Larry Clements worked as a teacher in Africa for more than 30 years, in both Congo/Zaire and Kenya.  Today he shares his experience with his students, their parents and other teachers.  He teaches about the challenges faced by his family and the community in Africa: how they coped with challenge and conflict and how we can apply their lessons of strength and self-sufficiency to our daily lives.  When he sees conflict, he strives for peaceful agreement and resolution no matter how long it takes.  He brings valuable life lessons from African communities to his Canadian home.

While in Africa, he ran a school, trained pastors, supervised the construction of a hospital’s new water system and raised four children.  When health problems forced his return to Canada, he devoted himself to new projects here, everything from finding clothing for new immigrant families, to introducing his two parrots to a new year of amazed students, to helping a staff member on moving day.

Also, with the support of his wife Joanne, Larry Clements visits retirement homes to offer companionship and inspiration to seniors.  A semi-retired pastor, he leads worship and holds tea and chat sessions.  He hosts seniors’ dinners and outings and assists them in the tasks of daily living.  Every year he and his wife host a number of people from all walks of life to Clement Family Hospitality.  Offering himself as a role model, Larry creates a culture of caring in his students, encouraging them to support seniors and the disabled in the community as part of a “giving back” philosophy. 

As one friend said of Larry, “He is always there for you, whether it’s with a card, a flower, a smile or just a bottle of water on a hot day.  That’s what Larry Clements is…a bottle of water on a hot day!”