A Heart for the Harvest

In 1978, Garry and Kathy Eudy packed their bags and headed to Central America as International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries. For nearly two decades, they poured their lives into local churches across Latin America before returning home to pastor in the States.

By 2009, Garry was looking ahead toward retirement. But God had other plans.

Garry felt a deep, undeniable pull back to international missions. Around that time, mission strategies were shifting. Missionaries were moving into unreached areas across the globe—a noble and necessary work. However, this left a gap in places like Panama, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. Local Baptist churches in Central America were growing, but they were short on resources, training, and hands-on help to complete the work of discipling their communities.

The harvest was great, but the laborers were few. Garry realized that everyday believers—pastors, college students, and church members from North America—could step right into that gap.

“Whatever He says, ‘Do’, whenever He says, ‘Move’, wherever He says, ‘Go’, we will obey.”

Simple Beginnings

What started as a simple idea for a retirement ministry quickly grew into something much bigger.

In 2010, a team of 30 volunteers from Central Baptist Church in Douglasville, Georgia, took a leap of faith and traveled to Guatemala. They ran medical clinics and helped train 225 local pastors.

Seeing how God moved through that first trip, E3 Volunteers (now VBI) was formally born in 2011 with a simple focus: Equip, Engage, and Empower.

• Equip: Preparing local churches and volunteers with the tools they need for ministry.
• Engage: Sending short-term teams, summer college missionaries, and long-term workers into the field.
• Empower: Raising up national leaders so Central American churches can lead, plant churches, and reach the unreached on their own.

When Travel Stopped, God Kept Moving

By 2019, E3 Volunteers had facilitated over 60 team trips and helped form more than 50 direct church-to-church partnerships. We had 90 trips on the calendar for 2020.

Then the pandemic hit, and global travel came to a sudden halt.

Yet, God used that challenging season in a powerful way:

• Relief for Families: While travel was paused, stateside partner churches gave generously. Local Guatemalan pastors stepped up to feed thousands of hungry families and distribute medical supplies for over six months.
• A Broader Vision: With no travel scheduled, our leadership met with Baptist convention presidents across Central America. What started in Guatemala expanded into a movement spanning six Central American countries.

The Work Today

What began as one couple’s obedience has grown into a network connecting churches from Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and beyond with local believers across Central America.

We work hand-in-hand with state conventions—like the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and Georgia Baptist Mission Board—and national conventions in Latin America. Together, we build real, lasting partnerships rooted in the authority of the Bible and a shared love for Jesus.

Central America is a beautiful region of stark contrasts—majestic volcanic mountains, rich coffee plantations, and warm, welcoming people. Yet, many families face deep poverty, and while Christianity is known, many have never experienced the personal love of Christ or been discipled by a believer.

God is raising up a new generation of young leaders, translators, college students, and local pastors to carry this work forward. We used to be surprised by how fast God expanded this ministry—now, we’re just amazed.

The Harvest is Expanding: Beyond Central America

God isn’t done expanding this story. While our heart remains deeply rooted in Central America, He is opening doors across new continents and time zones. We are now actively extending our church-to-church partnerships into Kenya and Spain. From the heart of Africa to the streets of Europe, we are seeing the exact same need: local churches hungry for encouragement, and communities waiting to hear the Gospel. As God broadens our footprint, our core mission stays the same—equipping everyday believers and empowering national leaders to finish the task of the Great Commission, wherever He leads.

Ready to Join the Journey?

Whether you’re a church looking for a long-term mission partner, a college student seeking a summer of purpose, or a donor looking to invest in national leaders, there is a place for you in this story.