Since the early 1990s, we’ve sought to plant gospel-centered churches in the heart of Guatemala. We work with local pastors and congregations in the U. S. and Guatemala, creating partnerships that last a lifetime for an impact that lasts an eternity.

Our Mission

Our mission is to walk beside local pastors to plant churches in Guatemala while forming lasting partnerships with churches in the United States.

Our HIstory

The Early Days

Our story starts in a deer stand in Northeast Arkansas. In the late 1980s, Gary Fulton was pastoring a church in Paragould, Arkansas. He began to sense a call to go to the nations, particularly Central America, and fully realized this calling while deer hunting one day. His wife, Susan, felt the same call, and they were sent as missionaries by the International Mission Board (IMB) to Guatemala in 1992. Gary, Susan, and their five children left the comforts of the Bible belt to embark on an 8-year adventure in Guatemala, a country that was on the heels of a horrific civil war. They were motivated by the power of the gospel and empowered by the Holy Spirit during their ministry in Guatemala. The Fulton family soon planted Iglesia Bautista Central in Salama, a city in Baja Verapaz, Guatemala. During their ministry in Guatemala, they experienced joy in the birth of their sixth child, a growing and successful church, and a lifelong partnership with a local pastor named Mateo Alvarado. In 1999, the Fulton family returned to Arkansas, and left the church in the capable hands of Pastor Mateo. Pastor Gary and Pastor Mateo experienced a relationship akin to Paul and Timothy.

1999-2017

Pastor Mateo continued to oversee the church in Salama in its day-to-day ministries, while Gary and Susan began to forge partnerships with churches in Arkansas. The churches in Arkansas would bring several teams down each year in order to help support the church-planting work in and around Baja Verapaz. These churches helped to build several physical church buildings, but more importantly, helped in building God’s kingdom through faithful gospel proclamation and Bible teaching. In 2015, the Fultons launched Love Beyond Borders, a ministry that exists to partner with local churches to further the gospel and plant churches in Central America.

2018-Now

With the launch of Love Beyond Borders, Gary and Susan were busier than ever, leading many trips each year to Central America, and partnering with many new churches in the United States. However, in the late summer of 2018, Gary learned that he needed a major heart surgery. The surgery was scheduled for the fall, and took place on September 26, 2018. The surgery did not go as planned, and Gary finished his earthly race on October 11, 2018, surrounded by his family. Gary left a legacy of faithfulness to God’s Word, love for his family and neighbors, and a gospel fervor evidenced by his desire to reach the nations. His legacy continues on through the work of Love Beyond Borders, now led by his oldest children, Stephen and Elizabeth, and Susan. Love Beyond Borders is still just as committed to reaching the lost, planting churches, and partnering with local churches, and would love to partner with you.

What the Lord has Done

Highlights 2024:

This year we have had seven trips so far and have a medical trip coming up in October. We had a busy summer and worked in several different villages doing evangelism and revival meetings. We saw over 200 people decide to follow Jesus!  We worked with churches and groups from Williams Baptist University, South County Baptist Church, Maple Grove Baptist Church, Farmington First Baptist Church, Harvest Baptist Church, Central Baptist Church, and First Baptist Church Rector!

Highlights 2021:

This year we were only able to take 3 teams to Guatemala due to continued covid restrictions.  We had 2 Evangelism teams in the summer. They worked in El Progresso, where we saw 26 people make professions of faith and in El Aguacate, where 41 people made professions of faith. In October we had a Medical Team go to Guatemala and they worked in the village of Pacux. The doctors saw and treated 345 people and the dentists treated 115 people. There were 72 people who made professions of faith during the medical clinic and 16 who rededicated their lives to the Lord. Everyone who is seen in the Medical Clinic receives the care of a doctor or dentist and also gets to hear a gospel presentation. God is so Good! This year we have seen a total of 139 people make professions of faith!

Highlights 2020:

The Ministry in Guatemala has been able to continue during this pandemic, thanks to your continued financial support and your love for the people of Guatemala and the work there. Many of you have donated to help specifically with Covid relief and relief after Hurricane Eta. These donations have played a huge roll in the continuation of the ministry. The food and necessities that were purchased with this money have helped to open many doors for pastor Mateo, his family, pastors of other churches, deacons and church members to continue to minister within the strict guidelines set by the government. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 45 people have prayed to receive Christ, 13 people have rededicated their lives to Christ and every single person who received food and supplies heard the gospel.

After Hurricane Eta, the church in Salama joined together with the
Guatemala Baptist Convention to help provide for those who were most affected by the hurricane, which was San Cristobal Alta Verapaz, a city that is less than twelvemiles from Tactic, the city where the teams who work in Alta Verapaz stay. Pastor Mateo and the Church in Salama have also continued to provide Covid relief for those in the area who are suffering and in need. The ministry in Salama has changed a lot this year and has been more focused on use of the internet and audio recordings so that the church is still hearing the Word of God. Pastor Mateo and Jairo were able to continue with Sunday services online in light of the government curfews. 

Highlights 2019:

Thank you so much for supporting Love Beyond Borders this year! We have
seen a total of 297 professions of faith, 63 rededications, and Bible studies started in several new villages in Guatemala through the 9 teams that took trips and the work of local missionaries in Guatemala. 

In October we had our yearly Medical Trip. The team was comprised of 17
individuals from several different churches in Arkansas. They worked in Tzalám which is a Pocomchi village that is not easily accessible. The team traveled to and from the village daily in the back of four-wheel drive trucks. The village was so grateful for the excellent medical and dental care and for the medicines they received free of charge. The doctors were able to attend to 460 people’s medical needs and the dentists attended to the dental needs of 122 people.
Many thanks to those who gave generously of their time and talents to make
this trip possible. Also, thanks to Brown’s Chapel BC and Blessings International for providing medicines. Several people walked miles over the mountain from Chicholom to present the gospel to each person who passed through the clinic. 44 people prayed to receive Christ!

Highlights 2017:

10 trips to Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and a vision trip to Mexico. We saw and treated 1,149 men, women, and children in Medical and Eye clinics. We saw over 510 people follow Christ! 

A few highlights from 2016:

13 trips to to Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Rep.  60 New Pastors/Church Planters trained in Nicaragua. We saw 632 individuals choose to follow Christ!

Over the past 8 years, we have been a part of starting 15+ new works.

Over the past 15 years we have seen the Gospel shared with over 10,000 people, and we have seen over 4,000 make decisions to follow Jesus.