MYFEST26! Guatemala! Oct 9 - 11, 2026
MYFEST26! ¡Guatemala! 9 - 11 de octubre de 2026
WSJL Championships (World Sport Jujitsu League)
Campeonatos WSJL (World Sport Jujitsu League)
WEKAF and MYTSD 2026 Pan-Am Championships
Campeonatos Panamericanos WEKAF y MYTSD 2026
Over 400 competitors from over 10 Nations!
¡Más de 400 competidores de más de 10 naciones!
Antigua (Santo Domingo Xenacoj), Guatemala
Fly into Guatemala City (Airport Code GUA)
Vuele a la Ciudad de Guatemala (código de aeropuerto GUA)
WSJL Events:
|
|
Eventos de la WSJL: 1) Jujitsu en deportes de combate
|
La Aurora International Airport (GUA) to the Bus Terminal, Antigua, Guatemala
Distance: 25.3 miles, approx 1 hour drive
Bus Terminal, Antigua, Guatemala to Santo Domingo Xenacoj, Guatemala
Distance: 18.8 miles, approx 45 minutes
Antigua, Guatemala Map
Bus Terminal:
Friday: 8:00am pick up 6:00pm drop off
Saturday: 8:00am pick up 6:00pm drop off
Sunday: 8:00am pick up 4:00pm drop off
David and Melanie Sgro, your local host:
Serving Christ Through Missions and Martial Arts
David and Melanie Sgro have dedicated their lives to serving Jesus Christ by using martial arts as a bridge to share the Gospel, disciple believers, and strengthen communities. Their ministry is founded on the conviction that martial arts can develop discipline, confidence, integrity, leadership, and respect while opening doors that might otherwise remain closed.
David holds a Master of Ministry from Lucent University and has spent more than forty years teaching martial arts. He is a 9th Degree Black Belt in Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan, a 5th Dan in Japanese Jujitsu, a Certified Guru in Filipino Kali, and a 2-Stripe Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu through Royce Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. He serves as the WEKAF (World Escrima Kali Arnis Federation) Representative for Guatemala and is the incorporator of the United States Escrima Kali Arnis Federation (USEKAF). In October 2025, he organized and hosted the first Pan American Escrima Kali Arnis Federation (PAEKAF) Championships in Santo Domingo Xenacoj, Guatemala, bringing together athletes and officials from across the Americas.
David's first mission trip to Guatemala took place in 2004. The experience profoundly impacted his life and led him to return year after year. From 2010 through 2013, he lived in Guatemala as a full-time missionary, partnering with churches, schools, and community leaders while investing in the lives of children and families. Since returning to the United States, he has continued traveling to Guatemala four to six times each year, strengthening those relationships and expanding the ministry.
In 2014, David met Melanie online. They were married on November 14, 2015, united by a shared desire to serve Christ wherever He would lead them. Just two months later, in January 2016, they began serving together on mission trips to the Philippines, combining evangelism, humanitarian outreach, Christian discipleship, and martial arts instruction to reach children, families, churches, and local communities.
In August 2022, Melanie and her two children, Vince and Louise, immigrated to the United States, allowing the family to serve together full-time. In 2023, David and Melanie returned to Guatemala to continue the ministry David had begun years earlier in Santo Domingo Xenacoj. Working alongside local leaders, they expanded their outreach through martial arts, education, and Christian discipleship.
Partnering with pastors from Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Santo Domingo Xenacoj, Guatemala, they helped plant a local church in 2022. The congregation has continued to grow and recently celebrated its fourth anniversary, serving as another cornerstone of their ministry alongside martial arts, education, and community outreach.
Their long-term vision is centered on the SEED (Self-Esteem, Enrichment, and Development) program and the planned VECA Training Center. Through these ministries, they seek to provide Christian discipleship, education, vocational training, leadership development, and practical life skills that equip young people to become leaders in their homes, churches, and communities.
Whether teaching in a public school, conducting a martial arts seminar, organizing an international championship, or mentoring an individual student, David and Melanie view every opportunity as a chance to demonstrate the love of Christ. They believe true success is measured not by trophies or titles, but by lives transformed through faith, education, service, and godly leadership.
Their mission is to glorify God by developing Christian leaders through martial arts, education, discipleship, and compassionate service, equipping each generation to reach the next with the hope of the Gospel.
David holds a Master of Ministry from Lucent University and has spent more than forty years teaching martial arts. He is a 9th Degree Black Belt in Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan, a 5th Dan in Japanese Jujitsu, a Certified Guru in Filipino Kali, and a 2-Stripe Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu through Royce Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. He serves as the WEKAF (World Escrima Kali Arnis Federation) Representative for Guatemala and is the incorporator of the United States Escrima Kali Arnis Federation (USEKAF). In October 2025, he organized and hosted the first Pan American Escrima Kali Arnis Federation (PAEKAF) Championships in Santo Domingo Xenacoj, Guatemala, bringing together athletes and officials from across the Americas.
David's first mission trip to Guatemala took place in 2004. The experience profoundly impacted his life and led him to return year after year. From 2010 through 2013, he lived in Guatemala as a full-time missionary, partnering with churches, schools, and community leaders while investing in the lives of children and families. Since returning to the United States, he has continued traveling to Guatemala four to six times each year, strengthening those relationships and expanding the ministry.
In 2014, David met Melanie online. They were married on November 14, 2015, united by a shared desire to serve Christ wherever He would lead them. Just two months later, in January 2016, they began serving together on mission trips to the Philippines, combining evangelism, humanitarian outreach, Christian discipleship, and martial arts instruction to reach children, families, churches, and local communities.
