Meet Gabriel

Meet Gabriel.

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Gabriel is our staff barber, handyman, one of our assistant coaches, chauffeur, brother, uncle, and father… A man with many hats. Gabriel is no stranger to hard work as he started out working in construction at the age of 8, followed by many other stints in bricklaying, fishing, and as an “electrician”, to name a few. When we met Gabriel he was in a tough place. He had dabbled in drugs while working the tomato and berry farms, and was stuck addicted to alcohol.

After years of seeing MARKED around town and his sisters and wife working with us, Gabriel dared to share his dream of becoming a barber with us. And we decided to take a chance on him.

After a year of hard work, not only did Gabriel receive his certification as a barber, but he also recently got his drivers license!

He has put in hours every Saturday for a year, going to the city for school (an over 2 hour bus ride each way), countless hours during the week practicing free haircuts for the kids and young adults in the community.

We spoke with Gabriel about his next big dream, and he said it is to have a barbershop of his own, train up other young adults in the profession and continue to partner with MARKED in empowering the community.

He said when asked what he wants to be when he grows up, even though we just celebrated his 27 birthday, he said “I want to be like Carlos.” His son turned around without skipping a beat, “Papi yo quiero ser como tu cuando soy grande.”--  (Papi I want to be like you when I am big). How sweet is that.

A MARKED Christmas Part 2

Our morning started early as the sun rose and Gabriel showed up to the house to pick us up. Off to our first school in our ugly Christmas sweaters we would go. 

We arrived to the MARKED community center ready to pack the van full of gifts and for Santa and his elf to get ready for their grand entrance. 

Once the van was packed, Santa and the team marched through the streets bringing Christmas cheer. 

We arrived at the school where the kids were waiting to start their Christmas posada. They didn’t know we would be coming. Hundreds of kids lined up for their big surprise. Moment Church brought balloon animals, face paint and bubbles to play with the kids, while the local mamas cooked up meals for anyone that wanted to eat. A clown show was had, games were played, and the music cranked as we passed out treats. To end the afternoon Christmas extravaganza, each and every child received a gift. 

We did this same event 4 times at the different schools, for almost 2,000 children. It was beautiful. 

Many have asked why the need for a gift, and that resource could be spent else where, and our response to this is this beautiful story.

“This year (name removed for privacy) came to us and asked if we would take her shopping to buy her children a Christmas present. This would be the first time in her entire life that she or anyone in their family would buy a gift for someone else. That it wasn’t out of obligation but a desire to be generous with what she has been given.” 

The desire to be generous with what she has been given. 

That right there moved us to tears. It isn’t about the gift, though for most it is the only gift or item they will receive for themselves all year, if ever, but for us it is about demonstrating a culture of generosity. It is a core of what we believe. That a culture of generosity will always pay for itself. Sometimes that looks like money, sometimes it looks like gifts, but more often than not it looks like time. Whatever way we get the opportunity to demonstrate generosity throughout the year is a win for us. And something we will always say yes to. 

So from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU to those who made Christmas possible. Your generosity is bringing powerful transformation to hearts and lives. 

Photo credit: Dakota

To see more highlights head to our instagram @hellomarked and check out the highlights of the day!

A MARKED Christmas Part 1

One of our favorite updates of the year is sharing with you all about CHRISTMAS! The month of December was full of laughs, screams, and happy tears! 

For us this year Christmas looked different than years past, because as we have walked in deeper relationship with the local communities we have learned not only their needs but desires. And it was so fun to be able to meet them both! 

But in addition to our fun Christmas celebrations, we were able to host the BEST team! Moment Church from Walla Walla Washington, sent a team of 8 down to serve our communities and serve they did! 

This team was full of life and brought so much joy to our kids, staff and teams. They came with suitcases full of gifts for our communities, but more than that they came with their arms ready to serve and hearts ready to love. 

Their first day, we spent the evening at our girls home where they held babies, played soccer with the girls, painted nails, and brought Christmas activities to do. What started out as DIY ornaments, led to hilarious “face painting” with the markers. Cake pops were made by the older girls and Santa and his elf even made an appearance. 

