PREPARATION
Walter and Cheryl Spicer attended Calvary Bible College in Kansas City, Missouri. During their time there, God challenged them to serve as missionaries, specifically to minister through teaching at a school for missionary children.
Cheryl graduated with a double major in Bible and Missionary Nursing and became a licensed Registered Nurse. Walter graduated with a double major in Bible and Secondary Education, with endorsements in Bible and mathematics. He is certified by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). He also completed graduate-level studies in learning disabilities and became a certified therapist through the National Institute for Learning Development (NILD).
Cheryl had the privilege of growing up as a missionary kid in the Philippines, which gave her a special connection to the ministry they would later pursue there.
In August 1987, Walter and Cheryl began missionary preparation with New Tribes Missions, attending the Missions Institute in Wisconsin for one year and then the Language School in Camdenton, Missouri, for six months. They began raising financial support in January 1989, and on July 5 of that year, they left for the Philippines to begin their missionary ministry.
MINISTRY
Walter and Cheryl have served as missionaries with Ethnos360 for 38 years, ministering primarily among missionary families and their children in the Philippines.
For most of their ministry, they have served at Faith Academy, a Christian school established to educate the children of missionaries serving throughout Southeast Asia. Cheryl has served as a school nurse, caring for the physical and emotional needs of students and staff.
Walter has served Faith Academy in a variety of roles, including mathematics teacher, NILD therapist working with students who have learning differences, middle school counselor, middle school vice-principal, middle school principal, and, most recently, Deputy Head of School. In his current role, he assists the Head of School and oversees the school’s operations.
Through these various ministries, Walter and Cheryl have had the privilege of investing in missionary families, encouraging students, supporting teachers and staff, and helping prepare the next generation to serve Christ around the world. They consider their ministry at Faith Academy an important part of advancing God’s Kingdom in Southeast Asia.
The Spicers completed their most recent ministry term in June 2026 and are currently on home assignment in the United States through January 2027. They plan to return to Faith Academy in January 2027, with Cheryl serving as Head Nurse and Walter returning as Deputy Head of School.
After nearly four decades of missionary service, the Spicers remain grateful for the opportunity to serve Christ, invest in others, and be part of what God is doing through His people around the world.