The creation of Missions of Love and Hope, a(501c3 charity) began after I, Theodoros Karamatskos, was invited by Archbishop Nikiforos to visit the Republic of Congo, to help and see the needs of the indigenous people of the Congo. I spent three weeks with Him. His invitation sparked my interest in missionary work, and I later connected with the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) and participated in short term mission trips to Guatemala and Kenya. My wife, Eleni and I participated in a two-week mission trip to Nuevo Concepcion, Guatemala, where we worked to rehab a building, and create a medical clinic. We both found missionary work very exciting and personally rewarding.