OUR MISSION
OUR LEADERSHIP
Jun & Lisa Canoy
Jun Canoy serves as the International Directors of Embrace and Reach International. He and his wife, Lisa, met in the Philippines while serving with Youth With A Mission and have been married for 27 years. After serving for a total of 11 years combined with YWAM in England, India, Philippines, and Hawaii, they returned to the United States and have served as missions leaders in their home churches. For the past 19 years, they have coordinated and directed overseas short-term outreaches in England, Germany, and the Philippines.
Jun received his Bachelor’s in Pastoral Care and Biblical Studies in Mindanao, Philippines and served for several years as an Associate Pastor in the Philippines. He is presently the volunteer Director for Embrace and Reach International. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, specializing in Women’s and Children’s services for the past 27 years. They presently reside with their two sons in Morgan Hill, California.
Nick Castro
Pastor Nick serves as the Assistant Director of Embrace and Reach International. He and his wife, Rita, have pastored the Tracy Foursquare Church (Family Church of Praise) for the past 12 years. They have 3 girls ranging from 24-29 years old. Gabrielle, is a banker in Honolulu, Hawaii, Kristela is a teacher in Sacramento, Ca, and Katrina is a nurse in Stockton, Ca. Katrina and Kristela are twins.
Nick originates from Tondo, Manila, Phils. Back in 1999 through a series of sovereignty directed meetings (3 months after relocating to Tracy from San Jose), Nick became the Worship Pastor in an Assembly of God church in Union City. Around the same time, they began a Bible Study with a few people in Tracy. The Tracy group grew and before you know it they began meeting on Sundays. They had outgrown the house where they meet and soon began using a school that was at the same street as the Foursquare church. As of October 2003, Nick assumed the pastorate of the Foursquare church. He says, “Now I know why God moved me to Tracy”.
After starting as a bi-vocational pastor, Pastor Nick quit his secular job as the Plant Manager of Romic Environmental in April 2005. He had worked in that company for 15 years, progressing from being a Production Worker to the top, by the grace of God. Pastor Nick and Rita have acted in response to God’s call to full time ministry and transparently admit, though there continues to be challenges, God has been faithful to this day. He never fails to provide (1 Peter 2:6).
Coach Lawrence Crawford
Lawrence Crawford serves as the Treasurer of Embrace and Reach International. He has participated in multiple short term missions trips over the past 15 years. During the past eight years he has been an active member of the Embrace and Reach Missions team. As a member of the E & R ministry team Coach Crawford has had the honor of connecting with thousands of people through his participation as one of the Coaches of the “The Soldiers for Christ” basketball team ministry. Over the past eight summers, Coach Crawford has traveled to the Philippines where (with the support of more than 50 athletes and coaches) the team has played in over 65 exhibition basketball games and conducted youth sports camps in more than 35 provinces on multiple islands.
Coach Crawford believes that spreading the message of Jesus Christ is the most important thing that any of us can do. Speaking the language of your audience is the best way to communicate. “If the language of your audience is basketball then speak it at the top of your lungs.” So if the people “Love” basketball (as most Filipinos do), then you have to speak their “Love Language.”
Nate Evanko
Nate Evanko serves as the Secretary of Embrace and Reach International. He was born in 1981 and is adopted. His adoptive parents are a military family. His dad served as an Army Airborne Ranger Tank Commander. Like many military families they moved a lot. Nate grew up in Hawaii then moved to Arizona where he lived for 16 years before moving to the Boise, Idaho area.
Nate met his lovely wife Juna while on his first mission trip to the Philippines with Embrace and Reach. Nate and Juna were married in October of 2012! Juna is a registered nurse from the Philippines and enjoys working in the nursing industry in Boise. They have 1 child and her name is Gwynn.
Nate’s passion is seeing the lost come to know Jesus Christ through missions and outreach. His passion is to see the church rise up, serve others and be the church Christ meant it to be. Nate also served the local church of Life Church Boise as a member of the worship team and a director/producer on the media team. Nate is also a District Manager with Verizon in the Boise area.
