Who we are, how we got here and what we're doing:  

 
Scott & Lisa Orvis
University of the Nations, Kona Hawaii

Greetings! Our names are Scott & Lisa Orvis, and we’re missionaries serving with Youth With A Mission at the University of the Nations campus in Kona, HI. We’ve put together a brief overview of our backgrounds, our passions and our current work at the University and in the community. We also describe our financial backing to serve in missions long term. Please check out our links to ywam.org and uofnkona.edu to find out more about the organization we're serving with.

Scott: I was born in 1956 and raised on a cattle ranch (registered Hereford for any cattle folk out there) in Central California. Upon completing my degree in Ag Business from University of California Davis in 1979, I partnered with my father for six years. During high school, junior college and at university I was active in Christian groups on campus and I led a small church youth group for the years I was on the ranch.

In 1982 I married my best friend from college, and two years later we felt strongly that God wanted us to enter full time Christian ministry. We moved to NE Texas in 1984 and we served there for 8 years. I served in operations, then in personnel, training, and on the overall leadership team for the ministry.

Our entire ministry joined YWAM in 1991, and we were invited to transfer to the UofN campus in Kona, HI. We’ve served here the past 16 years, and I’ve worked with one of our seven colleges as an academic advisor. I listen to our students’ dreams and fashion a program that will equip them with both the classroom and field experience they need through courses and internships at locations all over the world.

I also serve as a registrar for my college, shepherding new courses developed around the world through the approval and registration process. As International Assistant Dean I’ve helped to set policy and procedures both for our college and the University worldwide.

I have been very active in the community sports programs, from coaching various teams my sons have participated in now to regularly staffing highschool track and football. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed building relationships with many in our community, as well as training kids in the character traits that organized competition brings to the forefront of their lives.

Lisa: I was born in 1961 and raised in a suburb of New York City. I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area with my family as a young teen; later I met and married a handsome cattle rancher after graduating from U C Davis in 1982 with a degree in Sociology.

We moved to Texas to become full time missionaries after two years of marriage; I worked with counseling and training staff, including pre-marital counseling. For two years I was able to do a bit of speaking and traveling addressing the pro-life issues.

During my years in Kona I've been very involved with raising our two boys, discovering a passion and gift to teach and write curriculum along the way. I served for over three years as Personal Assistant to one of our international leaders, and wrote for various publications, including a women’s monthly devotional magazine, a study bible created by Youth With A Mission, and several YWAM magazines.

I am now working with both the local UofN campus here in Kona and internationally in several roles related to staff training and curriculum development. I'm part of teams that oversee all of the training that takes place on our campus (300 students, 8 schools a quarter on average) and the College of Communication, and an itnernational curriculum development project for children's education.

The need:
All who serve with Youth With A Mission do so as volunteers, and our living expenses are primarily covered by the gifts of friends, family and churches who believe in what we’re doing.

All gifts are tax deductible; receipts are issued when a gift is received and a cumulative statement is sent at year’s end. You may also register on this site to give "online;" simply return to the homepage and follow the instructions for online donations.

We would be so very glad to have you partner with us in this work. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you might have. Thank you for considering investing in us!
Scott & Lisa Orvis;
75-5851 Kuakini Hwy. #16; Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 (808) 329-9750