My Story of Faith and Trust
I am so excited to join Transformed Communities International (TCI) as its first full-time Executive Director. I have seen how God has worked through TCI to serve vulnerable communities in Uganda, and it is a joy and privilege to now be part of that story. I’d love to share a bit of how God led me here.
I grew up in southern Connecticut in a Christian home as a pastor’s kid. At the age of seven, my mom lovingly led me to put my trust in Jesus. Since then, my spiritual journey has been one of slow, steady growth, becoming truly my own in my twenties after college. My relationship with Christ has since been the foundation of who I am and how I make decisions.
Professionally, I started out on a path quite different from my family’s. I studied Finance and Accounting at Cedarville University and spent more than a decade building a career in corporate finance. I worked for ten years at KPMG, auditing private equity and hedge funds, then three years at Standish Management serving similar clients. God blessed that season with growth, promotions, and financial stability. But over time, I sensed Him calling me somewhere else.
In 2023, I felt a clear nudge that God wanted me to use my skills to serve an international Christian ministry. There was no job offer or defined path forward, just a deep conviction to trust Him and resign in faith. Walking away from a secure career, especially after buying my first home and forgoing significant financial incentives, was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. After months of prayer and wise counsel, I resigned in November 2023. What followed wasn’t what I expected.
For nearly two years, doors closed despite my efforts to network, apply, and interview. It was a deeply confusing season. I wrestled with the question: “If God had called me out, why hadn’t anything opened up?” Yet through that waiting, God was shaping deeper trust and dependence in Him, teaching me the value of extended seasons of waiting on Him. I clung to promises such as Isaiah 49:23
“Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.”
Halfway through this journey, one phone call proved much more significant than I ever thought it would. Through a connection in Connecticut, in November 2024, I had a phone call with Pastor Erik Santiago from Maryland, who introduced me to Frank and Sue Robb and their ministry in Uganda—TCI . He thought TCI could benefit from my finance background, so I began volunteering in a consulting capacity while still searching for a full-time job. From the start, something felt different. I connected quickly with the Robbs and eventually joined the TCI Board in May 2025. The following month, I traveled to Uganda to experience the work firsthand. Meeting the communities, witnessing their needs, and seeing the hope TCI brings made everything feel profoundly real. What I witnessed was far more than effective nonprofit work—it was the Gospel in action. This was also the first time I met the Robbs in person, might I add!
The job applications I sent out in 2025 seemed to meet only closed doors. God put this simple question on my heart after the last door closed in December: “What about TCI?” The Robbs and I began discussing the possibility of creating a full-time position for me. While praying and fasting over this during the last week of 2025, the Lord brought Isaiah 58:6–9 to my heart—a passage about loosening the bonds of injustice, feeding the hungry, sheltering the poor, and caring for the oppressed. It felt like God was saying, “This is what I have prepared you for.” That was my confirmation!
So I’m taking another step of faith—joining TCI as its first full-time Executive Director. We don’t have every detail figured out, and I don’t know exactly how God will provide, but I trust the One who called me. Time and again, He has proven faithful.
If you would like to join me on this journey through financial support, please give through the link below:
I’m grateful for the journey that brought me here and excited to serve alongside TCI as we care for vulnerable families in Uganda and share the hope of Christ. I can’t wait to see what God does next.
_ by Ryan Matthews