served TEL in Shanghai. Lillie is a crucial part of the TEL team, calling staff "my missionaries" from the early days. She says she loves the work and hopes to keep serving TEL for the rest of her life.

Carrie Barton, Assistant to Financial Manager

Board of Directors

Jack Golden, Treasurer

Regina Golden, Secretary

Don McWhinney, Chairman

Barry Bruff

Susan Bruff

Dr. Noel Funderburk

Mark Lewis