The following day was spent celebrating Christmas with our soccer teams. Coach Carlos prepared an incredible slide show for the boys to watch of their last year. Never have we seen their faces light up more than seeing their faces on the screen as they laughed about the memories shared. We ate huge pork legs, and Moment Church surprised our crew with brand new soccer balls. It was epic! 

The day ended with us preparing for Christmas in the villages, which included a long assembly line filled with goodies as we wrapped nearly 2,000 gift bags filled with treats, toys and balls… 

To Be Continued… Part 2 Next Week. 

Photo credit: Dakota

To see more highlights head to our instagram @hellomarked and check out the highlights of the day!

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

May your year be filled with VICTORIES. 

The year of ONE MILLION victories. What an incredible year 2019 has been. Of course it was filled with its own set of challenges but it has left us once again in awe and wonder. 2019 we focused hard on establishing. Establishing sustainable rhythms and routines for each of the communities we reach. We served thousands of people through all our programs. Hitting ONE MILLION meals served. Whether it was delivering nearly 37,000 lbs of protein to our partner homes and bases, or the MARKED peso store selling more than 60,000 items, receiving a report from the government that 95% (thousands) of children among our communities are officially enrolled in school compared to only 250 in 2016. It is almost overwhelming to see. In addition to school supplies, tuitions paid, medical cases resolved, multiple rescues and successful rehabilitation our family has grown. Our soccer community has grown in significant ways as well, not only did they win their first championship, but we have now grown to 3 all seasons select teams. This is all because of you. This tough crowd of boys and men are now serving their communities and have gone from tormentors to heroes. It is beautiful to watch unfold. Driving down the streets hearing old men yelling “MARK-ED, we are so proud of you.” This group of once gang bangers are bringing unity to an entire village community. 

In addition to the victories among our communities, we also as a MARKED family had a huge victory with Micheal gaining his freedom back and returning to Mexico this past September. Our family all together again. It was magical. 

With thousands in the Marked community, you are making an impact far greater than we could ever express in one letter. So please, we invite you to come and experience it for yourself this 2020! See the impact you are making day in and day out. Meet the faces, and hear the stories first hand. Your seed of generosity is growing into the most beautiful harvest. And we are honored to run with you. 

So once again we come to you at the close of the year and ask for you to consider Marked in your 2019 year-end giving. It is because of you, our generous partners, that we have had the success and are seeing such transformation through-out the region. 100% of your donations are tax-deductible and go directly towards the work we do.

We cannot thank you enough for your commitment to us and to our children.

There are not enough words to express our gratitude.

Cheers to 2020!
With Love,

The Miller’s and MARKED family

EMPOWER | SUSTAIN | TRANSFORM | REPEAT

EMPOWER | SUSTAIN | TRANSFORM | REPEAT 

“Through empowerment and sustainability we carry redemption and restoration, breaking cycles which leads to wholeness. And through wholeness, generosity and honor we gain favor with people creating an orphan-less world and a legacy re-defined. This is transformation. This is revival.” 

- Jaclyn and Micheal Miller | Directors and Founders 

Thank you for Being Love: Because of you we have accomplished so much. As we close out 2019, remember us in your year end giving.

100% of your donations are tax-deductible and go directly towards the work we do. 

All donations made on or before December 31st 2018, will go towards your 2019 tax-year. 

TO GIVE |  www.marked.org | text any amount and the word ‘marked’ to 45777  

Merry Christmas

Wishing you a MERRY CHRISTMAS from the MARKED family to yours!

We hope you are spending this week cuddled up by the fire, playing games with your family, putting presents under the tree, decorating cookies and creating memories that will last a lifetime.

We are so thankful for you and the gift that you have been to us this year.

Merry Christmas.

MEET RONALDO

Meet Ronaldo, or as he is lovingly known as “Rocha”.

Rocha was born in the city of Ocotlán, just a few miles up from our village communities. This region being known for its gang culture and cartel influence. He is one of 3 boys and 2 girls in his family.

