MEET THE ZAVALAS
Otniel and I began this journey together in 2017 when our paths crossed as we were both serving in Honduras with World Gospel Outreach. It's interesting, when we align our wills and plans with the Lord's how He gifts us with the desires of our hearts. (Ps. 37:4) My (Rachel's) desire has been and continues to be to pursue God in my personal relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, following His calling in my life, loving people and sharing the good news of the Gospel message, enjoying the beauty of Christian community, and desiring a lifelong partner, friend, and confidant who I can serve alongside and share this journey of life with. Although we met later in life (I was 31 and Otniel was 38), God's timing was perfect! Let's be honest, it always is! So here we are today, Otniel as the Field Director for WGO Honduras and I am the Child Sponsorship Coordinator for WGOKids, partnering together in ministry to build one another up as we pursue the calling that God has placed in our hearts to do.
ABOUT OTNIEL
I came to WGO in the summer of 2015 when I stepped into the role as Mission House Director. Up to this time I had been praying for the last couple of years for the Lord to show me what His plans for me entailed. For over sixteen years I worked independently providing professional interpretation services for foreign and local government agencies, NGO's and private companies. I had also been actively involved in teaching and managing a non-profit Christian bilingual school, which my family started in the year 2000, and I was part of the board of directors of a Christian foundation, Better Life Honduras.
I was born into a Christian family here in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. My parents grew up in the rural country, having an opportunity to receive an education from a Christian boarding school here in Honduras run by missionaries. By experiencing the difficulties of obtaining an education, and more so, a solid Christian education here in this country, they developed a desire to do something to provide the same opportunity for families in need. Growing up I saw their desire to help others and saw how hard they worked to provide this opportunity for us, which instilled in me a heart to serve.
My siblings and I were able to attend a Christian bilingual school and my parents had us practice our English at home in hopes that in the future this skill would open up doors for us. Having developed this language skill helped me work as a professional for many years. Growing up in a Christian home formed my desire to follow the Lord and serve him where he leads. It is this desire to serve that drove me to want to be a part of what WGO does here in Honduras. In 2016, I accepted the position to become Field Director for WGO Honduras, overseeing operations both at the Mission House and Rancho Ebenezer.
In my time with WGO, I have felt God molding and growing me in many areas in my life. I realize that God's plan is far greater than what I could have imagined. In such a little time, God has opened doors for new opportunities. Not only in the role of Field Director, but the Lord has answered a prayer that had been in my heart for a long time. He has brought me who would become my wife. Together, we have both seen God's promises in Psalms 37:4 and Jeremiah 29:11 come true in our lives. As we continue to do life and ministry together, we are excited to see all the good things God will do in our future as we seek to serve Honduras for Christ.
I was born into a Christian family here in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. My parents grew up in the rural country, having an opportunity to receive an education from a Christian boarding school here in Honduras run by missionaries. By experiencing the difficulties of obtaining an education, and more so, a solid Christian education here in this country, they developed a desire to do something to provide the same opportunity for families in need. Growing up I saw their desire to help others and saw how hard they worked to provide this opportunity for us, which instilled in me a heart to serve.
My siblings and I were able to attend a Christian bilingual school and my parents had us practice our English at home in hopes that in the future this skill would open up doors for us. Having developed this language skill helped me work as a professional for many years. Growing up in a Christian home formed my desire to follow the Lord and serve him where he leads. It is this desire to serve that drove me to want to be a part of what WGO does here in Honduras. In 2016, I accepted the position to become Field Director for WGO Honduras, overseeing operations both at the Mission House and Rancho Ebenezer.
In my time with WGO, I have felt God molding and growing me in many areas in my life. I realize that God's plan is far greater than what I could have imagined. In such a little time, God has opened doors for new opportunities. Not only in the role of Field Director, but the Lord has answered a prayer that had been in my heart for a long time. He has brought me who would become my wife. Together, we have both seen God's promises in Psalms 37:4 and Jeremiah 29:11 come true in our lives. As we continue to do life and ministry together, we are excited to see all the good things God will do in our future as we seek to serve Honduras for Christ.
