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a little about us...

In 1979, Jay was born in Indiana, but didn't stay there for long. Growing up in a Christian home, Jay accepted Christ at a very young age, and his relationship with God developed throughout his childhood. Jim and Faye (Jay’s parents), moved to France in 1984, to study French in preparation for a career as missionaries in the Central African Republic. Both Jay and his sister Jenny were placed into the French school system for the 18 months, becoming quite comfortable with the French language. Then the Hocking family moved to Yaloke, a small town in the C.A.R., where they would spend the next eleven years (and were joined by Joel and John, Jay’s two younger brothers).

Marcellin (one of Jay's closest friends growing up in Africa) and Jay build a teepee

During this time, Jay grew to appreciate the vision of being on mission for God, as it was lived out in front of him by his parents and the many missionaries he came into contact with. This was what developed the beginnings of an interest in serving God overseas, as part of a missionary team.

Jay returned to the U.S. with his family in 1997, due to a civil war in the C.A.R., and after graduating from high school, attended Grace College in Indiana. While his parents and two younger brothers returned to Africa, Jay completed a double major in graphic design and information technology. It was during his years at Grace that he met Debbie, so we’d better back up to give you some background on her.

Deborah Downing was born in Portland Oregon, also in 1979. She grew up with three older siblings, Michelle, Tim, and Jon, who adored their little sister (most of the time). Tom and Sally Downing (Debbie’s parents), have always been quite interested in missions, and seemed to always have missionaries visiting their home. Debbie enjoyed these interactions, and grew up with a very positive view of the work missionaries were doing. She spent a summer in Mexico during high school, and began to study Spanish during those years as well. Then, after graduating, she moved to the midwestern paradise of Indiana to attend Grace College, where she majored in drawing and painting, illustration, graphic design, and Spanish.

Jay and Debbie met during their first year at Grace, and began dating their sophomore year. This was also the time when Jay decided to pick up a major in graphic design (a complete coincidence). Debbie studied abroad in Central America for a semester and then in Spain for a summer.

Steve Bell, Jay, and Debbie in the Moroccan desert!

During that summer, Jay visited her and together with a mutual friend (Steve Bell), they took a trip down to Morocco, and the following Christmas they visited the C.A.R. together. Following graduation in 2002, Jay and Debbie were married in November, and lived in Winona Lake (they only made it about two blocks away from the college). Jay worked for Grace Brethren International Missions for three years after graduation, working as both their network administrator (commonly known as a “techy”), and also assisting the communications department with graphic design projects. Debbie has worked several part time jobs, including working at two art galleries and working as an assistant and translator for the family services department of the local Head Start program.

After a few years of getting used to married life, Jay and Debbie were ready to move ahead to the next step in life. They had been talking with GBIM about possibilities for working overseas, near the end of the summer in 2004, an opportunity opened up to serve at the Château de St. Albain in France. The couple that has been in that position for the last 20 years (Marlin & Sue Weaver) were going to be returning to the U.S. for a year, and needed someone to cover for them. It seemed like a good fit, so Jay & Debbie visited the Château in October, and by the end of the year, they’d decided to do it.

The year at the Château went well, and when the Weaver's returned they announced that this would be the last term for them. Although the committee that runs the Château really wanted to turn the Château over to Europeans to run, it just wasn't quite to that point yet - so they developed a plan for the "Europeanization" of the Château. Jay and Debbie were asked to consider returning to oversee the tranistion from a missionary led Château, to a Château that is directed and has its vision come from Europeans. Jay and Debbie are now raising support, and hope to return to the Château in early 2008, to manage the ministry there for the next 4-5 years as a new European director for the Château is found, and as the new plan for th Château is implemented. This is the culmination of decades of work, first by the Juliens then by the Weavers, and Jay and Debbie are excited to be able to share a small part of the work that others have poured their lives into.

After their year of working at the Château, Jay and Debbie decided to take a few months and walk the St. James Way - starting in Paris in August of 2006, and walking down across France, through the Pyrenees, and across the top of Spain to Santiago. The 1,100 mile hike took two and a half months, and was a fantastic experience for them (a great way to see non-tourist sights through France and Spain).

Jay and Debbie, at the end of the Saint James Way on the Atlantic coast.

Jay and Debbie hope to find return to France in January of 2008.