From all of us at Seed2Life International, we sincerely thank you for taking time to read our story.
In April of 2012, during a ministry leaders conference in Tacoma, WA, the vision for Seed2Life International was planted in the heart of our founder and board president, Brian Hetzer – by helping to resource and equip churches and ministries around world, we help them fulfill their God-given purpose to serve others and share the Gospel.
Just a short couple of months later (June 2012) seven friends with a similar passion gathered in Yakima, WA for our first board of directors meeting and officially established Seed2Life International. The initial board of directors included Brian & Debra Hetzer, Joel and Mallory Huibregtse, Mark Hesseltine, Kristi Andring (now Smith), Tamara Ralston, Danielle Beaudry (now Smith) and Chris Cooper.
We envisioned Seed2Life being a catalyst for helping people help people. Not only did we want to equip those on the frontlines of serving those who struggle in their communities, but we also desired Seed2Life to be an easy way for people with resources to share to be able to strategically do that in ways that provide tangible, life-changing impact they can be proud of.
As our Seed2Life story continues to be written, we are excited for the opportunities God brings to partner with Him in restoring hope and transforming lives. As a team, we are in great anticipation for the amazing stories that will continue to be written as we invest into life-changing ministries, missions, and churches all over the globe. Isaiah 58:10 tells us that when we feed the hungry and help those in trouble, it’s then that our light will shine! We are excited for what lies ahead as we help to support what God is already doing around the world to continue shining the Light of Christ into communities.
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Below is a brief of our completed projects/partnerships in chronological order (newest first):
2024
JULY 2024
New Ministry Incubator
- Kate K. entered the first 6-months of the NMI to launch The Olive Branch Connection (homeless restoration & recovery center, Phoenix AZ), including The Beginning of a Vision, Ministry Plan, and Start-Up Phase (logo design, website build & fiscal sponsorship)
Micro-Grants
- Reaching Arizona’s Men (RAM), one of our 2023 Micro-Grant recipients sends a powerful testimony of the impact of the 15-passenger van they purchased from the revenue generated ($22.5K) from the Micro-Grant Fundraising Course. See testimony here.
Strategic Tangible Resources/Bible Kits
- Send 30 adult bible kits (Spanish) and 25 kid bible kits to Harvest Compassion Center (Phoenix, AZ)
Mar 2024
New Ministry Incubator
- Vance M. enters the Start-Up Phase of the NMI to launch The Atlas Experience (ministry leadership retreat and marriage support. including The Beginning of a Vision, Ministry Plan, and Fiscal Sponsorship.
Jan 2024
- Chris D. enters the first 6-month phase of the NMI to launch Freedom 8:36 Ministries, including The Beginning of a Vision, Ministry Plan, and Start-Up Phase (logo design, website build & fiscal sponsorship)
2023
Dec 2023
- Christmas Toy Store. Partnership with 29:11 Church (Tempe, AZ) to serve 52 foster families with lots of love, encouragement, fun and gifts for 159 kids.
- In partnership with Toys for Tots, we were blessed with more toys than 29:11 Church needed, so we were able to partner with Mercy Hill Church (Phoenix, AZ) and provide them 150 gifts for their Christmas Outreach to neighborhood families.
Dec 2023
Partnership with Venture 1:9’s Micro-Grant program to coach & mentor fundraising skills. Provided a $2500 grant to Raising Arizona’s Men (RAM) so they could be part of the program. They serve young men in a group home environment. RAM took our $2500 grant and turned it into $22,300!
Nov 2023
- Makers of Care. NMI course – financial management
- Field & Faith. NMI course – fundraising (micro-grant). Took our $2500 grant and turned it into $17,000!
Sept 2023
- Provided 200 Spanish Bible Kits to Jesus Church (Phoenix AZ) for a mission’s trip to serve the community of Moreles, MX.
- Provided 11 Bible Kits to Fishers of Men Outreach (Phoenix, AZ) for their homeless outreach in S. Phoenix.
