Ron & Cissy Boyer
In 2006, the Boyer Ohana – Ron, Cissy, Drake and Elli – visited ZOE on behalf of their Hawaii church. At the urging of Elli and Drake, then 10 and 12, the Boyers decided to become full-time missionaries with ZOE. After four years of planning, preparation and prayer, they arrived in Thailand in December 2010. The Boyers have always done ministry as a family. Ron and Cissy headed the Couples Ministry and Family Ministry at Hope Chapel Kapolei and taught a parenting class, Growing Kids God’s Way, for several years. Ron served as a church elder while Cissy started Hope Chapel Kapolei’s Awana Program and served as its Commander. The family hosted mini-church at their home and Ron and Cissy helped teach Bible study for a group of families and friends.
Drake and Elli were home schooled until arriving in Chiang Mai when they enrolled in Grace International School. In addition to helping Mom and Dad in their ministries and volunteering at the Agape Home for children with HIV/AIDS, both played on Grace’s varsity volleyball team. Drake graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois in 2016 with a major in chemistry and a math minor, became a U.S. Navy officer, and married his college sweetheart, Anna. He is now in his third year at Harvard Law School and will become a Navy JAG upon graduation. Elli graduated from Wheaton in 2018 with a double major in international relations and Mandarin Language. She also married her college sweetheart, John, and both are serving in ministry in Hong Kong – John as a youth pastor and Elli with a Christian NGO that helps women break free from prostitution.
After serving five years in the U.S. Air Force, Ron attended the University of Hawaii graduating Phi Beta Kappa with an English Lit degree. With 23 years in Hawaii government, Ron capped his public service career as a member of the Governor of Hawaii’s cabinet serving as Director of the State Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. At ZOE, Ron lends his skills to policy and grant writing, marketing, and strategy. He is the manager of ZOE Thailand’s Media Department and tutors English for staff and instructs courses in leadership and in ZOE’s Leadership Training School. He represents ZOE as a member of the U.S. Consulate’s Trafficking in Persons Forum.
A graduate of Penn State University (Marketing), Cissy managed her family’s restaurant and catering business for 16 years, and was a successful realtor and property manager, in addition to being a full-time homeschool teacher! She is director of the ZOE Language School and teaches English to the kids, students and staff. She is also a regular instructor in ZOE Leadership Training School’s business classes. She operates ZOE’s on-campus store, library and reading room, and advises ZOE’s kitchen team which serves up to 450 meals a day. Cissy also developed a purity curriculum for the youth and established an exercise program for ZOE’s children and staff. Every chance she has, she’s with the kids practicing English, baking cookies, playing or organizing arts and craft time.
The Boyers love Thailand, the Thai people, and their ZOE family! If you are reading this, they ask that you lift them up in prayer that they would always love the Lord with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength!