Let’s help the
Gospel take root.
We’re the Carstedt family, serving in Uganda. Our heart is to walk alongside people as they learn to follow Jesus—and help them do the same for others.
Get to know the mission ↓
Someone said yes to Jesus.
What happens next?
That question is at the heart of our ministry.
A new believer needs more than a moment of encouragement. They need Scripture, a church family, and someone willing to walk beside them through questions, struggles, and everyday life.
We are Von and Kacey Carstedt, missionaries serving in Uganda through Global Outreach International. Alongside Ugandan pastors and believers, we support ministry training and Gospel outreach while developing opportunities for deeper discipleship.
Our hope is to see people grow deep roots in Christ, discover how God has gifted them, and help others follow Him. We call this bridging the discipleship gap.
Walk together.
Grow together. Pass it on.
Connect
Through community outreach with partner churches, we build relationships, share the Gospel, and help people come to faith in Christ and find a church family.
Disciple
We walk through life together, opening Scripture, praying, and sharing our faith so believers grow to know God personally and trust His faithfulness in every season.
Equip
With growing faith as the foundation, we offer mentorship, training, practical support, and opportunities to serve—helping believers develop their gifts and step into their calling.
Multiply
Raise up disciples who make disciples—carrying the Gospel forward long after we’re gone, developing new leaders, and strengthening and planting churches as God leads.
The story started
with showing up.
Water wells, vision clinics, church construction, and practical outreach have been part of our journey in Uganda and Tanzania. Along the way, we found friendships that have become part of our lives and ministry.
Those relationships helped shape where God is leading us now. Discipleship is our central focus, and practical care remains part of loving our neighbors as opportunities, partnerships, and resources allow.
We work alongside Ugandan believers, honoring their leadership and knowledge of their communities. Our vision grows through those relationships.
You may know us
through any of these.
Maybe you met us through church, supported a foundation project, or found our family through Global Outreach. Here’s how the pieces fit together.
Long Hollow Baptist Church
Long Hollow in Hendersonville, Tennessee, is our sending church—the church family walking alongside us as we follow God’s call to serve.
Meet our church →
Global Outreach International
Von and Kacey Carstedt serve as missionaries through Global Outreach International. Global provides missionary oversight and administers the support given through our official Carstedt Family missionary account.
Our official missionary support page →
The Sheila Byrd Foundation
The Sheila Byrd Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit led by Executive Director Von Carstedt. It has been part of our practical and Gospel outreach journey and continues to operate. This website, Mark16.org, is maintained through the foundation and shares our family’s missionary ministry and discipleship vision.
Bridging the Discipleship Gap
This name expresses the vision that guides our ministry: Connect — Disciple — Equip — Multiply. It describes the work we’re pursuing alongside local churches and believers in Uganda.
Yes, this is us.
We’re a family following Jesus, learning along the way, and grateful for the people He has brought into our lives.
We trust His leadership for what comes next. And we’re thankful for every friend, church, and supporter walking alongside us.
Meet our family & read our story →
Walk with us.
Pray with us. Get to know our ministry partners. Help make room for the next person to grow in Christ. Your encouragement and generosity help carry this work forward.
Support through Global Outreach →