This is where it all begins....
February 2014, I lead a mission team from Anchorage, Alaska to Guatemala to serve at a school in a small Mayan community. The effects on my heart after this experience will last forever. Please enjoy the next few paragraphs as I share some stories on how we came together, served together, and now have united together as one, The United Missions of Hope.
My name is Tom Spiak, President of The United Missions of Hope. I am a member of Awaken Church, formerly Anchorage Wesleyan Church here in Anchorage, AK, where I have learned to build and strengthen my relationship with God. Never in my dreams could I have imagined to be so involved and moved to serve others around me.
I always had the desire to be a child sponsor. Children simply in need of love and compassion. I never acted on that desire until December of 2012. I sponsored a young man, Erick Eduardo Navichoc Rodriguez. It is a wonderful feeling! It is a way to not only give back but to build a relationship. Shortly after that I made plans to join a mission team along with members of my congregation to visit Erick and serve in his town of San Pedro La Laguna.
In June of 2013, I received a phone call informing me that Erick had passed away. Erick was called home just days shy of his sixteenth birthday. The death of a child hits you hard and in so many ways. The mourning of a son, classmate, a member of the community, and a dear friend I did not get to meet now fills the emptiness of us all as we now move forward. It is a day I will always remember and a feeling I will never forget.
I assumed the leadership role on the mission team as we made plans for our journey. There were 18 of us on the Anchorage Wesleyan Mission Team - 14 adults and 4 children. We began having regular meetings, meals, and devotions to get prepared. What I now know, is nothing can prepare your heart and spirit for what you will experience! The first interaction you have with these lovely brothers and sisters, whether it be a hug, wave, handshake, or just a facial expression of gratitude for coming to serve is one of the most inspiring emotions I have ever been infected with. Your spirit will be forever changed.! We worked on Erick's school, in their medical clinic, and prayed with needy families in the community as part of our mission activities. Most importantly, we built relationships with the people of San Pedro that will last forever.
The Anchorage Wesleyan Mission Team of 2014 reached out to others sharing the same spirit of serving others. The response to our outreach was met with school supplies, gifts and monetary donations to be used in service in this Mayan community. Surrounded by poverty, upon many discussions and prayer devotions, we uncovered the need to which The United Mission of Hope will put these gifts to work. The United Missions of Hope Memorial Scholarship Fund. It is with great joy that we are forming this scholarship program to assist with the higher educational needs of Tecnológico Bethel and their "Pursuit of Knowledge". There is now a plan in place to provide financial assistance to students as they enter a high school level education and continue supporting them through a college.
We, UMH, are helping to close the gap between those having the ability to move forward and to those who see their education come to an end. We have a long way to go and we need your support. Our goal is to enroll two students per year, one girl and one boy and it is with great ambition and dedication that we must bring this to life. Supporting this educational program fights poverty, gender inequality, raises crop yields, and fosters peace. May this program ring the bell of hope for us all that through hard work, dedication, and love we can make the difference! It is with great joy that I took that first step. Go ahead, take yours!
Please take the time to read about Erick's story and about the educational needs of this Mayan community, school, and country.
February 2014, I lead a mission team from Anchorage, Alaska to Guatemala to serve at a school in a small Mayan community. The effects on my heart after this experience will last forever. Please enjoy the next few paragraphs as I share some stories on how we came together, served together, and now have united together as one, The United Missions of Hope.
My name is Tom Spiak, President of The United Missions of Hope. I am a member of Awaken Church, formerly Anchorage Wesleyan Church here in Anchorage, AK, where I have learned to build and strengthen my relationship with God. Never in my dreams could I have imagined to be so involved and moved to serve others around me.
I always had the desire to be a child sponsor. Children simply in need of love and compassion. I never acted on that desire until December of 2012. I sponsored a young man, Erick Eduardo Navichoc Rodriguez. It is a wonderful feeling! It is a way to not only give back but to build a relationship. Shortly after that I made plans to join a mission team along with members of my congregation to visit Erick and serve in his town of San Pedro La Laguna.
In June of 2013, I received a phone call informing me that Erick had passed away. Erick was called home just days shy of his sixteenth birthday. The death of a child hits you hard and in so many ways. The mourning of a son, classmate, a member of the community, and a dear friend I did not get to meet now fills the emptiness of us all as we now move forward. It is a day I will always remember and a feeling I will never forget.
I assumed the leadership role on the mission team as we made plans for our journey. There were 18 of us on the Anchorage Wesleyan Mission Team - 14 adults and 4 children. We began having regular meetings, meals, and devotions to get prepared. What I now know, is nothing can prepare your heart and spirit for what you will experience! The first interaction you have with these lovely brothers and sisters, whether it be a hug, wave, handshake, or just a facial expression of gratitude for coming to serve is one of the most inspiring emotions I have ever been infected with. Your spirit will be forever changed.! We worked on Erick's school, in their medical clinic, and prayed with needy families in the community as part of our mission activities. Most importantly, we built relationships with the people of San Pedro that will last forever.
The Anchorage Wesleyan Mission Team of 2014 reached out to others sharing the same spirit of serving others. The response to our outreach was met with school supplies, gifts and monetary donations to be used in service in this Mayan community. Surrounded by poverty, upon many discussions and prayer devotions, we uncovered the need to which The United Mission of Hope will put these gifts to work. The United Missions of Hope Memorial Scholarship Fund. It is with great joy that we are forming this scholarship program to assist with the higher educational needs of Tecnológico Bethel and their "Pursuit of Knowledge". There is now a plan in place to provide financial assistance to students as they enter a high school level education and continue supporting them through a college.
We, UMH, are helping to close the gap between those having the ability to move forward and to those who see their education come to an end. We have a long way to go and we need your support. Our goal is to enroll two students per year, one girl and one boy and it is with great ambition and dedication that we must bring this to life. Supporting this educational program fights poverty, gender inequality, raises crop yields, and fosters peace. May this program ring the bell of hope for us all that through hard work, dedication, and love we can make the difference! It is with great joy that I took that first step. Go ahead, take yours!
Please take the time to read about Erick's story and about the educational needs of this Mayan community, school, and country.
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