Brad and Becky Johnson are two of the longest serving staff at Grace International School. Beginning 2001, Brad served as the school’s academic counselor until 2019 and as psychology teacher for eight of those years while Becky currently teaches high school Spanish. After spending three years working at a small Christian school in Puerto Rico, they realized the value of supporting missionaries by meeting their children’s educational needs.
Brad and Becky have been actively involved in the lives of students from the start; including serving as class sponsors and hosting workshops and games for students in their home. Becky, who has a passion for discipleship, has mentored various girls in the early years. “Training disciples is so rewarding because there’s the domino effect of teaching people so that they can lead others,” she says. She also had a Bible study with a group of girls since the start of their 7th grade year all the way to their senior year. Even after graduation, Brad and Becky continue to connect with former students by inviting alumni to hang out at their home. One Grace alumnus shares, “Even now, Mrs.Johnson and I still update each other on our lives and pray for each other. For a TCK (Third Culture Kid) who moves around a lot, having a continuing relationship like that is something really special to me.”
There are pictures of all the graduating classes in the last 20 years in front of the library. With tears in her eyes as Becky says, “There are close to 1000 students on that wall. They are the reasons why I am here at Grace.” Brad adds, “With being here for 19 years, it has been a joy and an honor to watch the children of missionaries grow and mature over the years and to just hear their stories as they have continued on. It has truly been wonderful to be a part of this community.”
Because Grace believes in called staff, the children of Kingdom workers are invested in by people such as Brad and Becky who pour their hearts into discipling and guiding them so that they can one day do the same for others.
