The Lord began dealing with my heart about foreign missions around 2015. Amy and I were already serving in many areas within the Church. We were leading and teaching in Awana, VBS, and Sunday school when God sovereignly allowed us to help several missionaries while they were in the States on furlough. After this I was asked to serve on the Mission committee, where now I was able to communicate regularly with many missionaries in the countries where they were serving. I had always loved reading the biographies of great missionaries of the past like Hudson Taylor and Adoniram Judson, and now I was able to speak with and pray for missionaries who were currently serving on the field. During this time I was asked to serve as a Deacon for our church, and we continued having more opportunities to teach and preach the gospel. The Lord was preparing us for what was to come. This burden for missions was continuing to grow. We were both gripped by the fact that over 3 billion people still had yet to hear the Gospel. It seems as if all we could talk about was the need to get the Gospel to those who had not heard it.
Amy and I had never been on a foreign mission trip but knew a pastor who had been taking mission trips with his Church to South Dakota and Guatemala. We called and simply said we would love to come with them on there next trip and we were willing to go anywhere. It happened to be Guatemala in March of 2017. Over the next couple of years we served with this Church in Guatemala four times. God began to grow a love for Guatemala within us. I had a great burden to preach the Gospel to those who had never heard it and while we could clearly see there was still a great need in Guatemala, there was at least some Bible believing Churches in the places we had been. It was during our fourth trip that our Guatemalan friend who leads the mission team asked to take us to some different areas of Guatemala. He had been lead by the Lord to show Amy and I some other places where we might come back to serve. Then one day as we sat and talked I shared with him my burden. I asked if there were any places in Guatemala who had still yet to hear the saving message of the Gospel. I told him that from research on the internet that Guatemala is considered to be "reached". To which he replied "Brother, they are wrong." He told us of one village in Chiquimula. We immediately started planning a trip to come back. We returned for this trip in September of 2019, where we thought we were going to one village in the mountains of Chiquimula, Guatemala. After riding in the back of a pickup truck through one lane dirt roads up through the mountains we found village after village with no church and no Gospel witness. Again, Amy asks if this is where the Lord was sending us and HE immediately confirmed this. God first gave us the burden to take the Gospel to those who'd never heard and then gave us a love for Guatemala and it's people. Now HE had sovereignly put the two together in this place.
It is our honor to serve the Lord Jesus and the people of Guatemala. We have been saved by God's grace for the purpose of God's glory among the nations. Our mission in Guatemala is for the spread of His glory there and ultimately, the nations. We seek to glorify God in Chiquimula through establishing biblical churches, evangelizing, and equipping/enlisting nationals to become pastors, preachers, and missionaries. Will you pray with us, and consider partnering with us to see the people of Chiquimula Guatemala who have never believed or even heard the message of the Gospel become disciples of our Lord Jesus? | The Copes, 1 Chronicles 16:24-25
Our sending church is Lookout Valley Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN. You can learn more about our church family by visiting their website here: www.lookoutvalley.org
Macey became a follower of Christ in Feb. of 2010. She was seven years old and had been asking questions for a few weeks, finally one night she began to cry out that she needed to be saved. On that night God gave Macey the grace to believe on Jesus. Who he is and what he did dying on the cross, being burried, and rising again. The thing we remember most cleary from that night was how broken she was even at 7 years old. Macey understood that she would never go to heaven apart from Jesus. She is a follower of Christ. Macey loves serving in children's ministries and can usually be found carrying around multiple children at a time. She also loves different cultures and languages. Some of her best memories are mission trips to Guatemala and Zimbabwe, Africa. She loves to sing and play the piano.
Bodey became a follower of Christ in April of 2018. He was seven years old when he recognized his sin problem and his need for a Savior. Bodey came to us one evening and told us he had been asking Jesus to save him. We explained the Gospel, he cleary understood, and believed this Gospel. Bodey loves to play all sports and baseball video games with his Dad. He makes friends everywhere he goes. Bodey has a fun sense of humor and loves to make people laugh. His favorite foods are Pringles, french fries, and candy. He is also not a fan of vegetables.
Our Purpose: Our purpose in Guatemala is to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the unreached and unengaged people's of Guatemala. We are compelled to proclaim this Gospel message of Jesus crucified, buried, and risen to all those living and dying without having heard this message. (Mat 28:19, 1Cor. 15:3-5, 2Cor.5:14-15)
Our Mission: Our Mission in Guatemala is to fulfill the purpose for which God has called us to Chiquimula, Guatemala. To Glorify God through teaching and preaching of the Gospel. Establishing biblical churches, evangelizing, equiping, and enlisting nationals to become pastors, preachers, and missionaries. We have been saved by Gods grace for the purpose of Gods glory among the nations. Our Mission in Guatemala is for the spread of His glory there and ultimately among all the nations.
Our Vision: Our Vision is by faith we see the people's of Chiquimula, Guatemala who have never believed or even heard the message of the gopsel become disciples of of Jesus Christ. To see Christ centered churches showing the love of Christ in there communities and villages. By faith we believe that we will see communities and villages growing in faith and obedience to Christ, churches established, and more missionaries sent out to reach the the nations. By faith ultimately we will see the redeemed from Chiquimula and from all nations worshipping together our Lord in eternity! (Rev. 7:9-10)
Chiquimula is located 106 miles from Guatemala City and faces much poverty.
75+% of the popultion lives in conditions of poverty.
40+% is living in extreme poverty (less than $1.90 a day)
30% of people can neither read or write
Chiquimula state is considered to be a stage 3 of 4 (crisis status)
the average years of schooling for the area is 4
23% of all births in the area belong to teenage mothers
63% of al houses are built with materials such tin and wood.
Guatemala is the most populous country in all of Central America.
Over half the population lives under the poverty line.
Guatemala has the youngest population in Central america, around half of the population is under 19.
60% of the population can neither read or write.
Guatemala has one of the highest crime rates in Central America.
Around 15% of the population lives on less than $1.25 a day.
60% of the population claim to be Roman Catholic
40% claim to be Protestant evangelicals
20% claim to be Pentecostal
The name Guatemala means Land of the Trees.
The first chocolate bar was invented in Guatemala.
There are more than 30 volcanos in Guatemala
Old American school buses live 2nd lives in Guatemala as Chicken buses. (public transportation)
Instant coffee was invented in Guatemala
The longest war in Latin America was the Guatemalan Civil War (1960-1996) killing 200,000 people.