How Short-Term Teams can Change you
Across 16 short-term trips with Metanoia Missions and One Collective, 45 people chose to be baptized during or soon after going. A few of their stories, and what shifted in them.
How to Have Long-term Impact
Phil and Debbie Douce spent more than 40 years with vulnerable kids, from foster care in Missouri to street boys and trafficked girls in Quito, Ecuador. Why depth of relationship matters more than scale.
Presence and Partnership
Rachel and Alonso Silva have spent eight years in Santiago, Chile, building trusted friendships with youth in state group homes. Now the government has written their program into its care plans.
How a Week in Nicaragua Changed How I Live
Lauren Ebert said yes to a trip to Masatepe, Nicaragua, at the last minute, knowing no one on the team. She expected roofing projects and found people whose faith reshaped how she gives and lives.
What Does it Take for Transformation to Spread from One Community to Another?
After a decade in Masatepe, Nicaragua, much of the work is now locally led. That foundation is opening a new chapter in neighboring Ticuantepe, with Papagayo farm as the base and a Catalyst needed to lead it.
The Difference Long-Term Partnership Makes
Long-term partnerships are where lasting change happens, but starting one well is hard. How a church, business or university can come alongside a specific community without taking it over.
See Partnership In Action
Mars Hill Church in Mobile, Alabama went to Masatepe, Nicaragua to listen first. A farm, a recovery center and local pastors running the work show what that partnership built, even through 2018’s unrest.
Cultivating Long-Term Relationships
Christian Fellowship Church in Columbia, Missouri has walked with Quito, Ecuador for 20 years and is now sister church to a congregation in Uzhhorod, Ukraine. Michael Acock on why depth beats trip count.
Finding Genuine Connection: Gabriel Garcia’s Journey in Ecuador
Gabe Garcia went to Shandia, Ecuador expecting to build things and came home thinking about how well he knew the people he served. What barefoot kids and cheerful home repairs taught him about connection.
Discovering Deeper Purpose: Noah Swanson’s Journey
Noah Swanson has been to Masatepe, Nicaragua three times in four years. On this trip shared meals, music and friendships with local youth mattered more than projects, and his prayer life changed at home.
Working Together to See the Invisible
Rachel and Alonso Silva coordinate volunteers from 10 churches to mentor young people in state care in Santiago, Chile. Yanira, who entered protection at 12, is beginning to see her own worth.
Empowering Communities for Exponential Change
Aaron Passmore in Quito, Ecuador on why the work starts with relationship and a safe place to grow, and why no one should be the hero. Healthy people make healthy community, and that community makes more.
Opening the Door for Lasting Change
Kimberly was selling drugs at nine and in prostitution at twelve so her sisters could eat. In Quito, Ecuador, she found Debbie’s ministry, and during lockdown she helped deliver food to women no one else remembered.
Shared Vision & Sustainable Ministry
When 2018 protests forced American staff out of Masatepe, Nicaragua, Leonel and 25 Nicaraguan colleagues kept every project running. Brandon Weidman on why building local leaders first made that possible.
Listening to Local Leaders
Leaders in Masatepe, Nicaragua asked what Jesus would do as mayor of their town. Beto’s Coffee Co, built with artisan Don Beto Flores, is one answer: a social enterprise that grew from a few jobs to national renown.