About Radical

what’s so radical about radical?

There are many non-government organizations out there, each doing great works.

Radical Missions was founded with the belief that people need a hand-up, not a hand out. We believe that when you empower one person with the skills they need to succeed, they will in turn help their fellow man. Together, many hands generate real, lasting change.

We partner with local communities in Guatemala to create life-transforming opportunities that lift all out of poverty. We believe that these long-term projects are how we can share the love of Jesus Christ with all lives we touch.

a radical approach for radical results

We understand that real, lasting change begins by addressing the root cause of poverty: hunger, health and lack of education. Each person we help through Radical Missions is part of a larger community, a village. Radical Missions helps people, who in turn help villages. This lifts everyone. We pray that eventually, God will use our humble gestures and work to impact the entire country of Guatemala.

Our mission is radical. Our work is not easy. Many challenges face each project that comes our way. But with lots of prayer, and the help of our sponsors... we overcome challenges every day to build stronger leaders and achieve lasting success one life at a time.

about us

At Radical Missions, we do not believe in fancy titles. We don’t believe in large salaries. We believe that we are simply the hands and feet of our Lord Jesus Christ and as such are charged with using every dollar wisely to maximize efforts all to God’s glory.

Matthew 6:19-21 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Stephen and Shelley Cassar
CEO

Stephen and Shelley Cassar are entrepreneurs that believe in using socio-economic disruption to give those less fortunate an opportunity to help themselves to a better future. Married since 1997, they fell in love with the Guatemalan people on a mission trip in 2009 and were moved to help. They are unpaid volunteers at Radical Missions, helping run the USA-side of the operations and programs. They live in San Diego, California with their three children.

Michael and Kristy Pinion
Board Members

For Kristy's 50th birthday, Michael surprised her in 2013 with a mission trip to Guatemala and a chance to meet their sponsored child, Mishell Ruth, for the very first time. Kristy fell in love with Mishell and when Patty and Tim needed someone to stay with her while they went to the states, Kristy gladly agreed. The relationship between Kristy and Mishell has flourished since and both Michael and Kristy have come to Guatemala every year since. Married since 1983, Michael and Kristy are board members. They live in Coweta, Oklahoma.

Kevin and Michelle Silye
Board Members

Michelle was paired with Patty as her translator on her first trip to Guatemala. This began their strong friendship for many years. Michelle was a hairdresser in the states and came down to give Michael his first haircut. Michelle continued to come to Guatemala every year after on mission trips. Michelle and Kevin spent their honeymoon with the Ruths in Guatemala. Because of the strong friendship with Patty and Michelle, becoming board members was a must. Kevin and Michelle have been married since 2013 and live in Covington, Georgia.

Tim and Patty Ruth
Missionaries in Guatemala

Tim and Patty Ruth have been missionaries in Guatemala since 2004 and have been married since 2006.

They work alongside the villagers, demonstrating patience, love and kindness to all they meet, implementing programs and undertaking projects many say are impossible to achieve.

They live in Guatemala with their three children. Tim is originally from Tampa, Florida.

why Guatemala?

If you ever have a chance to visit the beautiful country of Guatemala, you will probably know the answer to this question. A 36-year civil war that ended in 1996 destroyed 450 Mayan villages, killed 200,000 people and displaced well over a million people. Although the country is now stable, it has been very difficult for the native Mayan villagers to recover from the devastation. Work is scarce, clean water, quality protein, and basic essentials, even scarcer.

Our impoverished brothers and sisters south of the border do not want a hand-out. They want an opportunity to create a better future for themselves. Many Guatemalan women are highly skilled artisans and craftspeople in their own right. This pride in workmanship is evident in the markets in Antigua and other parts of Guatemala. Their work is truly breathtaking.

There are four distinct ethnic groups in Guatemala:

• Maya - native people of the country, descendants from the Mesoamerican population that lived there before the Spanish conquest. Many people, mostly women still dress with their traditional clothing. To date there are 21 Maya languages still in use

• Xinca - also native people but not descendants from the Maya. They live in the southern portion of the country, near El Salvador. Their language is not commonly spoken today.

• Ladinos - Ladinos or Mestizos are Spanish speaking people from a mixture of Maya and Spanish descent. Most live in major cities, on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and in the department of Peten.

• Garifuna - a mix of African, Arawak and Carib. They live mostly in the Atlantic coast specially in Livingston and Puerto Barrios. Most people speak Spanish and the Garifuna language, a mixture of Arawak, Carib, French and English.

We work with dozens of Maya and Ladino villages and organizations to implement programs and help them build infrastructure for real changes that positively impact many for years to come.

We have boots on the ground in Guatemala and have invested a decade building relationships with local leaders, coffee producers, farmers, craftspeople, religious bodies, municipal governments, and national government and regulatory organizations.

statement of faith

Radical Missions is not affiliated with any single church or denomination.

We believe that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the inspired, infallible Word of God. We believe that God exists eternally in three separate persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit and is the sovereign Creator of all things. We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, that He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, provided for the atonement of our sins through His death on the Cross. We believe that he was resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit and ascended back to the right hand of God the Father where he lives to make intercession for us as we await His second coming.

We believe that after Jesus ascended to Heaven, He poured out His Holy Spirit on the believers in Jerusalem, enabling them to fulfill His command to preach the Gospel to the entire world, an obligation shared by all believers today.

We believe that all people are separated from God and responsible for their own sin, but that salvation, redemption, and forgiveness are freely offered to all by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. When a person repents of sin and accepts Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord, trusting Him to save, that person is immediately born again and sealed by the Holy Spirit, all their sins are forgiven, and that person becomes a child of God, destined to spend eternity with the Lord. We believe the only true basis of Christian fellowship is Christ’s (Agape) love, which is greater than any differences we possess, and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians. We believe that God created man and that He created them male and female. As such He created them different to complement and complete each other. We believe that God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society.

Our faith motivates us to holy living, heartfelt worship, committed service, diligent study of God’s Word, regular fellowship, participation in adult baptism by immersion and Holy Communion.