Lenore Thorne

Who I Am

Lenore has always had a love for animals and grew up in rural Tennessee raising goats and sheep on her family farm. She graduated with her Associates in Veterinary Technology from Volunteer State Community College in 2020 and then completed her bachelor’s degree in Agriculture at Tennessee Technological University, graduating in December of 2022. She learned about CVM for the first time at a veterinary conference in 2020 right before the pandemic hit, but even while all travel was on hold, she worked towards going on a short-term trip to Mongolia as soon as the world opened again.

While for some people Mongolia might seem like a challenging first trip, God had been preparing her heart for a long time. Growing up raising goats and sheep Lenore felt an immediate draw to this country, where sheep outnumber people 10:1. She traveled to Mongolia for the first time in 2022, spending 2.5 months there teaching English in the countryside through the “Claim a County” program, as well as teaching veterinary skills in the small animal clinic. She returned the next summer for another 2.5 months and by that point God’s call for her to be a part of His work full-time in Mongolia was inescapable. Lenore loves the people of Mongolia and is excited to use her skills and be a part of His great commission to the ends of the earth.

My Work

While working in Mongolia, Lenore will be utilizing her experience as a Veterinary Technician to help teach in the large and small animal internship programs, as well as help in continuing to train the staff of the V.E.T. Net small animal clinic in Ulaanbaatar. She has a heart to teach Veterinary Technician students as well as Mongolian veterinary assistant staff that have not had the opportunity for any formal training. With her background raising sheep and goats, she hopes to assist in herder trainings in the countryside and teach in the large animal internship program from a management perspective. Finally, she very much looks forward to continuing to teach English in the countryside each summer through V.E.T. Net’s “Claim a County” program, building relationships with children in the most remote areas of Mongolia and encouraging the local believers at the same time. (She even got TEFL English teaching certified so she can provide higher quality English education to the children!)  Through each of these ministries that serve physical needs, her heart is always to build relationships and share the gospel to reach the real need.

My Partner

Lenore will partner with Mongolia V.E.T. Net NGO, a Mongolian public service organization. The mission of V.E.T. Net is to develop veterinarians and educators to train as a network across the country of Mongolia and share the hope that is within them. The V.E.T. Net veterinarians teach countryside veterinarians and herders how to work together to obtain healthier livestock and to improve the quality of life for the Mongolian people. The V.E.T. Net education department takes the joy of learning in education to the countryside during the summer months to teach children who otherwise do not have consistent education opportunities throughout the school year. The teacher group is also involved in community development and outreach in many areas in the countryside. 

Lenore will be working alongside other CVM families: Dr. Gerald & Frances Mitchum, Dr. Hillary & Michael Mincher, Dr. Mary and Richard Ballenger, and Drs. John and Laurie Day. You can also read more information about V.E.T. Net by clicking here.