MISSION ZOE
"Zoe" is the Greek word meaning "life", and more specifically "eternal life" when used in the New Testament. Used a total of one hundred and thirty four times in the New Testament, "zoe" becomes more than just a popular name, it becomes a symbol of hope for millions.
"We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life."
- Romans 6:4
That is our goal with Mission ZOE. Mission ZOE is the brainchild of both myself (Wilson Gardner) and my good friend Erick Hernandez Green. Together, during my two month stay in Guatemala this past summer, we began to develop plans to build a mission in the small village of Santiago Sacatepequez just outside of San Lucas. About forty five minutes from Guatemala City, Santiago has been fiercely overlooked as far as missionary presence goes. While there are several churches present in the village, due to a lack of literacy both in the population and the pastors who preach to them, the truth of the gospel has still not been shared with enough of the thousands who reside there. Poverty, depression, and alcohol are all issues that are ignored by many of the churches. It often seems as though Christ's message of humbling oneself enough to share the gospel and serve the poorest of the poor and even the dirtiest of sinners was not understood. All the people in God's creation must be given the opportunity to give their hearts to Christ, to live a life full of God's love and protection.
"And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.'"
- Mark 16:15
This is the motivation behind what Erick and I have decided to do; to build a mission to better serve, preach, and love those who have been denied that right. We all are given a responsibility to spread God's love to those who have not heard of it's power and peace.
"We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life."
- Romans 6:4
That is our goal with Mission ZOE. Mission ZOE is the brainchild of both myself (Wilson Gardner) and my good friend Erick Hernandez Green. Together, during my two month stay in Guatemala this past summer, we began to develop plans to build a mission in the small village of Santiago Sacatepequez just outside of San Lucas. About forty five minutes from Guatemala City, Santiago has been fiercely overlooked as far as missionary presence goes. While there are several churches present in the village, due to a lack of literacy both in the population and the pastors who preach to them, the truth of the gospel has still not been shared with enough of the thousands who reside there. Poverty, depression, and alcohol are all issues that are ignored by many of the churches. It often seems as though Christ's message of humbling oneself enough to share the gospel and serve the poorest of the poor and even the dirtiest of sinners was not understood. All the people in God's creation must be given the opportunity to give their hearts to Christ, to live a life full of God's love and protection.
"And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.'"
- Mark 16:15
This is the motivation behind what Erick and I have decided to do; to build a mission to better serve, preach, and love those who have been denied that right. We all are given a responsibility to spread God's love to those who have not heard of it's power and peace.
What can you do to make a difference?
While Mission ZOE is still in the planning phase, we are still looking for support from churches, organizations, businesses, and individuals that strongly wish to make a difference world wide. A common misconception is that it takes too much time, too much effort, and too much money to make a difference. That's a lie. It doesn't take much to make a difference at all.
The current Dollar to Quetzal ratio is 7.80. That means that every dollar donated to our mission is worth Q7.80. The cost of food for a family of seven for one month is around Q850.00, or $108.95. Imagine then, what just a $20.00 donation can do! Currently, because of the premature stage of planning we are currently in, we are not accepting donations. That doesn't mean that we wouldn't love to hear from you if you are interested in being involved later on, or if you have any questions about the goals of our mission in Guatemala.
If you have questions or would like to talk more in depth with us about our mission, please feel free to contact me (Wilson Gardner) by filling out our contact form below. We would love to hear from you and will be sure to reply with as much information as possible, in the most timely manner possible.
The current Dollar to Quetzal ratio is 7.80. That means that every dollar donated to our mission is worth Q7.80. The cost of food for a family of seven for one month is around Q850.00, or $108.95. Imagine then, what just a $20.00 donation can do! Currently, because of the premature stage of planning we are currently in, we are not accepting donations. That doesn't mean that we wouldn't love to hear from you if you are interested in being involved later on, or if you have any questions about the goals of our mission in Guatemala.
If you have questions or would like to talk more in depth with us about our mission, please feel free to contact me (Wilson Gardner) by filling out our contact form below. We would love to hear from you and will be sure to reply with as much information as possible, in the most timely manner possible.
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Post by Mission ZOE.