We first met Rocha when he started coming around as a little kid for a sandwich and an orange. That simple interaction and impact of empowerment, simply feeding a starving child, changed the coarse of his life.

Today nearly 5 years later, he is one of our greatest assets. He joined the MARKED soccer team, stayed in school and today is studying carpentry to one day start his own business.

He serves the community, runs errands and helps with whatever is needed.

His heart is massive, and his desire to know more about God is contagious.

We could not be more proud of him. The transformation is evident.

MEET POCHO

Meet Ismael, or better know as “Pocho”, head of maintenance and right hand to Paty.

Ismael was a home birth in our little village town of La Peña. He has 4 sisters, 5 brothers, and is the oldest of the brothers. Though his personal story isn’t for the faint of heart, we have seen such growth in him over the past 2 years.

Pocho showed up at our kid’s day event in May 2018, he followed Jaclyn around as though he had never seen a “güera” (blondie) before. If he was going to follow he was going to be an extra set of hands, thus she put him to work. Since that day, he has not left. He joined our MARKED soccer team right after, chose to leave the gang life behind, jumped into being mentored (fathered) by Carlos and Karlisa and this last year came on as a staff member.

Though you will still find him quietly staring at you from a distance, sometimes even close up, he is leaning into this new way of life. He asks questions, and genuinely desires to change. Each month he has been given more and more responsibility, and every time he rises to the occasion.

We asked him what his favorite memories are as a kid and he said,

“one of his best memories was swimming in the lake. I also dreamed about being a truck driver. “

This year, we are going to teach him how to drive!

When we asked him his favorite thing about MARKED, he said,

“I love coaching the little kids in soccer, I love being part of the Marked family. I see in 10 years young men like me not doing drugs, people doing good deeds, grass soccer fields, have my kids and playing on the MARKED soccer team.”

MARKED Christmas Gift Guide 2019

Trying to get your Christmas gifts purchased before the rush of December hits? With just a few days away, we wanted to help make your gift giving a bit easier before the busy hustle and bustle begins.

So in the spirit of ease and treasuring the Christmas season, we put together a list of all our favorite, go-to Christmas gifts. All of these items come from companies we believe in, and many of them are items handmade by close friends and family. We believe in shopping with intentionality and purpose, and we are so happy to stand by every one of these companies, who share our hearts and carry a message that we are happy to partner with. 

Without further ado, happy shopping!

**NOTE: Shopping AMAZON, did you know you can type in Smile.Amazon.Com and select Marked by Heaven as your charity of choice. Amazon then gives back a percentage of your purchase to MARKED without any added cost to you! 

Turbans for Tots:

• Handmade goodies made in NorCal by our friend Jenna. Bows, headbands, hats, scarves and more for both adults and kids alike. Check out their website www.turbansfortots.com or their instagram handle @turbansfortots

The Coastal Kind

• Handmade clay jewelry and textile design made by our friend Lauren. The perfect gift or stocking stuffer. Check out her website at www.thecoastalkind.com or her instagram handle @thecostalkind

The MARKED store

• Give the gift of coffee this Christmas. One time orders or a monthly subscription are available. In addition you can shop for fun leather items to put in stockings or give as a gift as well as our MARKED cookbook. www.marked.org/store

Pink Ever After

• Personalized items, jewelry, gifts for men with a heart for missions. Rumor has it that they may even have some MARKED leather bags for sale! Visit their website, www.pinkeverafter.com or visit them on instagram @pinkeverafter

Wild Willow

• “Beautifully crafted handmade earrings for every type of Woman.” Check out our friends at www.wildwillow.co or on instagram @wildwillow.co for some really fun unique earrings!

MEET MARICELA

Meet Maricela, our receptionist and program coordinator P.A.,

Maricela is 36 years old, and was born and raised in the community of San Pedro. Married for 18 years, though raising her 3 boys as a single mama as her husband crossed the boarder years ago and has not been back since.

Maricela joined the MARKED team as a volunteer a little over a year ago when her son was invited to play soccer with our team. She was the first mom in this particular community to begin to volunteer with us.

