After meeting during their freshman year of college, Matt and Robbie instantly became close friends. Both shared the desire to be involved in world evangelization. They began praying together each week at a mission prayer band on campus that God would use them as partners on the mission field. As plans for working together continued, they began praying that God would specifically show them in which country He would have them begin their church planting ministry. During his senior year, Robbie had a roommate from Honduras named Toty Gonzalez. Toty continually mentioned the great need his country had for fundamental churches.

In 2001, Robbie’s girlfriend, Christine, visited a friend named Carolina Aguirre in Honduras for two weeks. During this time God began to create a burden in Christine’s heart for the people of Honduras.

Months later, Matt and Dallita’s pastor, Alan Stewart, met with Matt after church to ask Matt and Dallita to pray about starting churches in Honduras. Pastor Stewart asked them to pray about a particular city he had heard about through a friend of his daughter. This friend was Carolina, the same girl that God used to put Honduras on Christine’s heart.

Excited to see God continually bring this country to the forefront of their minds, Matt and Dallita made a survey trip for ten days in July 2002 to Honduras. This trip helped confirm that God was indeed calling the group to Honduras.

In August 2003, Matt and Robbie took a survey trip to Honduras to take a look at different areas of the country, and to locate the solid, gospel-preaching churches. Their goal was to plant a fundamental, Bible-believing church in an area that had none.

Matt and Robbie made a final survey trip in late August 2004 to make preparations for moving to Honduras. They came to the conclusion that they would start the first church in El Progreso, Honduras, an area with an estimated population of 180,000 people.

The Goins family arrived in Honduras in December 2004 and the Ellis family arrived in January 2005. At the present time, both families are living in El Progreso, Honduras and working in Iglesia Bautista El Faro, the first church plant.