New Year, Same God

As we enter 2026, many of us find ourselves standing at the edge of a new chapter. We carry fresh dreams and plans for what this year might bring. Yet, amid the excitement and uncertainty, one truth remains steady: the same God who has been faithful through every season is still the same today. He is who He says He is, and He never changes. This assurance offers a foundation for embracing the year ahead with confidence, peace, and HOPE.

The new year allows us to reflect on the year past...

• 2025 marked our second year as a ministry.

• It brought us new team members, each with unique gifts that help us fulfill our mission and vision.

• We had our first volunteers who came as a family—a sweet time of teaching, observing, and learning from the next generation.

• We taught 10 First Aid/CPR classes and gave out over 100 first aid kits.

• We taught more than 15 dental hygiene classes and gave out over 300 personal dental hygiene kits.

• We held agriculture classes with middle and high school students. They learned all about water, healthy soil, planting, and natural herbicides. At the end of the year, they held an open market for the school and community. They made and sold food and natural products from what they learned throughout the year.

• We taught more classes on various health-related topics, like the immune system, digestive system, anxiety, living with purpose, diabetes, more ag classes, planting and using medicinal herbs, making natural products using medicinal herbs and essential oils, and so much more.

• Returning teams and volunteers who bring open minds, hard-working hands, and generous hearts, ready and willing to serve in any and every capacity.

• Beyond all of this, and more importantly, we shared with hundreds of people the HOPE, JOY, PEACE, and LOVE that we have in our Triune God. God is our Good Father, Jesus is our Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit is our Comforter and Guide.

...and to look forward to what this new year will bring...

• New curriculum and teaching methods that meet our purpose and goals, and that create an inviting space for learning.

• New partnerships and possibilities of more volunteers and teams joining us, as well as returning teams and volunteers.

• New ministries, churches, and schools to connect with in Guatemala.

• Continuing to grow our team, not only in number, but also in depth of relationships, skills, and overall health.

• Much-needed tools and resources to be able to expand the work that God puts before us.

• Deeper roots as He continues to lay a solid and sound foundation to build His ministry.

• Becoming a non-profit in the US and Guatemala.

• Humility and a whole lot of grace for those around us and for ourselves. We bring our best before God, not our perfection.

• Endurance, perseverance, character, hope...

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 5:1-5

As 2026 unfolds, I want to encourage you to look back on 2025 and reflect on what you have learned and how you have grown. Share the stories of how you saw God show up during the seasons on the mountaintops, that were full of peace and joy and excitement, and how He held and sustained you during the dark, seemingly endless days of suffering in the valleys. This will not only remind you of God's unwavering faithfulness but will also grow your faith and the faith of those around you.

Let's keep our hearts and minds open for this coming year. Asking God to lead each step we take and for opportunities to share the HOPE we have with those He puts in our path. Our dreams and plans will take shape in ways we may not expect. But the steady presence of God offers a foundation that never shifts. By embracing this truth, we can face the year with hope, courage, and peace. Our trust in the unchanging God will inspire us to dream boldly, plan wisely, and live fully.

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

Proverbs 16:9