ABOUT RACHEL
I'm a sunflower girl, born and raised in Lawrence, KS where I grew up in a Christian home. My parents instilled in me a desire to love and serve God with all of my heart. Little did they know where this would take me years later... This faith in the Lord, coupled with a passion for music and a desire to work with children carried me on a journey 2,637 miles south to Tegucigalpa, Honduras as a passionate 25 year old ready to experience the adventure that awaited.
I moved to Honduras in the summer of 2009 when I signed a two year commitment for a missionary teaching position at Ebenezer Academy with WGO. By the time my commitment was drawing to an end, I had already fallen in love with this beautiful country and the precious children and continued teaching for another three years after that. In 2014, I accepted a position as the Child Sponsorship Coordinator for our WGOKids program. I continue to serve in this way, raising awareness for the children we are raising and caring for through our children's home, Rancho Ebenezer.
Prior to moving to Honduras, I was living in Nashville, TN and working for a sales company. I had studied music ministry from Ozark Christian College, and an internship took me to Nashville in 2007. Upon completing the internship, an opportunity arose to work in sales. After a year or so, I began to reflect and came to the conclusion that working in sales wasn't what I desired to do long term. I felt that God had placed a calling in my heart to do more for Him. This led me to pursue a ministry opportunity where my gifting, experiences, and heart to serve the Lord could flourish.
You could say that I've always been a little more adventurous. I think God molded me this way to give me the courage to move to a foreign land (a third world country in Central America) without fear as a single woman in her twenties, in passionate pursuit of spreading His love to those in need. After six years of serving as a single missionary, I met the man who would later become my husband. I prayed, surrendered, and trusted the Lord with the deepest desire of my heart, and in His perfect timing, he brought me Otniel. Together we share the same vision, passion, drive and heart for ministering to people. He is so much more than I could have ever dreamed.
Outside of WGO, Otniel and I are actively involved in our church worship ministry, we love to travel and experience new places and foods, coffee... because Honduras as the greatest coffee, taking pictures, trying new recipes, experimenting with new hairstyles (that's me, not so much Otniel!), we have lots of dogs and really just love doing life together!
I moved to Honduras in the summer of 2009 when I signed a two year commitment for a missionary teaching position at Ebenezer Academy with WGO. By the time my commitment was drawing to an end, I had already fallen in love with this beautiful country and the precious children and continued teaching for another three years after that. In 2014, I accepted a position as the Child Sponsorship Coordinator for our WGOKids program. I continue to serve in this way, raising awareness for the children we are raising and caring for through our children's home, Rancho Ebenezer.
Prior to moving to Honduras, I was living in Nashville, TN and working for a sales company. I had studied music ministry from Ozark Christian College, and an internship took me to Nashville in 2007. Upon completing the internship, an opportunity arose to work in sales. After a year or so, I began to reflect and came to the conclusion that working in sales wasn't what I desired to do long term. I felt that God had placed a calling in my heart to do more for Him. This led me to pursue a ministry opportunity where my gifting, experiences, and heart to serve the Lord could flourish.
You could say that I've always been a little more adventurous. I think God molded me this way to give me the courage to move to a foreign land (a third world country in Central America) without fear as a single woman in her twenties, in passionate pursuit of spreading His love to those in need. After six years of serving as a single missionary, I met the man who would later become my husband. I prayed, surrendered, and trusted the Lord with the deepest desire of my heart, and in His perfect timing, he brought me Otniel. Together we share the same vision, passion, drive and heart for ministering to people. He is so much more than I could have ever dreamed.
Outside of WGO, Otniel and I are actively involved in our church worship ministry, we love to travel and experience new places and foods, coffee... because Honduras as the greatest coffee, taking pictures, trying new recipes, experimenting with new hairstyles (that's me, not so much Otniel!), we have lots of dogs and really just love doing life together!