Gene and Grace co-direct International Messengers Canada (IM), a missionary sending agency with about 300 career staff working in 30 countries. They live in Richmond, and their office is in Abbotsford.
IM has varied ministries—church-planting, orphanages, homes for abused and abandoned women and children, a day center for children and teens infected with HIV/AIDS, counseling and support for families of fallen Ukrainian soldiers, education for Syrian refugee children not allowed to attend school in Lebanon, social media outreaches into Muslim communities, translating Christian books into other languages, and more. One common ministry, however, is Evangelistic English Learning Camps (EELC).
EELCs offer both a conversational English class and an English reading class (aka Bible class) daily. Many campers discover, for the first time, biblical truths about a God who desires relationship with them through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. Most of these people have been impacted by alcoholism, abuse, or abandonment and are living without hope—that is, until they discover that God loves them and wants to heal their brokenness. Many of IMs national missionaries came to faith through these camps.
Gene and Grace recruit, train, and lead volunteers on two-week mission trips to host Evangelistic English Learning Camps in Eastern Europe each summer. Throughout the year, they recruit North Americans for various IM projects as needs arise. This includes construction teams, marriage and family counselors, English teachers, and more. They also provide staff care and encouragement.
Grace is the published author of fifteen books. Her current project is a three-book series about the names of God: Names of God: Living Unafraid (2024), Names of God: Knowing Peace (2025), and Names of God: Growing Strong (2026). She writes Bible studies for the “First 5” app (Proverbs 31 Ministries).
In 2018, the Foxes moved aboard a sailboat in Richmond, BC, and their ministry has grown to include other boat dwellers in their marina. They have three married children and fourteen grandchildren.