Our Team

FOUNDERS

In 2005, Mike and Brittney Peterson took their daughter and son to El Salvador on a surf trip where they purchased their beach home in El Zonte. Over the next several years, they became friends with a number of missionary families in El Salvador and began allowing them to use their beach house as a place of rest.

Through this interaction, the Petersons began to understand the struggles that missionary families and local ministry leaders faced living in a country marred by violence and poverty.  This led them to eventually move to El Salvador and form missionsake. 

In 2014 they officially open the first missionary guest house in El Zonte and then in Punta Mango. Their heart is to see missionaries and other ministry leaders in Central America living healthy lives to further the kingdom of God.

STRATEGY AND OPERATIONS

In 2018, Jeff traveled to El Salvador to coach and support missionaries at a missionsake conference, which turned into longer term support and guidance for many of those ministry leaders and for the missionsake organization. Jeff now guides missionsake’s strategy and operations alongside Mike Peterson and Erik Paulson.

In addition to his work with missionsake, Jeff is a founder and leader in many organizations, including Formation Community, Inc., where he guides CEOs and senior leadership teams of $5M-$100M organizations through key inflection points in their journeys. He is also cofounder of Hildegard College, one of missionsake’s early partners in its support of Salvadoran entrepreneurs, and he works with Standing Stone Ministry in their mission to guide ministry leaders into healthy ministry.

Jeff resides with his wife, Samantha, and their three daughters in Newport Beach, CA.

US DIRECTOR

In 2018, Erik began working with missionsake and local leaders to invest in community development programs in El Zonte, resulting in the creation of Hope House, which has now provided educational and spiritual foundations for hundreds of local children.

Having served on the missionsake board for many years, Erik and his wife, Jenny, have invested signficantly into the community of El Zonte, where they recently finished building a vacation home that is also used by Hope House for special events.

Erik now serves as U.S. Director of missionsake, casting vision for expanding its programs in education, entrepreneurship, and leadership through our U.S. and international partners.

Erik is also cofounder of Systems Waterproofing in Orange County, CA, and resides in Costa Mesa with Jenny and their three boys.