Team

Without further ado, here we are, in no particular order...



Clarice Nelson has attended Capital for about three and a half years. She volunteers in the Kids ministry on Sundays, as well as VBS, and enjoys participating in the morning Koinonia Bible study group. Originally from North Dakota, she moved to Utah after college and is now a registered nurse working for Life Flight Children’s Services.

Clarice was part of the 2013 Swaziland mission team and fell in love with the kids and staff at the carepoint. She remembers that as the kids left the first day of the trip, she knew that she would be coming back. This year, she can’t wait to reconnect with everyone, put band aids on their scrapes (even the ones that don’t need them), and generally just let them know how much they are loved. She is also excited to see the progress of the garden they planted last year.



Karen Mohr has been attending Capital for about three years and loves getting outside and playing in the great outdoors, particularly snowboarding, mountain biking, and road biking. She serves on the seating team and also has been involved with the Swaziland ministry since 2011.

When she first learned about Capital's involvement in Swaziland, her heart and mind were captivated by it—she loves the model of showing Christ's love by meeting real, basic needs while also building relationships between the communities of Mkhombokati and Capital. Karen had the opportunity to be part of the 2012 and 2013 Swaziland trips; she found both trips to be amazing experiences of learning about the kids and the ministry there, developing a better understanding of how the two communities can bless each other, and being reminded of God's work in this ministry. Karen’s heart is still drawn to Swaziland and the people there, so she’s excited to build on that experience and knowledge leading the team in 2014.

While in Swaziland this year, Karen is excited to see the garden that she helped to plant last year and especially to see how the kids and the staff there have been able to use it. Her biggest goal is to further the development efforts with the older kids by teaching some basic skills as well as showing them Christ's love through the team’s relationships with them.



Tara Ross has been on staff at Capital for seven years in a variety of roles. Most of her work has concentrated around volunteer management, leadership, compassion and communication. She was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, moving to Salt Lake City for a job opportunity in the summer of 2002 with the intent of staying only four months. She met her husband, Greg, in Salt Lake, and they are now the proud parents of Benton (6) and Charlotte (4).

 Tara has been blessed with two opportunities to visit Mkhombokati, in 2011 and in 2013. After the trip last year, she was surprised to feel God tug on her heart to visit once again. But it was undeniable. She is excited as she ever has been to set foot on that sacred ground.

 The 2011 team was very small and on a short visit. In 2013 Tara served as a team leader. This time her role will be more behind the scenes, and she believes the experience will be different. She prays that God shows her how to BE better on the ground, to connect, breathe, listen, receive and give more with the children and Bomages—to experience in a new way the depth of His love for this people, this community. Oh and one other thing ... she wants to play several fierce games of Netball with the girls.



Shelli Johnson volunteers in the Kids Ministry at Capital on Sundays, as well as assisting in her son's involvement there. She also participates in the Marrieds group and attends Wednesday Night Bible Study. She is a pediatric nurse with a crazy, little 4-year-old boy. She loves horseback riding, biking, hiking, traveling, being with her family and being outside.

 Shelli and her family have supported a boy at the Mkhombokati carepoint for the past 6 years. She has loved corresponding with him through letters, loving and praying for him and the other children and adults in Swaziland. She has been encouraged and inspired by the possibility of meeting, playing with and showing Christ's love to the kids there and being an encouragement in their lives. She looks forward to being the hands and feet of Christ in Swaziland!

While in Swaziland, Shelli hopes to be able to love and encourage the women who provide meals and care for the kids at the carepoint. She would love use her nursing skills to help in assessing basic first aid needs and providing a safe, happy, enjoyable week for the people of Mkhombokati to enjoy. She also hopes to encourage and help the team by praying for them and serving them in their needs.



Kelly Johnson has been attending Capital since 2005, serving on staff since 2008. His current role at Capital is Creative Communication and Design. In short, if you see it at Capital, Kelly probably had a hand in it.

 Kelly is an avid soccer fan. He plays as often as his body will let him and He and his wife, Shelli, attend every Real Salt Lake home game they can. In addition, Kelly enjoys the outdoors, hiking, camping, rock climbing, biking, and traveling.

 Kelly and his wife have a deep-rooted passion for God’s call to be and to show love in this world. As full-time ministry staff member and designer, Kelly finds satisfaction in the communication of gospel and the power God’s love can have when it takes root in people’s lives. This, along with a love for travel, culture, and people has driven him to this opportunity to journey to Swaziland to experience the love of the Swazis, to experience God’s love through the Swazi people and to, hopefully, show love, share hope, grow closer to God, and maybe squeeze in a little soccer too.



Matt Sykora is the volunteer coordinator for Capital's video ministry. He works for the Salt Lake City Department of Airports as an airfield operations specialist and enjoys going bowling. After going to Swaziland last May, Matt decided it was important to go back and to continue to build the relationships with the kids and staff at the carepoint. So they know that this is just not a one-time trip but something Capital Church has a long-term investment in. He hopes that the team is able to spend time with the kids and show them that they care about them.





Dawn Carroll helps out on Wednesday nights and enjoys both Wednesday Night Bible Study and evening women's Koinonia.She is a Cybrarian (rhymes with Librarian). She enjoys reading and even spent a couple of summers reading the entire Bible on the back of a motorcycle. She also likes watching gaming videos and movies, listening to Sci-Fi Christian podcasts, and is into all kinds of gaming, from table top to video.