She is soft spoken, a servant at heart and dedicated. Kindness should be her middle name. She shows up early and stays late. She will try anything and is determined to grow in her skills.

She is the first face you see when you come into our community center. Welcoming all that enter. She tutors the younger kids during the week and is available for anything else that is needed throughout the facility. Though many of our other staff members come from a neighboring village, they have welcomed Marisela as part of the family, and family she is. If you come and visit, you will fall in love with her as quickly as we all did.

Meet KARLISA

Meet Karlisa, Jaclyn’s executive assistant and right hand on the ground in Mexico.  

Karlisa and Carlos were Micheal and Jaclyn’s answer to prayer! After the Miller’s had to leave Mexico so suddenly, the Lopez family came into our lives not long after.

After connecting with a dear friend of the Miller’s through Karlisa’s work as a teacher, she would be the one to ultimately connect their family and hearts to ours.

She and Carlos joined Jaclyn’s parents on one of their trips back to check in, jumped in with both feet and the rest is history. They volunteered for MARKED for 1 year before Karlisa flew out to Georgia to meet the Miller’s where they would officially become staff.

Though a mama to their bio kids first, Karlisa has a huge heart to create family for those who most would deem unable to be “mothered”.

When we asked Karlisa what she loves about MARKED she said,

“What I love about MARKED is the love that is felt the moment you are around anyone in the MARKED family.” 

Happy 8th Anniversary MARKED

Happy 8th Anniversary MARKED!

Celebrating 8 years of empowerment, 8 years of moving towards sustainability, and 8 years of transformation. 8 years of miracles. 8 years of provision. 8 years of His faithfulness.

Thousands of lives forever impacted all because of YOU! 8 years of you showing up and saying YES! We could not thank you enough.

To help us celebrate our 8th anniversary. Would you share about us with 8 of your friends today?

Meet the MILLER'S

For those new to MARKED, let us introduce ourselves. We are the Miller’s.

Micheal and Jaclyn.

We founded MARKED back in November 2011 after a vision the Lord had given Jaclyn when she was in middle school. From there the seed was planted, and ultimately grew into who we are today! You can read more about that on our website in the “about us” section!

Jaclyn still runs MARKED full time as the managing director both in the U.S as well as Mexico while Micheal fills in when needed or desires as he also runs multiple businesses and works for a large financial institution in the U.S.

Fun fact: The Miller’s do not and have never taken a salary from MARKED. We are fully funded personally outside of the organization. Meaning all financial gifts and donations go straight to the work we do in Mexico.

Together we are a team seeing that MARKED thrives to the best of its abilities and that we carry the vision and strategies well. We believe in empowerment and sustainability and believe that those 2 values are ultimately what brings about transformation in the Nations.

Meet PATY

Meet Paty, our Village Kitchen Coordinator.

Paty is in charge of all our MARKED kitchens. From meal planning, gardening, shopping, teaching and everything in between.

Paty is an excellent chef and baker: from chocolate flan and her famous Christmas dinners, Paty knows how to wow a hungry crowd. She is the friend in the group who when they offer to bring something to your house for dinner, you say yes, every single time. Not only can she make something delicious out of nothing, but she hosts people so well. When you walk into Paty (and Sam’s) house you feel at home. Together with Sam, they have 3 beautiful children.

She is lively, has a mamas heart and loves people well.

She has a new favorite hobby of swimming and enjoying life in a small town, being at home, as well as buying and taking care of the gardens.

Paty began as a volunteer for Marked because it was a dream her husband, Sam, had to help this community after his first time visiting: where he fell in love with the heart Carlos carried for people, the vision of MARKED and where he found a new love for the people of Chapala.

When asking Paty about her first time volunteering she said,

“I remember the date exactly, December 21, 2015 for our annual Christmas Party in the villages. That day I saw the moms with their little kids, how excited the kids were to receive a gift and it was like a missing puzzle piece that I knew I would get to play a part of.”

“What I love most about working with MARKED is the deep connection I have with the women in the community where every home feels like home.”

Paty has a dream to go back to school to study nutrition as she has been growing and taking over our MARKED kitchens.  

