I’ve been wanting to share a little update about what this season of life and ministry looks like for me.
For more than 16 years, I’ve had the privilege of serving children, youth, families, and underserved communities in Guatemala. Over the years, this has taken many different forms: developing programs, training and mentoring young people, supporting foster and adoptive families, connecting communities with resources, walking alongside nonprofits and ministries, and helping create opportunities for people to build stronger, more hopeful futures.
At the heart of all of it has been one calling: to equip people, strengthen families, and help communities thrive.
And now, God has opened a new door.
A New Chapter
Last semester, I was given the opportunity to serve as a part-time teacher at a school for missionary kids here in Guatemala City. The school serves children of both foreign and local missionaries, and stepping into the classroom was an unexpected but beautiful blessing.
I have loved getting to know these students, teaching them, learning from them, and being part of their lives. It has reminded me once again that ministry doesn't always look the way we expect it to. This year, I accepted the invitation to become a full-time teacher.
So, yes… if you've been wondering why you've been seeing so many pictures of lesson planning, classroom preparations, decorations, supplies, and the first days of school, now you know! I’m excited about this new assignment and genuinely grateful for the opportunity to serve these beautiful kids.
More Than a School
But there is something deeper about this school that makes this opportunity especially meaningful to me. This school exists so parents who have dedicated their lives to serving others can keep doing that work without choosing between their calling and their children’s education.
For many years, families serving vulnerable communities in Guatemala faced difficult choices. Parents sometimes had to divide their time between ministry and homeschooling, find and pay for expensive educational options, or dedicate additional hours to tutoring and academic support to make sure their children would eventually have the education and credentials they needed to continue their studies, whether in Guatemala or wherever life and ministry might take them. Today, this school helps carry that responsibility alongside these families.
And that means I’m not only serving the students in my classroom; I’m also serving their parents and, in a very real way, the ministries and communities they serve.
Our families are involved in an incredible variety of ministries: working with children and youth, single mothers and widows, communities in the highlands, nutrition and education programs, evangelism, economic development, agriculture, and so much more. Some are serving in places where educational resources are limited or where being near Guatemala City simply isn't an option.
By caring for their children and providing them with a strong, internationally recognized education, we help give their parents the freedom to keep pouring their time, energy, skills, and hearts into the people they serve. And these are not ordinary classrooms.
Many of our students have lived in different countries, cultures, and communities. Some have grown up serving alongside their parents in rural areas or in communities experiencing poverty. Others have lived in different parts of Guatemala and have seen realities that many children their age may never encounter.
They are learning not only academics, but also about the realities of their community, their country, their region, and the world. They are encouraged to understand that they have a role to play in making a difference.
Many of them dream of going to university, becoming professionals, and one day using their skills to serve others, whether here in Guatemala or somewhere else in the world.
In that sense, we are not only educating children; we are helping nurture a generation that has already been taught by their parents to care about others. We are watering seeds that were planted at home so they can continue to grow.
So when I walk into my classroom each morning, I know that the impact goes far beyond those four walls. I’m serving these students, supporting their families, and partnering with dozens of ministries that are reaching hundreds, even thousands, of people across Guatemala and beyond. And that makes this new assignment feel very much like the same calling I’ve been living out for the past 16+ years.
The Calling Continues
Although teaching is now taking up more of my time, I have not stopped the work that God has entrusted to me over the years.
I’m continuing to mentor young leaders, walk alongside organizations serving youth and young adults, help develop programs and trainings, and support initiatives that help vulnerable populations thrive and strengthen communities. One of the things that has been especially meaningful to me is continuing to walk alongside young leaders who are learning how to identify needs in their own communities and become part of the solution.
I believe deeply in this kind of work because I have seen what happens when a young person realizes, “I have something to contribute. I can make a difference right where I am.” But this transition has also created a practical challenge.
Because I am no longer working full-time with the ministry where I previously served, some of the costs associated with this work are no longer covered. The transportation, materials, training resources, communication, mobilization, and other expenses involved in mentoring young leaders and developing trainings now have to come from other sources.
At the moment, that leaves me with approximately a $500 monthly gap in the funds I need to continue these activities.
Would You Join Me?
This is where I would love to invite you to be part of this new season.
I’m not asking you to carry the whole need. Every contribution makes a difference. A small donation can help cover transportation to meet with a young leader, materials for a training, resources for a community project, or the practical costs that make it possible for me to continue showing up and walking alongside people.
If you’ve supported me before, thank you. Your generosity has already helped make so much of this work possible. And if you’re new to my story, welcome. I would love for you to become part of it. You can support this work with a donation of any size. You can also help by sharing this post with someone who might want to partner with what God is doing here in Guatemala.
A different assignment doesn’t mean a different calling.
I’m stepping into this new chapter with gratitude, faith, and excitement, and I’m trusting that the people God places along the way will help make it possible to continue serving beyond the classroom.
Thank you for praying, giving, sharing, encouraging, and walking alongside me. We may each contribute in different ways, but together we can help young people thrive, strengthen families, and build communities full of hope.
Would you consider making a small donation today or sharing this story with someone who might want to join me in this work? Every dollar helps me close that $500 gap and continue investing in young leaders and the communities they call home.
Thank you for being part of the journey.
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