- Provided 9 Bible Kits to the Union Gospel Mission (Yakima, WA) as part of their ministry to the homeless.
Feb 2023
Graduated our first New Ministry Incubator class. P82 Project Restoration (Mesa, AZ) is a relatively new ministry that provides care and support for families with members who struggle with mental health issues. It was an honor to walk alongside the P82 team for six months, as they learned sustainable fundraising and good financial management skills and honed in on their mission/vision/values. Great days ahead for P82!
2022
Dec 2022
- Our ‘Ministry in a Box’ pilot program was a success! We provided a Christmas Toy Store ministry plan and consulting to 29:11 Church (Tempe, AZ), helping them to set up a cool toy store on their campus to serve 43 foster families (115 kids total) in a fun, festive, and very relational environment. Each parent was personally guided through a Toy Store experience with goodies, prayer, music, shopping for gifts (free of charge) and gift wrapping. Over 400 gifts were donated by a very generous church body and many volunteers came out to serve foster parents in a really cool way.
Dec 2022
- Completed our first Micro-Grant partnership with Venture 1:9. Seed2Life provided two $2500 micro-grants that were used as ‘seed funds’ for V19 to coach and mentor new ministries in the development and implementation of long/short term fundraising plans. The goal was to help each ministry grow their grant to at least $10K. We are pleased to share that both ministries (P82 & Makers of Care) exceeded expectations. Their combined $5K in grants grew to over $60K!
Nov 2022
- Completed our last Bible Kits assembly and distribution for this year. In 2022, we put together nearly 290 Bible Ktis in English, Spanish and Ukrainian and distributed them to ministries in AZ and WA. Each Bible Kit contains a full bible, ‘start here with Jesus’ devo, plan of salvation bookmark, multi-color pen and a pair of non-prescription reading glasses w/case.
July 2022
- Welcomed P82 Project Restoration as our first new ministry into our New Ministry Incubator program. P82’s mission is to provide care and support for families with members who struggle with mental health issues. We are thrilled to walk alongside P82 over these next six months, helping them to become all God created them to be.
April 2022
- Launched our New Ministry Incubator (NMI) program which provides a six month all-inclusive partnership – offering training, coaching, & mentoring in the areas of fundraising strategies, financial management, vision/strategy/team development, website design & maintenance, logo design, and 501(c)3/fiscal sponsorship coverage. The NMI helps cultivate vision, grow impact and create a thriving mission to see lives changed and transformed by the Gospel.
2021
November 2021
- Strategic Resource offering of Bible Kits to missions teams, missionaries, outreaches, churches, etc., with the focus on new believers and seekers. These Bible Kits include a full Bible, uplifting bookmark, a ‘start here with Jesus’ type booklet and a pair of non-prescription reading glasses with case.
April – October 2021
- Partnership with Postmodern Pulpit (Phoenix, AZ). The Seed2Life board decided to take this time to work with PmP to help us with an outside perspective – a strategic review and refocus of Seed2Life’s mission and vision to ensure that we were on the ‘track’ God intended for our ministry.
May 2021
- Partnership with Quenched, based in Phoenix, AZ. Quenched drills clean water wells in N. India and Nepal for communities/villages in the remote areas where clean, uncontaminated water is non-existent or very limited. Working with indigenous pastors, the Gospel is shared during a well dedication ceremony for each well drilled. Seed2Life was able to sponsor (3) wells.
March 2021
- Partnership with Harvest Compassion Center, Phoenix, AZ. HCC operates three centers that provide food, clothing, baby supplies, toiletries, prayer and bibles for struggling families and the homeless. Seed2Life was able to provide 55 cases of much needed baby diapers and wipes for use in their centers.
2020
November 2020
- Partnership with Heart of the City Band/Ministries, Osseo, MN. We love that we were able to help encourage the people of the Pine Ridge Reservation by providing support to send 80 CDs filled with life-changing worship and testimonies that share the hope and healing Jesus wants to bring into our lives.
