CHRIS & HEIDI SMITH
Chris and Heidi Smith have been partners at Grace Fellowship since 2005 and faithfully served in many ministry roles while living in Ohio. In December 2018, God called them to leave behind successful careers and move across the world to Cambodia—a ministry journey that began after witnessing the needs of families and children living on the streets during a short-term mission trip.
Heidi had built a career in dentistry, and Chris held leadership roles in the business world. Yet God began stirring something deeper in their hearts: a calling to use their gifts to serve vulnerable families and children in Battambang, Cambodia.
So they obeyed and went.
Today, Chris and Heidi are fluent in Khmer and lead Roots of Grace Cambodia alongside a dedicated team of 47 staff members. In 2021, Roots of Grace merged with BrightStart Learning—another ministry Grace Fellowship partners with—to expand their reach and impact. Together, the ministry now serves more than 1,200 people every week in Battambang through education, discipleship, family support, vocational opportunities, and community outreach.
God continues to move in remarkable ways through this ministry.
Recently, 15 women graduated from the women's literacy program, 3 young men completed vocational training, and 82 people publicly declared their faith through baptism.
Here are ways you can partner with Chris and Heidi:
- Pray for the new Roots of Grace campus in Battambang, with a planned launch in August 2027.
- Pray for the new Christian school that will open on the campus in October 2027.
- Pray for God to bring additional missionaries and workers to serve and use their gifts alongside the ministry.
- Praise God for lives being transformed through literacy, vocational training, and discipleship.
- Partner financially to help sustain ongoing ministry needs and continue expanding the work God is doing in Cambodia.