Vanessa in Guate

Project Hope School So, how was this foundation of caring for others established in my life? Why do I want to serve with Mission Impact? I was a witness to poverty, but I was offered a helping hand. I have lived life in motel rooms for long periods of time as if they were apartments, and I have lived in basically every motel in a certain diameter of Santa Ana. And I have gone to a school that cared for students beyond the necessity of education. The school was geared towards kids living in motels/shelters and kids who were troubled. The school provided 2 meals a day, a safe place to be a kid, and even an after school program so that we were busy until 5pm. We were there all day, we were given clothes and shoes when we were in need. They would send us home with clear bags of bread, canned goods, and top ramen. 12 times a year, every month, they would have a monthly birthday cake and if it was your birth month they would add our name to it because they knew we probably wou...

Hi! I hope you're having a good week! :) Just sending an email to tell you a little bit about Guatemala. Guatemalan's celebrated the country's 195th Independence Day 2 weeks ago on September 15th (also the day of my Guatemala-loving-Pastor's daughter's birthday). September 15th is a day of joyful celebration all throughout Guatemala; parades and bands march the streets. Students spend a couple of weeks before Independence Day preparing to walk the streets in celebration through music, decoration, images, and the waving of the Guatemalan white and blue flag. The girls at Proximos Pasos spent 2 weeks preparing for their Independence Day festivities. Here are some pictures of the girls in Santa Maria de Jesus! God willing, I will be moving to Guatemala in 3 months, but I can't do it alone. I've created a chart of how many monthly supporters I'll need for living expenses while I am working at Proximos...

This morning I was reading Hebrews; I read about how Jesus became like humankind and tasted death for every single person, so that we are able to live in eternity with God. By God's grace, He sent His Son to overcome sin and death and because of that we are called to obediently place our faith in Jesus Christ. The way that we declare our faith is by serving/loving people and therefore serving God, by spreading the Gospel through loving others and teaching them the word of God. John 13:35 says that “by this all people will know that you are my disciples,  if you have love for one another ." As I was reflecting on Hebrews, I just kept hoping that through education and discipleship I am able to be a servant for the girls of Proximos Pasos. Hebrews 1:3 says that God is sustaining in all things, this made me realize that sustainability is an important attribute of God. For the girls i...

Hi friends and family! As most of you may already know, I just graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a Bachelor’s in Biblical Studies. Woohoo! I’ve been praying about where God is calling me next, then my Pastor suggested mission work in Guatemala and working alongside the social worker at an all-girls school for the next two years. The opportunity is to join Mission Impact, a U.S. registered 501(c)3 non-profit Evangelical Christian mission agency. This presented opportunity seemed perfect because my ultimate academic goal is to receive my Masters in Social Work! This past May, I was able to actually go to Guatemala for the first time, meet the staff of Mission Impact, and visit their work sites – including Próximos Pasos, the school that provides a Christian education to the young girls in the village of Santa María de Jesús. Mission Impact has accepted me into their program and I will return to Guatemala in January 2017. During the first few months I will enroll in ...