We believe that educating the future of Guatemala is imperative to the continual spread of the Gospel.  Educating the youth of Guatemala with a quality Christ-centered curriculum is a priority of Mission Impact’s vision and mission.  We work in Christian education with our two schools, Proximos Pasos and Vida y Esperanza, as well as by teaching Bible and Christian Principles in the public schools in the town of Santo Domingo Xenacoj with the ministry of Valle de Vida.

Our education programs offer specialized areas of vocational learning such as robotics, metal and woodworking, graphic design, music, etc., so that our students have more options in choosing a career after they graduate.  Our goal is to address not only the academic needs of the student, but also the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of each of them.

Quality healthcare in Guatemala is greatly lacking as many national hospitals are poorly equipped and are severely underfunded.  We work in the area of healthcare in a variety of ways.  In the community of Coyolate, Healthy Communities has established a clinic to meet the healthcare needs of the area.  This clinic is professionally staffed, well-equipped, and serves the community of Coyolate as well as the surrounding villages.  This facility also runs a pharmacy and is in the planning stages of opening a dental clinic.  Dr. Oscar, one of our staff members, also serves a large population in his hometown of Sumpango and the surrounding area as he provides quality medical care through his private clinic as well as aiding the local hospital by performing surgeries. 

Mission Impact also hosts short-term medical teams from the United States that hold clinics in many of the communities where our staff conduct their long-term ministry projects.  Adjacent to Proximos Pasos is the new school of nursing called New Hope scheduled to open in 2021.  It is our goal to train nurses to improve the healthcare system in Santa Maria de Jesus and the surrounding communities.

In Guatemala, nutrition is an ongoing problem due mostly to the poor diet of the local people, which consists primarily of beans, rice, tortillas, sugary beverages, and packaged processed foods.  For this reason, various ministry sites incorporate a nutrition plan in their work.  Proximos Pasos girls school provides soy milk for their students, which in some of the students’ cases provides almost all of the nutrition they consume in their diets.  The ministry site Construyendo Corazones also has a soy milk project working with several groups of ladies in various communities teaching them better health and nutrition.

Many in Guatemala live in poor conditions, without access to clean drinking water and clean air in their homes due to cooking over open fires.  Within the ministry of Mission Impact, several ministry sites are involved in appropriate technology to improve the living conditions of the Guatemalan people.  The specific areas that we work in is building and distributing bio-sand water filters, which if properly maintained can last a lifetime.  The ministry sites of Appropriate Technology and Construyendo Corazones also work in constructing fuel-efficient, wood-burning stoves that ventilate all the smoke outside of the home.

Our approach is to meet the practical needs of rural Guatemalan families facing daily struggles. Another area that we seek to provide aid is in constructing and installing dry composting latrines.  Through these practical areas, our staff is able to build relationship and trust with those they are providing water filters, stoves, and latrines and are then able to share the Gospel with them which is eternal.

Guatemala is considered an underdeveloped country, so community development is greatly needed to improve daily living for the people.  Mission Impact’s philosophy for impacting communities long-term in a sustainable way is by using the ABCD approach.  This stands for Asset Based Community Development.  One area we work in for community development is providing community centers, which allows our staff to build relationship and gain their trust in order to share the Gospel.  The ministry sites of Healthy Communities, Appropriate Technology, and Construyendo Corazones all serve to improve the communities they work with by promoting and encouraging the growth of these rural communities. 

Some areas in which these ministries serve to help the communities develop is with medical clinics, community centers, as well as teaching the members of these communities many valuable skills that can improve their daily lives.  They also support the local church by helping equip and empower them to become more involved in bettering their towns.  These ministries work to cultivate relationships within communities to then be able to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Raising up national leaders is a significant priority within Mission Impact as our ministry sites are predominantly led by Guatemalans who are most familiar with their culture and the needs of their people.  Our goal is to disciple future disciple-makers who will continue to spread the Gospel and populate the Kingdom with an abundance of Guatemalan people.  We seek to develop leaders in various ways, some being through Christian education, Bible studies, Bible training, and intentional discipleship.

Developing youth and growing Christians through spiritual formation is a primary focus of both schools under Mission Impact as well as Valle de Vida ministry, which emphasizes building relationships with students and shaping them in their faith as they are discipled and encouraged in their walk with the Lord.  Every ministry site within Mission Impact has as its goal to bring Guatemalans into the Kingdom of God as they use education, community development, appropriate technology, etc. as a method to build relationship and community.

In order to reach more Guatemalans with the Gospel, it is essential to instruct and encourage pastors and lay people who feel called to preach the Good News.  The ministry of Harvest Bible University is to train and equip pastors and lay people who feel called to preach the Word of God throughout Guatemala and beyond.  This ministry also holds Bible studies and discipleship training for students at the local university.