Larry L. Hartley was raised on a farm, and was an entrepreneur and businessman for over 55 years. He graduated from LaHarpe High School in LaHarpe, Illinois.

Larry attended Gem City Business College in Quincy, Illinois and went on to join the Army Security Agency. After his honorable discharge from the army, he became a licensed insurance agent for accident, health, and life insurance. He also obtained a Series 7 Stockbrokers license.

In the early years Larry owned a variety of companies, ranging from financial planning firms with CPAs, which included doing taxes for the clients, to an oil investment company which he formed for the purpose of drilling and completion of oil wells. In the late 1980s, he entered into the coin operated amusement industry, obtaining 7 companies throughout the State of Illinois.

In the early 1990s, he purchased a manufacturing company in Smyrna, Tennessee in which they started selling counter top and stand-up trivia games with multiple languages to different countries around the world. In the late 1990s, he started and ran an ATM business in which he still owns.

On July 15, 2012, Larry sold the seven coin operated amusement companies, preparing the way for the formation of We Trust In Him Ministries, which was formed on July 19, 2013 and became a tax exempt 501(c)(3) on September 8, 2014, with a mission to help feed, clothe, shelter, and protect starving children and needy families who are in desperate need in third world countries.

Bob’s international experience began when he served in the Marine Corps in Okinawa, Philippines, and Vietnam. Bob and his wife, Sandi, served in Haiti in the 80’s, multiple countries in Europe, and then India with Operation Mobilization (OM) and Youth With A Mission (YWAM) through evangelism and church planting in the 90’s.

Bob has been recognized as a leader, serving as elder and International Ministries Pastor for Eastview Christian Church in Normal, Illinois for 18 years followed by 9 years as Mali, West Africa Country Director for She Is Safe Ministries. Bob also brings 29 years of business management and ownership to his current cross-cultural work.

His insights into the issues in Muslim lands come from the trenches. In impoverished countries where girls are last to get food and medical care, and often sold to visiting businessmen, Bob seeks to address the root causes of their suffering by fostering grassroots initiatives that equip the oppressed with skills to build new lives in Christ. Working with the church in Atacames, Ecuador and Karnataka, India as a Board Member of We Trust In Him Ministries Bob stewards partnerships to offer literacy skills, health clinics for women and children, nutrition education and Biblical training for families.

Along with his international work, Bob is a moving communicator: speaking at conferences, retreats, clubs and churches inviting people to participate in combating the evil of injustice against women and girls by leveraging our talents and blessings for a powerful, united voice for the voiceless.

Bob and Sandi have worked side by side in business and ministry for 37 years. Sandi is on staff at Eastview Christian Church organizing and leading short term international teams. They live in Normal, Illinois and have four grown children and four grandchildren.

If you would like to schedule Bob to share and mobilize people of your community at an event, retreat or conference, please email robert.knapp001@gmail.com.

Consider having Bob speak to your group on:

• Issues for Women in Muslim Lands
• How you can engage in short term mission teams

My wife of 10 years, Deana, and I are recently retired transplants to Florida from Illinois. We reside at Cape Coral FL.

Otto Baum Company Inc is a revered building contractor in Central Illinois, founded in 1937 by my Grandfather Otto Baum (1900-1974). Otto’s four Sons, our respected Fathers and Uncles, managed the company through great expansion in the 60‘s, 70’s, and 80’s.

I partnered with my Brother Craig (VP) and Cousin Terry (P) to manage and grow the privately held construction business acquired from our Fathers in 1992.We represented the third generation of Baum Family leadership at Otto Baum Company. In my 45 year career with one employer, I was expected to perform whatever task/position/title was required at the time to ensure continued success of the company. I am extremely grateful for the blessings and opportunities afforded me from spending my entire working career surrounded by trusted family members who shared ourfore-Fathers work ethic, Christian values, faith, and commitment.

I am a lifelong resident South Florida. My mother’s father was the sheriff of Collier County from 1928-1953 and started cattle ranching in the 1930s. My father was instrumental in the waterfront development of Collier County as his company dredged about half of the residential communities on the water in Naples. He managed to run a marine construction company and cattle ranch at the same time.

Growing up, I spent my summers working on the ranch near Immokalee and building docks and seawalls in the Naples area. After college, I joined my father in the marine construction business as my brothers moved to the ranching side of the family business.

I closed the marine construction business in 1989 and opened a marine lumber company which I later sold to a partner. I have been involved in the marine construction consulting business as an associate with a local marine & environmental company from 1990-2021. I went back into the foundation pile driving business from 2003-2007 (once part of my marine construction business). I currently am manufacturing travel cases for firearms and valuables, my company is TravelArmorCase.

Having grown up in the church, it wasn’t till later in life that I was saved. Now I am trying to be obedient.

Senior Software Engineer & Data Architect

28 years as an IT professional, providing application design and development, infrastructure support, peer training and project leadership for diverse application development teams located in the U.S. and India.

Recent Professional Experience

OSF Healthcare Systems, Peoria, IL, Jan 2017 – Present

• Transfer data from the Hospital Electronic Medical Record system into databases, where the data can be studied and reported on.
• Was the technical leader for designing systems to track Opioid Usage and Patient Re-hospitalization with the goal of reducing each.

Social and Spiritual

• Member of Song and Sword Church in Bloomington, IL
• Member of Promise Keepers (PK) Ironmen in Normal,IL
• Volunteer for Christian Appalachian Project
• Hobbies – Gold Mining, Playing Guitar, Cooking, Blacksmithing and Fishing

Married to a wonderful Wife !

I have been married to Victoria Neary Rieck since 1996. She works as an RN at Carle Bromenn Hospital in Bloomington. She is the Vascular Access Coordinator for the hospital and loves Jesus.

We Trust in Him Ministries welcomes Sandi Knapp to our team as a member of the advisory board.

Sandi Knapp became involved with international ministry in 1987 with her first trip to the country of Haiti. The experience so impacted her life that in 1990 she and her husband closed their business in Bloomington, Illinois to become full time missionaries, serving in Europe and India.

She and her husband later returned to Bloomington where he took a position as the Missions Pastor at Eastview Christian Church, and she became the administrative assistant to the senior pastor.

She is on the board of GOYA Ministries and Kingdom Seeker Ministries and is an advisor for We Trust In Him.