We love Paty and are thankful she is apart of the MARKED team.

Meet SAM

Meet Sam, our village coordinator.

Sam volunteered for Marked for a year and a half before jumping on board after meeting Carlos and Karlisa. He and his wife Paty of 12 years, along with their 3 kids; Suri, Booz, and Mateo have now been on staff with us for almost 3 years.

Their favorite pastime is swimming and watching their kids play soccer. 

Sam really enjoys getting to know the people who make up our Marked community; listening and hearing their stories and ultimately doing life with them.

Last year, Sam and Paty moved their family to the town just outside our village communities so that they could be closer and be more apart of our communities everyday lives.

“I dream that our communities will be radically transformed by Jesus.”

He sees the Marked community growing as a family, a family that would thrive as each person discovers their part to play. His principal mission is to demonstrate to the community a reflection of their ‘true self’, the way we see them, but ultimately the way God sees them. He resonates with MARKED’s message of bringing hope and encourages the dreams lying just beneath the surface when you wipe away the tears, poverty, pain.

Fun Fact: Sam considers himself a “frustrated” musician, who at one time explored percussion instruments (bongo drums, cajon, djembe, drums). He hopes to one day dedicate the time and effort to play.

SURPRISE!!! Micheal is BACK!!

After 5 and a half years. MICHEAL IS BACK!

A big shout out to Jaclyn’s parents who flew to Sacramento to meet Micheal for the flight in, and to a generous partner who made it all possible.

For those of you know our journey, you know it has been a long and often scary battle.

For those of you who don’t. The short version was that while we were living in Mexico we had hired an attorney IN Mexico to complete our visas, and that attorney ended up being corrupt. Stealing Micheal’s identity and falsifying a lot of documents using Micheal’s name.

We figured out something was wrong when we few back to Seattle for an event and upon return Micheal was detained and deported (in Mexico, you are guilty until proven innocent)…. This happened twice before realizing he was in trouble.

BUT GOD. This past year (actually a couple months ago) we WON our case with the supreme court of Mexico. (This is MAJOR!) Clearing his name and allowing him to obtain his temporary resident card!

We have all our attorneys to thank, but especially our liaison (now attorney) Darren who worked SO hard and SO many hours to see this come to pass.

Fun note: Darren became an attorney in Mexico during this process and is now apart of the MARKED team!

So this past weekend we CELEBRATED!

Micheal flew in with Jaclyn’s parents and was welcomed by a group of us! Celebrating his arrival! From there we all headed downtown for Chilaquiles and an early breakfast. We spent the next 3 hours at the immigration office where we began our process of obtaining our temporary residency!

Back to the same “dirt road” where it all started, only this time it is paved!

The rest of the weekend was spent with our MARKED board, staff, communities and friends!

We had parties, ate more tacos than we can count and laughed a lot!

Such sweet sweet redemption.

What the enemy meant for evil God used for good. These past 5 years we have seen the tangible evidence of the Father in all that we do. What should have tanked our organization only grew it by the thousands.

We cannot thank those of you enough who have stood by us, prayed for us, financially partnered, visited our bases and staff and loved on our communities.

It takes a village and boy do we have an incredible one.

Can’t wait to share more soon.

Meet CHUY

Meet Chuy, she was born in La Cuesta (Mezcala). She is one of 8 brothers and sisters. Mari being one of them! She herself has 4 boys and 1 girl. For those who have followed along with us for any amount of time, you may recognize one of her sons, Lisandro and her daughter Luciana (Lucy). Chuy was married to her husband Luis Alberto, for 14 years before her husband tragically passed away of liver disease after being ill for nearly 3 years.

“I came to help hand out the oranges, I stayed because it felt like family.”

Chuy volunteered with us for a couple years in the kitchen, helping prepare and cook all the meals for our community until a year ago when she officially became our local kitchen lead.

In addition to the kitchen, Chuy comes in on Saturdays to make sure our facilities are clean and cared for, ready for the week ahead. Chuy is one of the most dedicated people we know.

“I belong, and see how the young adults have changed so much and the younger ones are following in their footsteps.”

