Our Story

Co-Founders

Upon return from the mission field, the Lord gave Laura (Benson) Keil a vision of a place that would minister to the needs of missionaries and their families who were home in the United States. That vision was confirmed as Missionary Care Ministry, Inc. and was founded in 1999 through a grant given by Bill and Sudie Hanger of Atlanta, Georgia. Shortly after the purchase of The Snows Mill Guesthouse near Athens, Georgia, the doors opened to receive missionaries from throughout the world.


Laura, Bill and Sudie are honored and joyful that the Guesthouse has given hospitality to thousands of missionaries and their families who have served in over one hundred countries.

Laura Benson Keil had the opportunity to be a short-term missionary in Niger, West Africa with SIM. There she taught missionary children for a year and experienced missionary life first hand, seeing missionaries' love for the Lord and their willingness to make huge sacrifices for the spread of the gospel. 


On her way home from Africa, she stayed with a family in Switzerland who had a separate living unit which they used to host missionaries in their times of transition. Laura was deeply ministered to during her 11 day stay there, having a free quiet place to stay before returning home to the United States. 


Having been so blessed by this most gracious Swiss family, Laura developed a desire and vision to host missionaries in her own home one day to minister to the practical needs of missionaries who had left their homes to live in other countries for the sake of the gospel.


In November 1998, Laura shared this vision with Bill & Sudie Hanger, asking them if they might want to go in together to buy a home where she could live and also host missionaries. Bill & Sudie immediately responded that they would like to partner with Laura in establishing a home for this purpose and offered to donate the funds needed to set up a 501(c) 3, purchase the home and begin the ministry.


In March of 1999, Laura and Sudie picked out the home, which was purchased shortly thereafter. By January of 2000, The Sudie Clark Hanger Missionary Care Ministry's Snows Mill Guesthouse hosted its first missionary guests.


Today, over 4,000 missionary guests serving in 111 countries around the world have stayed at the Guest House. We have been thrilled to minister to and support them as they seek to share the gospel worldwide as is reflected in 3 John 5-8:


"Dear friend, when you extend hospitality to Christian brothers and sisters, even when they are strangers, you make the faith visible. They’ve made a full report back to the church here, a message about your love. It’s good work you’re doing, helping these travelers on their way, hospitality worthy of God himself! They set out under the banner of the Name, and get no help from unbelievers. So they deserve any support we can give them. In providing meals and a bed, we become their companions in spreading the Truth."


“Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.”

— 3 John 5-8

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