The 4 Stages of Growth at AMI Cobán Mission Center:

This year is a season of ESTABLISHING and EXPANDING—laying foundations for new ministries while strengthening and multiplying others. Though leading a diverse set of ministries comes with challenges, we see God’s hand at work in every stage. Our guiding principle has always been to let God lead His ministry: relying on the Holy Spirit for wisdom and direction.

Rather than just sharing recent updates, we want to give you a big-picture view of our ministries—their current stages and how you can pray for them. Thank you for walking this journey with us

Stage 1: Start-Up

Experimenting, Laying Foundations, Trial and Error

The start-up stage characterized much of our first five years in Guatemala as we learned the culture, launched ministries, and built Iglesia La Gracia and AMI International School. This stage was full of excitement but also challenges—trial and error, learning from failures, and trusting God to open the right doors. Now, as those ministries mature, we are incubating new initiatives:

• Hospital Ministry – Mobilizing church members to bring prayer, comfort, and care to patients and families at the local public hospital. We met with two church members this week that are passionate about leading this ministry, and know of many others that have shared a desire to reach out to hospital patients and family members that often have to wait hours outside the hospital just to be let in for a visit or to receive an update.

• Special Needs Program at AMI International School – Currently serving three Kinder and Prekinder neurodivergent students, we hope to equip our teachers with more resources and training and hopefully expand our program to more children as we develop expertise and resources. We are in the process of establishing a new branch of AMI International School, "Opportunities for Nurturing Education," (ONE) a program designed to meet the needs of our neurodivergent students and also those in the community that have no access to proper help and education.

• AMI Academy – Led by Executive Pastor Katey Erickson, this after-school program now serves over 40 students from our village public school that are at threat of failing their grade. We provide intensive tutoring and academic support, as well as enrichment classes such as music and English. In 2024, even though we started the program late in local school year, 80% of these students passed the grade! We are excited to see the academic growth and progress that can be attained with a full year of AMI Academy!

• Village Outreach - As other areas of the ministry are more established and don't require so much of our time and effort, we are now in the process of resuming and continuing our village outreach ministries that we put on pause in order to focus on the school and church. We are excited for the new doors into new villages that God is opening for us and for the opportunity for our church to now come alongside of us and be part of those evangelistic and outreach events! 

Prayer Requests:

• That God would establish strong foundations for these new ministries.

• For leaders and teachers to be equipped and trained to sustain these ministries.

• For wisdom as we navigate the challenges of early growth and for key decisions to be made.

Stage 2: Build

Maturing, Training, Investing, and Equipping Leaders.

Once a ministry has taken root and we sense God’s direction, it’s time to strengthen, refine, and build for long-term impact. Our two largest ministries are now in this phase:

• AMI International School – With a solid reputation and strong spiritual and academic results, we are now focused on strengthening programs, curriculum, and teacher training. Recruiting and developing committed Christian educators remains a top priority.

• Iglesia La Gracia – We thank God for a stable and growing church, but there is still work to be done in discipleship, spiritual maturity, and leadership development. We have growing women's, men's, teens and life group ministries through the church that have been at the heart of driving community and drawing people closer to Him!

Prayer Requests:

• As Stephanie takes on more administration roles at AMIIS prayer for our marriage as we work together even more closely.

• For unity, endurance, and patience as we transition from short-term to long-term stability.

• For spiritual maturity within Iglesia La Gracia. Jon is preaching a sermon series on Nehemiah, with the theme of redeeming our world for God's kingdom.

• For continued growth in both faith and academics among students and teachers at AMI International School.

Stage 3: Multiplying

Expanding, Creating systems, and Developing Leadership. 

This year marks a turning point in our Village Outreach and Short-Term Missions (STM) efforts. We just received approval from AMI (our sending mission) to strategically use STM teams to reach more villages and impact more people. In the past, hosting short-term teams has been challenging—we had to pause other ministries when teams arrived. However, with this new direction, we have hired a dedicated leader to oversee village outreach and STM coordination. This will allow us to maintain our existing ministries and expand our village outreaches and STMs.

• Prayer Requests:

  • Boldness and courage as we step into this expansion.

  • Wisdom in relationship-building, logistics and planning, as village outreach and short term teams have many moving parts.

  • Strength for the team, as we navigate the challenges of reaching remote communities.

    
    

    

    
    

Stage 4: Legacy

Institutionalizing, Formalizing, and Maintaining Impact

We are not yet in this phase for most ministries, but Children’s Church is the closest. Since 2017, our Wednesday Bible Club and Sunday services have been a pillar of our ministry—discipling young hearts, teaching the Gospel, and providing a foundation of faith. This is also led by executive pastor, Katey Erickson!

Prayer Requests:

• That this ministry would continue to transform lives for generations to come.

• For faithful leaders and volunteers to sustain and grow the work.

• That children would encounter the deep love of Jesus in a world that often feels broken.

Thank you for praying with us! We are so grateful for your prayers and support. Your partnership allows these ministries to grow, flourish, and impact lives. Thank you for standing with us as we establish, build, and multiply the work God has called us to!