We asked Chuy what she would like to learn. She said,

“I would like to learn how to ride a bike.”

I think we may just need to make that happen.

Meet MARI

Maricela or Mari as she is endearingly called throughout our bases, was born in San Pedro, she is 1 of 8 brothers and sisters. Mari has 5 boys and 2 girls of her own Joel, Asuncion, Ramon, Anahai, Heriberto, Juan Diego, Omar (Paquito), and is a grandmother to 3. We first met Mari when her husband was very ill while she was caring for him and their children. They were married for 11 years before her husband passed of cancer. Not long after her husband had passed Mari began to volunteer for MARKED. She spent two years as a volunteer, 2 years working part-time for us, and in just a few months we will celebrate a year with her as a full time staff member.

Mari is now over our Artisan room, creating all the beautiful hand made leather goods. When you purchase a pair of earrings or any of the leather goods, you are empowering her to provide for her family.

Mari says, “Marked is my family. I love everything I do with Marked from cleaning, preparing food and working in the artisan room.”

In her free time she likes to knit napkins and create different decorations.

NOAH & MARCIE: Our State Side Staff

Since so many of you are new to us, we thought we should re-introduce you to our staff who make what we do on the ground possible! So over the next few weeks we are going to be highlighting them!

This week we wanted to introduce you to our state side team, Noah and Marcie!

First, meet Noah.

Noah (or prince Noah as our kids so endearingly call him) is a talented graphic designer from southern Michigan. In just a few short weeks, we get to celebrate Noah as he marries his best friend since middle school, Caitlynn! Noah found Marked on Instagram from an ad in early 2018 and has been working as our lead designer ever since. He is in charge of creating the visual content you see; ranging from booklet designs, social media graphics, photography coverage, and video promotional material.

Noah has a massive heart for our communities and we are so thankful he reached out and joined the MARKED family!!

"I love Marked because it's about changing entire communities for the better. Starting with empowering the locals, transforming their lives, and giving them the tools to sustain themselves." - Noah

Next, meet Marcie.

“Hi I'm Marcie! I'm a Wife, a Mom, Disney lover, world traveler and Pug owner!
My son Noah is 21 and My husband James and I have been married for 21 years!
I have been serving with Marked for about a year and a half and have been on Staff for almost a year!
If you have ever needed a credit card updated or order Marked Coffee - you have most likely spoken with me or we've corresponded via email!
I was connected with Marked through a conference about 2 years ago that was being held at my church. I not only felt a kinship with the Miller’s, but I fell in Love with the mission of Marked to empty orphanages by empowering lives to break the cycle of poverty.
This is a statement I would love to see around the world in all nations to break the cycle of poverty and let the word orphan become something future generations only read about in history books. As someone who has traveled to multiple nations, I wanted to see how Marked was achieving this goal on the ground in Guadalajara and 6 months after meeting the Miller’s I was on a plane heading to Mexico. I got to see first-hand what it looks like to empower a child through simple things like proper hygiene, coloring, preparing a meal, playing soccer as a team and eating a warm meal before school. While that may not sound glamorous or exciting - simple, consistent things bring about change throughout a community.
The biggest take away I got from my trip there and one thing that I have seen firsthand from Marked is their desire to "Go Low" with those in the communities they work in. They don't shy away from the dirty work or the hard work. It’s not easy changing mindsets, but someone partnering with them to provide hope can be a life line to kids and families .” - Marcie

I Know We Talk About Coffee A Lot, But Here's WHY...

I know we talk about MARKED coffee a lot, but here’s why…

It offers sustainability.

It’s a way for people like yourselves to get involved with something that is already apart of your every day life. And by yours, I mean most of us.

It’s coffee with a purpose. It doesn’t cost more than your average bag of high end coffee, it ships directly to your door for convenient sake, it’s roasted by an award winning roaster and it is packaged beautifully which could also be used for a fun gift!

If you haven’t purchased the coffee yet, can we encourage you to give it a try? Buy it for yourself or a friend and let us know what you think!

One time and monthly subscriptions are both available!