about us
Why we exist: to strengthen the church and advance the gospel
Mercy Gift exists to mobilize believers, strengthen churches, and support missionaries so the Gospel can reach the 3.57 billion who are still unreached.
Why we exist
Mercy Gift was founded in December 2003 with one clear mission: to help the Church take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyONE.
From the beginning, we recognized the obstacles holding missions back—missionaries burning out without support, churches struggling to mobilize their people, and leaders with vision but no resources. We were created to stand in those gaps.
Today, the need remains urgent. More than 3.57 billion people—43% of the world—are still unreached with the Gospel. Mercy Gift exists to confront this reality by mobilizing believers, equipping leaders, and sustaining missionaries so the Good News can go where it has never been heard.
Our Story
Since 2003, Mercy Gift has worked to fuel the Great Commission by strengthening the people and places God is moving through.
From our earliest days, our focus has remained the same:
to activate believers, strengthen churches, and care for missionaries so they can thrive on the frontlines.
Over the last 22 years, this work has taken us into more than 85 nations—preaching the Gospel, training leaders, equipping congregations, and resourcing missionaries who carry the Good News to those who have never heard.
What began as a simple desire to stand in the gaps has become a global movement of believers living out their calling and advancing the Gospel to the unreached.
our commitment to the local church
We believe the Church is both God’s cherished bride and His chosen vessel to carry the message of salvation to the ends of the earth. Jesus entrusted His Church with one assignment: make disciples of all nations.
At Mercy Gift, we exist to fuel that mission.
We mobilize congregations, equip leaders, and sustain workers in the ready harvest so that every church can take its place in the Great Commission.
what we've seen
For more than two decades, we’ve witnessed the faithfulness of God in the nations. Churches have been planted in jungles, deserts, cities, villages, refugee camps, office buildings, and even under open skies. Men and women across the world are hearing the Gospel because believers have said yes to being sent.
Along the way, Mercy Gift has resourced thousands of believers to go, training and sending them into the nations to be a part of what God is doing.
2025 snapshot
- 6 U.S. states reached through preaching and ministry
- 5 nations impacted through international ministry trips
- 9,000+ pastors and leaders trained across Africa in 2025
- 12,000 additional leaders targeted for training across Africa in 2026
- Another 1,000+ additional leaders to be trained in the Middle East and Asia in 2026
- Several rescued students (exact number not provided) now attending university on MercyGift scholarships
our team
Riaan & Selena Heyns
Riaan and Selena Heyns are the founders and Executive Directors of MercyGift. With more than 25 years of ministry experience, their passion for the nations was shaped through years of discipling, pastoring, and serving in churches with a strong heart for the unreached. Their calling is to equip, strengthen, and mobilize believers for God’s global mission. As a family, they live this mission together—traveling, serving, and partnering with leaders around the world while raising children who love Jesus and carry His compassion. Through MercyGift, they invest in leaders, support church-planting efforts, and care for vulnerable communities, helping churches step confidently into the Great Commission. Their passion is simple: to see every believer take their place in God’s global story.
Riaan Heyns
President & Founder of Mercy Gift
riaan@mercygift.org
Selena Heyns
Staff Support & Office Manager
selena@mercygift.org
Dustin & Sarah Seales
Dustin and Sarah, along with their four boys and a baby girl on the way, are missionaries and ministry leaders who carry a shared passion to see the Gospel advance in the nations. Their path has included local church staff roles, extensive missions training, and serving hands-on with ministries in the U.S. and abroad. These experiences shaped their heart to support missionaries, equip churches, and inspire believers to take their place in God’s global mission. Today, they serve with Mercy Gift—mobilizing, caring for, and strengthening those who carry the Gospel to the unreached.
Dustin Seales
Director of Donor Relations & Missionary Care
dustin@mercygift.org
Sarah Seales
Executive Assistant to the President &
Director of Content & Marketing
sarah@mercygift.org
Our Board
Riaan Heyns
Executive Director
Tom Hardeman
Board Member
Travis Gates
Board Member
Justin Nall
Board Member
Ready to discover your place in the mission?
The Great Commission is not a task for a few—it is a calling for the whole Church. Every believer has a part to play, and together we can see the Gospel advance to those who have never heard.
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:14-15 NIV