October 2020
- Partnership with ACTS Homeless Ministry (Central Christian Church), Mesa, AZ, to provide supplies for their upcoming Fall/Winter outreaches to local homeless and those struggling. Seed2LIfe was able to deliver 60 sleeping bags, 60 coats and blankets and 40 pairs of shoes. This partnership was in memory of Jeffrey Michael Woods.
August 2020
- Partnership with Ridgeways Baptist Church in Nairobi, Kenya to provide bibles for their outreaches, where they see 500-1,000 people accept Christ annually. 340 bibles in Swahili and English were sent to be used as part of their community outreach.
2019
December 2019
- Partnership with Sus Hijos, El Salvador. As part of their 5 Days of Christmas, where they give specific gifts/fill needs of local kids (orphanages, youth detention) and families (they’ve been ministering too), provided funds for the purchase of turkeys, basic needs bags, shoes/socks and party supplies (pinatas).
November 2019
- Partnered with 20+ year missionaries Dan and Christie Reich in Paraguay (S. America). Seed2Life helped purchase 1,000 bibles in the local language that will use in remote villages in Paraguay.
October 2019
- Board of Directors retreat/planning sessions for 2020 and beyond (Chandler, AZ). Team participated in a food packing session at Feed My Starving Children.
2018
October 2018
- partnership with Sus Hijos. Sponsored 50 kids as part of a 600-kid annual Day of the Child celebration in San Salvador, El Salvador. Sus Hijos took a large group of kids from local orphanages and treated them to a day at a water park, food, and a new pair of shoes!
August 2018
- partnership with Extreme Ministries International in Baganga, The Philippines to provide over 300 bibles for their ministry to youth, jails, and remote villages.
July 2018
- partnership with Out of the Ashes to contribute funds toward gifts for the 450 children they sponsor in Christian boarding schools around Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
2017
July 2017
- partnership with Weekend Missions in Rocky Point, MX to provide funds to sponsor 50 local youth to attend the WEM Youth Camp in Rocky Point.
2016
November 2016
- short-term ministry development partnership with Ahtanum Valley Assembly of God church to help them create a food distribution ministry for their local community. Provided a ministry plan (Mobile Manna).
October 2016
- Seed2Life Board of Directors Retreat, Rocky Point, MX. In partnership with Weekend Missions, the Seed2Life board served the people of Rocky Point, building and painting a community playground area. We also spent time together as a Board praying and discussing our past, present, and future goals.
September 2016
- Seed2Life International headquarters officially moved to Chandler, AZ, establishing a new board of directors, welcoming new Treasurer Teri Hunter-Smith and Partnership Development Director Jessica Heidmann.
Approved a short-term partnership with Genesis Project, Apache Junction, AZ. We provided a freezer-less refrigerator for their on-going kitchen support, as they continue to provide 120 – 140 hot meals a day for those in need.
March 2016
- Partnership with Visiting Orphans, Nashville, TN to build a home for a family of 12 in San Salvador; also in cooperation with Starfish Orphan Ministry, Paducah, KY (sent a group of high school/college students) and Sus Hijos (the ministry there in San Salvador). While there, we also worked with kids and adults from six orphanages and distributed lots of food and bibles to the homeless and people living in remote areas.
2014
September 2014
- Partnership with Out of the Ashes, Lebanon, MO. This ministry takes children living in the city dumps of Korah, Ehtiopia and places them in local Christian boarding schools; giving these children hope and a brighter future. Seed2LIfe sent 252 pairs of shoes to the children who had none.
2013
December 2013
- Our first ministry partnership – Madison House, Yakima WA. This ministry is the local Union Gospel Missions Youth center. With 150 dozen cookies and volunteers, helped to serve over 2,000 people with gifts, goodies and a Gospel play – 40 people responded to the Gospel message.
October 2013
- Seed2Life Board of Directors training based on the book, “When Helping Hurts” by Fikkert and Corbett.
March 2013
- Approved for federal charitable non-profit 501(c)3 status.
2012
July 2012
- Development of Seed2Life International begins in Yakima, WA.