HOLA Ministry: The First Steps
Our journey began in 2005 in Conover, North Carolina. As a family, we shared a deep vision for Christian mission work specifically, a desire to serve as a bridge connecting different communities.
When we shared this heart for ministry with our pastor, the seed for HOLA Ministry was planted.
He directed us to Centro Latino, a network of churches and congregations in nearby Hickory. That is where we met the Director. She welcomed us with open arms, and we instantly bonded over our shared Argentinian roots. What started as a few hours of dreaming and brainstorming turned into an unexpected blessing: she offered to rent her house to us, quickly becoming both our landlady and a lifelong friend.
Over time, word about HOLA Ministry (originally Heart Outreach in Latin America) began to spread.
The local Latino community already knew our family well through our daily lives and work. Back then, we were balancing English classes with our sign-making business, which was the main financial engine supporting our family of five.
HOLA Ministry in Action: Photos, Videos & More
Time to Grow
Step by step, we felt God leading us to expand our ministry in several beautiful ways.
We began partnering with local churches to meet the community's needs, launching a Bilingual Sunday School, a Bilingual Cub Scouts troop (BSA), and ESL (English as a Second Language) classes at Tri-City Baptist Church, as well as additional ESL classes at Calvary Baptist.
We also continued our outreach programs through Centro Latino in Hickory.
As more people joined the ministry—both to serve and to receive support—we clearly felt God guiding us toward a new milestone: opening a dedicated space where we could help people every single day of the week.
True to His word, the Lord provided. For an entire year, we were given a space behind a Baptist church in the Hickory area. Bringing together volunteers and congregations from many different denominations, the Lord opened the very first HOLA Ministry Community Center in North Carolina.
Through the center, we were able to offer vital resources, including:
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Education & Skills: Music classes, graphic design, and computer skills training.
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Community Care: Free food distributions and school supplies.
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Health & Wellness: A free medical clinic providing essential healthcare and medicines.
At the exact same time, HOLA Ministry began expanding its reach, partnering with two additional congregations in Conover and Taylorsville, North Carolina.
HOLA Ministry in Action: Photos, Videos & More
Big Leap of Faith
Following a deeply blessed year at our Community Center in Hickory, we faced a season of heartbreak: the time came when we had to close the center's doors. Yet, while the building was gone, the profound needs of the community remained. Driven by our calling, we kept pressing forward to find a new home for HOLA Ministry. God faithfully opened a new door, leading us to a welcoming Baptist church in Taylorsville.
We weren't walking this path alone. Working beautifully as a team, the House of Hope in Hickory stepped alongside us, partnering to sustain the food bank and provide for the everyday needs of the people. It was a time of immense blessing, even in transition.
But God was already preparing our family for a massive new challenge.
Years prior, the Lord had placed a specific word on Leo’s heart: to go and share the Gospel with "our people and nation." For us, that nation was Spain. Though our family—the Gonzalez Perez family—is originally from Argentina, our missionary journey had already taken us across borders. We had moved to the mission field of Peru in 1999, and the Lord subsequently led us to the United States from 2001 to 2008.
Now, HOLA Ministry’s focus shifted toward a new horizon. In 2008, obeying that long-held vision, we took a massive leap of faith from the USA to Málaga, Spain, ready to see how the Lord would use us to bridge communities once again.
HOLA Ministry in Action: Photos, Videos & More
Let’s Work Together
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