Galen Carey

Citizen of the world

“I’ve been in danger a number of times, but I don’t usually experience fear. I’ve gotten used to it,” says Galen Carey. Carey is not a thrill-seeker who takes unnecessary risks. Currently the Indonesian Country Director for World Relief, he is a humanitarian whose work often requires putting himself in harm’s way in order to help others.

“I’ve been in civil war-torn areas and where there has been a general breakdown of law and order, yet always felt I was in place where God wanted me to be. That doesn’t mean I’ll always be safe, but God is always with me.”

As the Indonesian Country Director, Carey is currently heading World Relief’s tsunami relief efforts, which involves working in Banda Aceh and Meulaboh to train volunteers, coordinate logistics and communicate with the Indonesian government, nongovernmental organizations, and the United Nations.

“Right now we’re helping rebuild homes and livelihoods, fishing boats, fish farms, small businesses, farming, and so on. We try to rebuild their community’s infrastructure so they can lead ordinary lives again.”

Formerly the Director of Policy and Advocacy for World Relief, Carey previously investigated the genocide in northern Sudan. As African Regional Director, Carey worked in war-torn Sierra Leon, Liberia, and Rwanda, and in Congo after the volcano eruption.

“The most painful experiences are talking with refugees and hearing their stories of persecution and loss,” recalls Carey. “I’ve met many who fled their homes and villages, barely escaping with lives. There is deprivation in refugee camps, too, even sexual abuse.” 

Yet scattered among the tales of heartache are bright spots of encouragement, as well. “I am most fulfilled when talking with people who are the beneficiaries of our work, with pastors in a mud hut or bamboo church. I thrill to see how people are able to take resources at their disposal and, with faith and hard work, improve the situation for themselves and their communities.”

One of the most critical attributes Carey has is his ability to move and function between cultures so easily. It’s not surprising given his background, says his wife, Delia Realmo DeSoto. “Galen grew up in the Philippines; he's a third-culture kid,” she says. “His siblings, like him, have married cross-culturally. In addition, our family has our special needs son (which I suppose could be considered a ‘different culture’) plus we have informally adopted a refugee from Congo, who has been with us about five years. So our family represents three or four different cultures and we are bi/tri- lingual. Galen’s extended family represents three different cultures. We ‘belong’ nowhere, and are therefore free to live anywhere!”

It is this idea that contributes to Carey’s mindset of being a citizen of the world, rather than of any one country. And with so many people in the world in need of humanitarian aid, Carey frequently becomes weary in his well-doing. “Work can be overwhelming,” he says. “We work really hard, and at end of day there’s more to be done. That’s an area where my education at TIU really helped me have broad perspective on the world. I was history/philosophy major,  which helps me see that we’re one small part of God’s work over time. It gives me a sense of humility. I am called to be faithful where I can, but results are up to God.

“When the odds seem insurmountable, I bring it back to the individual level. I think, ‘What would I want someone else to do for me?’ So I try to do that. I’m very encouraged when I get notes from people whose lives have been changed.”