Our Family
Way back in the early 2000’s, two young high schoolers set their eyes on attending university in California. One was coming from Chiang Mai, Thailand and the other from Granger, Indiana. Their worlds were completely different, but God would unite them and start them on a journey they could never have imagined. In 2005, Elijah and Jessica were married. Jessica finished her degree and credential and it was time to start looking for a job. Both of them did not know where to look until one day Elijah asked Jessica, “What about Thailand?” Jessica responded, “If God opens the doors, I’m willing to go.” Two months after those famous last words, they were in Thailand! Which shows when you leave things in God’s hands, He can do miraculous things. Since then Jessica has been teaching in International Schools trying to be a light for Christ, and Elijah has started and run a couple businesses with a mission focus. During that time, God blessed them with three great kids, Paige (15), Asher (13), and Reese (11).
Elijah
Family History
Elijah, oldest of 4 kids, was born in Chiang Mai, Thailand to missionaries Walter & Jeannette (Morse) Ridgley. Elijah is a 4th generation missionary family member on the Morse side. His great grandparents were missionaries in China to the Lisu Hill tribe people group. His grandparents Eugene & Helen Morse continued the work with the Lisu people in Myanmar, and then eventually fled to Thailand. Walter came out to Thailand in his early 20s as a new believer, and plumber by trade, to help with a kids hostel run by some member of the Morse family that had connections with the church in Yuma, AZ where Walter got plugged in as a new believer. Walter eventually married into the Morse family to Jeannette, the youngest of the Morse clan. Walter and Jeannette started work doing a church plant in a remote village in northern Thailand, then water well drilling in remote villages in Laos with FHI (Food for the Hungry), close to the Vietnam border. Elijah spent his younger days in these rural settings. After living in Laos for 8 years, the Lord eventually led Walter and Jeannette back to Chiang Mai Thailand where Walter started a new work with leadership training for Thai pastors.
Continued Journey
Up to this point homeschooled, once back in Chiang Mai, Elijah went to an International school for high school, then to California to University at HIU (Hope International University, formerly PCC, Pacific Christian College), studying Bible and Intercultural Studies. It’s here that he met his amazing wife Jessica.
What else to know about Elijah?
- Loves nature and the outdoors, but also love a good movie.
- Is a bit of an organization freak.
- Loves a good vision and making it happen!
Jessica
Background
Born in California, but spending most of her foundational years in Indiana, Jessica grew up in a home focused on Christ. She accepted the Lord at a young age and was involved in the church youth, VBS, and Christian camp. During her sophomore summer, while attending a Christ In Youth conference, Jessica was convicted to serve overseas as a teacher. Previous to this, she had wanted to be a lawyer and fight injustice. This was a huge shift for her and she started to pursue this path diligently. She continued to help lead kids in VBS and was a youth counselor during summer camps. As she started to think about college, she knew she wanted to go somewhere that had a good missions program and where she would be a minority. This led her to attend Hope International University in Fullerton, California.
Continued Journey
While there, she met Elijah, got married, finished her degree, and got her teaching credential. Her first full time teaching job was at an international school in Chiang Mai, Thailand teaching to mostly Thai students. These students were open and honest with her and she was able to build connections that will be remembered for a long time to come. She has since moved to different international schools, each with a different type of student body, but each time, Jessica strived to instill Christ’s character in her students and be open to questions that they might ask. As she looks forward to working at GIS, she is excited to disciple missionary children in their faith and help them with difficult questions they may have regarding God, Jesus, faith, and the like.
What else to know about Jessica?
- Loves a good book
- Loves seeing the lightbulb turn on in kids minds
- Loves to point kids to God.
Our Kids
Paige
Born in 2009, Paige is our oldest daughter. She is a very hard worker, responsible, and has a strong moral compass. She is a great big sister and enjoys reading, art, and apologetic topics. She’s currently starting a list of potential colleges as she considers fields in Christian Apologetics, Chemistry, and perhaps architecture.
Asher
Born in 2010, Asher is our second, not second favorite, just second child! Asher is growing in stature and often gets mistaken for being our oldest. He is strong and enjoys various sports like soccer, swimming, and more. He also loves working with his hands, taking things apart and figuring out how things work. And of course he likes playing video games! Being the middle child, he gets along well with pretty much anyone and is pretty laid back.
Reese
Born in 2013, Reese is our youngest. She is confident and very artsy, creating things from practically nothing. She’s also the crazy zany one that brings a lot of life to our family. Her big brother is the one she looks up to, so of course, she loves to rough and tumble. As she grows, she continues to focus on God and desires to do what is right in His eyes.