Executive Director
Tina Schmidt is wife to Paul and mother to 4 children. Tina has a background in business and worked as the Branch Manager for a multi million-dollar financial services company prior to becoming the Development Director for her local Christian school in 2002. Her work with the Christian School took her through a Capital Campaign that brought the school from renting facilities to ownership of a building for the first time in the 25-year history of the school. It was Tina’s work in finance and fundraising that was preparing her for a journey she could have never imagined.
In February 2007, Tina became a Child Ambassador for World Vision. Her work with World Vision allowed her to focus on Sierra Leone, which brought her back to the country in October of 2008 with her oldest biological daughter, Katie. After spending several days in the Bo District followed by a week in Freetown, it was clear that the desperate crisis in the country was the orphan. The orphan was voiceless, vulnerable, trafficked, neglected and in desperate need of hope. It was through the cries of Tina’s daughter, Katie on that trip in 2008, that Tina made a promise to contact Erica and see if they could do something about what they were seeing.
Tina had been feeling the call to open an orphanage since 2004 when she witnessed the terrible conditions her adopted children were forced to live in at their orphanage home. The idea of taking such a tremendous leap of faith seemed incredible but the thought of doing nothing was not an option as God was intensely speaking to her daily. It was in January of 2009 that Tina and Erica reconnected and together decided to no longer stand on the sidelines while children died. The decision was made to open an orphanage home in Freetown under The Raining Season. In September of 2009, that calling by God became a reality.
Tina travels to Sierra Leone several times each year working with the national staff to empower them to minister to the orphans and vulnerable children of Sierra Leone. The multiple trips allow Tina to help the national staff members maintain a high standard of care that carries out the mission of The Raining Season.
Tina and Paul have both made The Raining Season and serving the orphan their God-called mission in life. Paul is the President of Palisade Investments and serves on the TRS Board of Directors. They share a passion that is driven by the Holy Spirit and they are humbled each day to have a front row seat to watch the miracles God orchestrates in the lives of the children and staff at The Raining Season.