We are a community of welcomers.
Whether it’s the WFI staff, board members, or volunteers, you’ll find that we are all passionate about seeing internationals find their purpose and belonging here.
Many of us have been strangers in a foreign land for a few months or a few decades. We understand the importance of a community that invites others in, empowers, and loves.
We believe with our whole heart that Toledo is a place for all people to belong.
Our Story
Our story starts 4,000 years ago with a “so that.”
Abraham, a foreigner himself, heard from God, who said, “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you so that you are a blessing to the world.”
Our passion comes from the God who wants to bless the world, and we believe he’s brought the world to Toledo so we can do just that!
In 15 years, Water for Ishmael has evolved from English classes around a dining room table to three distinct English schools, after-school tutoring, and Conversation Partners—all centered around quality English education and relationships that make anything possible.
Our board
Pastor George Williams- Board Chairman
“I had never cried listening to the news. Not until August of 2014 hearing about the Yazidi people in Syria trapped on top of a mountain surrounded by ISIS waiting to kill them. There has always been a tender spot in my heart for the refugees, the foreigners, the asylum seekers but never an outlet for me to get involved utilizing my skills until I got invited to join the board of Water for Ishmael.”
“As a lead pastor and a community leader, I knew I could help be a guiding voice and a helping hand to an organization that gives hope, community and opportunity to so many that find themselves far from their native land.”
Rev. Wes Blood- Board Secretary
Wes and his wife, Marjie Blood, moved to Toledo in 1991 where Wes served as a pastor in the area for 13 years. Eventually, Wes began to reach out to the international students to meet their unique needs for friendship, English practice, and furniture when they first move in to our community. He currently works with a large team of people on several projects, under the umbrella name, Global Opportunities at the University of Toledo. Wes has a M. Div. degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and has been working full-time with international students since January 2005. He and Marjie have been married since 1984, and they have three sons, Andrew, Sam and Peter.
Mr. Mike Metzger
Very early in their relationship, Mike and Janelle agreed to commit themselves to cross-cultural overseas work. It was in fact their intent to live and work there indefinitely.
They were married in 1988 and landed in Amman, Jordan in 1993. The first months were extremely difficult without knowing the language or the culture. But a number of “locals” stepped in and rescued them, accepting them into their families as their own. They moved to Kuwait in 1996, and, being a bit more seasoned by this time, still benefited greatly from the warm hospitality. Their plan to stay indefinitely turned out to be rather short-lived: in 2001 Mike and Janelle found themselves back in their hometown of Toledo, and they were NOT happy about it. But that’s another whole story.
That same year they met up with the Water for Ishmael organization in its embryonic form: a monthly prayer group asking God to show them how to reach Toledo’s internationals. Mike returned to his career as a control systems engineer, something he has had a lot of experience with in the past. Mike’s position at the BP Refinery enabled Janelle to work full-time at Water for Ishmael.
“Our work is in many ways our own attempt to repay the kindness we were shown while strangers in a strange land ourselves.”
Mr. Paul Munn- Treasurer
Paul Munn currently works as a Project Manager and Environmental Engineer for The Mannik & Smith Group, Inc., a civil engineering and environmental consulting company. He has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toledo and is an Ohio registered professional engineer. As long as he can remember, he has been fascinated with the privilege of befriending people from other countries.
“The Bible is very clear in stating that God loves people from every tribe, language, people group, and nation and that showing kindness to foreigners in our midst is a priority with God. In fact the scriptures state that Christians are foreigners in the world. So it should be natural for us to care about others who are foreigners.”
Mrs. Betsy White- Vice Chairman
Betsy’s undergraduate degree is a B.S. in Kinesiology from UCLA. Her master’s degree is in Christian Education from Talbot Seminary. Her love for Jesus compels her to love the stranger, to treat them in the way she would like to be treated. She works with the immigrant community as well as with international students at the University of Toledo. Recently, she has been most involved in teaching English to Chinese senior citizens at the Asian Resource Center, helping facilitate English Corner at the university, and developing friendships with women from around the world.
Pastor Moses Rodriguez
Moses is well aware of the struggles that immigrants face. His parents emigrated from Mexico to settle in Ohio decades ago. Moses has lived in Northwest Ohio all of his life with his wife Anna whom he married in 1977. He has a two children, Madalyn and Edwin. Moses attended Northwest State College and had a successful career with First Energy. In 1991, Moses felt the call of God to enter ministry as a pastor. He is a graduate of the Spanish Eastern Bible Institute and is currently pastoring Iglesia Hispana Evangelica (Spanish Evangelical Church) in Maumee, meeting the needs of the Spanish speaking community.
“The greatest satisfaction that we can ever get in life is to know we’re reflecting the image of Christ’s love, compassion, and grace to every person we encounter no matter the country or culture that they may be from. WFI gives me that opportunity.”
Tim Alley, Esq.
Tim grew up in Alaska and along the West Coast. He attended Cedarville College where he received a BS in History and Political Science. He moved to Toledo in 1997 to attend the University of Toledo College of Law, where he received his JD in 2001. He married his wife Michelle in 1998. Michelle is a homeschool Mom of two boys. Tim works as an attorney at the Chamberlain Law Group in Perrysburg. Tim and Michelle are both active in their local church, First Alliance in Uptown Toledo. Working with Water for Ishmael gives them both an opportunity to be a part of God’s work in the Toledo area.
Our Partners
We are one unambiguous voice of welcome in the Toledo area. This voice takes everybody—businesses, organizations, schools, families, and friends. Partnerships are the key to a strong and sustaining welcome for our newest neighbors.
- Adelante
- Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE)
- Lucas County Board of Commissioners
- The Welcome Toledo Lucas County Initiative (TLC)
- Greater Toledo Community Foundation
- Center for Nonprofit Resources
- Harbor Behavioral Health
- YWCA
- Zonta
Will you partner with us?
We seek to grow our strategic partnerships with local organizations to deepen the impact that we can make for the sake of the international community.