Tom and Regina Franklin

Tom and Regina Franklin were approved as missionaries to Cuba in September 2000. After planting four churches in and around Havana, the Franklins changed their field to the Dominican Republic in 2005 due to communist party intervention in Cuba.

Tom and Regina both graduated in 1994 with degrees in Bible and Missions from the Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO. They completed a 3-year internship at Noble Hill Baptist Church in Willard, MO where Tom served as youth pastor and was later ordained.

In May 2001, Tom and Regina completed their masters in Intercultural Studies at the Baptist Bible Graduate School of Theology. Tom graduated from the Instituto de Lengua Española in San Jose, Costa Rica and completed an additional internship at the Iglesia Biblica Bautista in San Sebastian, Costa Rica. Regina, having grown up in Costa Rica, was already fluent in Spanish. 

After completing deputation in 2002, the Franklins began their ministry in Cuba until forced to leave the country. Thankfully, despite government persecution, the darkness of Santeria, and extreme poverty, the churches in Cuba continue to grow and three additional churches have been planted.

After planting and pastoring the Bible Baptist Church of Tamboril, Dominican Republic in 2008, Tom started another Baptist church in 2009 with Pastor Dial and his wife Martha in Don Pedro, DR. The Don Pedro church recently completed a building project in time for its 15^th anniversary. The Franklins also have several missions in and around the Cibao Valley.

Following the Haitian earthquake in 2010, the Franklins responded to the many needs of their sister country through 2014. They planted another Baptist church close to Port-au-Prince, Haiti and built a church building and leadership center while dealing with government and religious persecution.

Tom and Regina founded Advancing Families, a non-profit Dominican association. Due to the work with their association in the DR, the Franklins were awarded merit-based citizenship in October 2018.