 When Dawn went on the Swaziland mission trip to Mkhombokati last year, she helped start the garden, and she would like to see what other work needs to be done to assist the carepoint with its sustainability. She also can't wait to see everyone again. The people of Swaziland have captured her heart. This year, Dawn hopes to accomplish more with the garden, talk more with the older kids about their hopes and dreams, and give lots and lots of hugs and encouragement.



Bridget Sullivan leads a 20s/30s small group at Capital, based on the book The Me I Want To Be. She also volunteers with Capital's Kids Ministry on a regular basis. She is a classroom para-educator for Stansbury Elementary in West Valley City, as well as a math major at the University of Utah. She will graduate this spring.

 This will be Bridget’s first year on the Swaziland team. She had been feeling a call to serve nationally or globally for some time, but didn't know where. After seeing the video on "Swaziland day," she swelled up with so much emotion, she knew this was exactly where God wanted her to go. While in she is in Swaziland this year, Bridget really hopes that the children of Mkhombokati will feel loved, both by the team and by Christ.



Julie Jensen has attended Capital since 2009. She served in the coffee ministry for the past few years and also has enjoyed participating in activities with the 20/30's ministry. She works at a law firm and helps out a lot with her family's candy business.

 Julie has learned about the this mission over the past few years, and has felt the nagging to do some kind of international humanitarian trip for most of her life, but always let fear and life get in the way. Having had several friends make the Swazi trip in past years and learned about all the great things happening for the children there, she gained the motivation to finally step out in faith and sign up. 

While in Swaziland, Julie is hoping to open her eyes to the great needs in the world beyond the U.S. and learn how she can best serve them and meet those needs through the love of Christ. She hopes to show love and kindness to the Swazi children, give them lots of hugs, and share joy and hope with everyone there.



Karen Tsyuki has been attending Capital for two years and is part of the Seating Team at Capital. She has also helped with VBS the last few years. Outside of Capital, she enjoys snowboarding, sporting events and spending time with her family, friends and puppy. She works for the State Health Department and enjoys helping kids around the state.

 Karen was motivated to join the Swazi14 Mission Team after going to Swaziland last year. She knew from the moment she arrived at the carepoint that she would want to go back. The kids, bomages, D-team members and missionaries made a huge impression on her heart and have her looking for more ways that she can participate in global health initiatives. Karen looks forward to being with the kids again and playing netball, as well as seeing the progress in the garden and the greenhouse they helped to build last year.



Cameron Stark A life-long lover of Christ, Cameron has been a part of the Capital community for the past two years. Recently, he felt a nudging to hop off the professional ladder he was on and found himself drawing closer to Christ while changing ladders and preparing to manage an active living retirement community.

 Being blessed to call Salt Lake home for all but two years of his life, Cameron is an avid skier in the winter and golfer in the summer, as well as a self-proclaimed bon vivant. Cameron loves to be surrounded by his friends and family breaking bread and creating memories. He is excited to answer a nudging that has been on his heart the past few years by traveling to Swaziland and being a part of the Mkhombokati carepoint for a couple of weeks.



Eric Johnsen and his wife, Dawn, have been attending Capital for the last five years and he often participate in men’s bible studies. He is a bit of a gear-head and enjoys 2-and 4-wheeled vehicles, both new and old.

 Eric and Dawn served on the 2013 Swaziland mission team and they were ready to go back as soon as the 2013 mission was over. Eric is looking forward to seeing the kids of Mkhombokati again, as well as finding out how the garden they planted last year is doing.





Jennifer Seagrave writes the weekly email for the Parenting Ministry at Capital and enjoys participating in the morning Koinonia group. Having moved from California to Utah for graduate school at University of Utah, she now teaches Diversity and Engineering Ethics in the LEAP program there when she is not playing queen to her little princess, Catie, who is now 5 years old.

 Jennifer was motivated to join the Swazi mission team when, on a previous trip to South Africa, she was impacted by the very great discrepancy between the resorts at which she stayed and the need she encountered just a few miles away. She is anxious and excited to meet the child she has sponsored for the past two years, as well as to share the joy of Christ in her life and give lots of hugs to the children of Mkhombokati.



Tyler Otto has been a member of capital church since 2007. Since then he has served as a barista, been a seater, played in the band, taught elementary and senior high Sunday school, and helped in many years of the VBS program. Capital quickly became his home church and he grew to love the community here.

Tyler currently works as the financial controller of The Christian Center of Park City. He is a typical outdoors junkie who loves hiking, skiing, mountain and road biking, and of course BBQing. Lastly, he just loves people. He is often the one saying, “Party at my house tonight!” (Really, y’all can come to my house tonight!)

 Tyler was part of the 2013 Swazi mission trip, which changed his life. From the kids they helped to the people from Capital who became his friends, it was an amazing experience that left him doubtless that he would return this year. He can’t wait to get back there and see the progress that has happened with Make Shoba’s house, which was a mud hut held up by a stick in 2013. She would stand up on nights when it rained, holding a blanket over the holes to protect the kids from the elements so they could get a good night’s sleep. Before they left, he remembers Suzanne telling Make Shoba, “We will help you; we will be back.” He feels honored to have had the opportunity to visit her home, and he can’t wait to return there and see the progress that has been made.