In August 2022, Melanie and her two children, Vince and Louise, immigrated to the United States, allowing the family to serve together full-time. In 2023, David and Melanie returned to Guatemala to continue the ministry David had begun years earlier in Santo Domingo Xenacoj. Working alongside local leaders, they expanded their outreach through martial arts, education, and Christian discipleship.
Partnering with pastors from Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Santo Domingo Xenacoj, Guatemala, they helped plant a local church in 2022. The congregation has continued to grow and recently celebrated its fourth anniversary, serving as another cornerstone of their ministry alongside martial arts, education, and community outreach.
Their long-term vision is centered on the SEED (Self-Esteem, Enrichment, and Development) program and the planned VECA Training Center. Through these ministries, they seek to provide Christian discipleship, education, vocational training, leadership development, and practical life skills that equip young people to become leaders in their homes, churches, and communities.
Whether teaching in a public school, conducting a martial arts seminar, organizing an international championship, or mentoring an individual student, David and Melanie view every opportunity as a chance to demonstrate the love of Christ. They believe true success is measured not by trophies or titles, but by lives transformed through faith, education, service, and godly leadership.
Their mission is to glorify God by developing Christian leaders through martial arts, education, discipleship, and compassionate service, equipping each generation to reach the next with the hope of the Gospel.
The SEED Ministry
SEED (Self-Esteem, Enrichment, and Development) was founded with a simple vision: to use martial arts, education, and Christian discipleship to develop young people into leaders who will positively influence their families, churches, and communities.
The ministry began in August 2022 in Santo Domingo Xenacoj, Guatemala, with just six students training on a concrete patio. There was no dedicated training facility, no paid staff, and few resources—only a desire to invest in young lives through discipline, encouragement, and the love of Christ.
As the students developed in skill and confidence, the ministry quickly grew. In July 2024, SEED sent its first international team to compete at the WEKAF World Championships in Bogotá, Colombia. The delegation consisted of 12 Guatemalan athletes and 8 American teammates competing together as Team Guatemala. Against experienced competitors from around the world, the team earned 20 medals, proving that dedication and perseverance could overcome limited resources. When the team returned home, the town of Santo Domingo Xenacoj honored them with a victory parade, celebrating not only their accomplishments but the hope they had inspired throughout the community.
The success of the Bogotá team opened unexpected doors. Local educational leaders witnessed the positive impact SEED was having on the youth of the community. In early 2025, the Superintendent of Schools invited the ministry to expand into the public school system. Today, through the financial support of churches, businesses, and individual ministry partners, SEED employs four instructors who serve as physical education teachers in five public schools, providing daily instruction to approximately 1,600 students. Along with physical education, they teach leadership, discipline, respect, teamwork, and character development, while serving as positive role models for the next generation.
In October 2025, SEED reached another milestone by hosting the inaugural Pan American Escrima Kali Arnis Federation (PAEKAF) Championships in Santo Domingo Xenacoj. Athletes, coaches, and officials from throughout the Americas traveled to the town, giving local students the opportunity to compete alongside international athletes and demonstrating how far the ministry had grown in just three years.
Today, SEED continues to expand through public school programs, community classes, church partnerships, leadership development, and international competition. What began with six students on a concrete patio has become a ministry impacting thousands of young people each year.
Looking ahead, SEED's vision is to establish the VECA Training Center, where students from throughout Central America will receive Christian discipleship, academic education, vocational training, leadership development, and martial arts instruction. The goal has never been simply to produce better athletes, but to develop Christian leaders who will transform their families, churches, and communities for generations to come.
The ministry began in August 2022 in Santo Domingo Xenacoj, Guatemala, with just six students training on a concrete patio. There was no dedicated training facility, no paid staff, and few resources—only a desire to invest in young lives through discipline, encouragement, and the love of Christ.
As the students developed in skill and confidence, the ministry quickly grew. In July 2024, SEED sent its first international team to compete at the WEKAF World Championships in Bogotá, Colombia. The delegation consisted of 12 Guatemalan athletes and 8 American teammates competing together as Team Guatemala. Against experienced competitors from around the world, the team earned 20 medals, proving that dedication and perseverance could overcome limited resources. When the team returned home, the town of Santo Domingo Xenacoj honored them with a victory parade, celebrating not only their accomplishments but the hope they had inspired throughout the community.
The success of the Bogotá team opened unexpected doors. Local educational leaders witnessed the positive impact SEED was having on the youth of the community. In early 2025, the Superintendent of Schools invited the ministry to expand into the public school system. Today, through the financial support of churches, businesses, and individual ministry partners, SEED employs four instructors who serve as physical education teachers in five public schools, providing daily instruction to approximately 1,600 students. Along with physical education, they teach leadership, discipline, respect, teamwork, and character development, while serving as positive role models for the next generation.
In October 2025, SEED reached another milestone by hosting the inaugural Pan American Escrima Kali Arnis Federation (PAEKAF) Championships in Santo Domingo Xenacoj. Athletes, coaches, and officials from throughout the Americas traveled to the town, giving local students the opportunity to compete alongside international athletes and demonstrating how far the ministry had grown in just three years.
Today, SEED continues to expand through public school programs, community classes, church partnerships, leadership development, and international competition. What began with six students on a concrete patio has become a ministry impacting thousands of young people each year.
Looking ahead, SEED's vision is to establish the VECA Training Center, where students from throughout Central America will receive Christian discipleship, academic education, vocational training, leadership development, and martial arts instruction. The goal has never been simply to produce better athletes, but to develop Christian leaders who will transform their families, churches, and communities for generations to come.
