Meet Benjamin and Scarlett Tino

Serving the Lord in Guatemala!

Birthdays: Ben- March 29th. Scarlett- October 20th.

Email: bassmantino@gmail.com

The missionary “seed” was rooted in me (Ben) at a very early age, as I was born and raised as an MK (missionary kid) in Venezuela. It is there that I learned to love and appreciate the Hispanic culture and lifestyle. Moving to South Florida in 2001, I was engulfed by diversity during my grade school years and always enjoyed the rich cultural mixture found in South Florida. With my mother being the music director at our church, music was bound to find me. In the fifth grade I was given my first trumpet lesson and from there on I developed my love for music and took it upon myself to learn a variety of instruments. Going into high school I continued to study trumpet, classical guitar, and bass guitar, and would play any of those three on any given Sunday.

During my college years at Jacksonville University, I decided to study music and received my degree in Music Education in 2017. Upon completion of my degree I was unsure of what I would do after college, but I knew it would be something in music, and I wanted to work overseas. It wasn’t until 2016 that I realized the plan God had for me: To serve Him by bringing music into churches. I realized God has been preparing me for this opportunity my entire life, and everything I have done has been part of my training.
As of May of 2018, I have been teaching, molding, and bringing musicians and musicianship into the Lutheran Church of Zacapa, Guatemala. Aside from leading Sunday worship, I teach music through private lessons for all ages, work with Sunday school kids, and help lead the youth group. I also help out when I can in the Lutheran School of Zacapa with music, and assist with music in other Lutheran congregations of Guatemala when requested. Music is a staple of the Lutheran Church, and I hope to train and teach as many people as I can with the gifts God has given me.

While into my 2nd year on the mission field, I met my wife Scarlett who I married on February 4th, 2022. Scarlett comes from a Lutheran background being the daughter of one of the Lutheran pastors and previously working as a teacher in the Lutheran school of her hometown. Now as husband and wife, we serve together as a team in Zacapa. With Scarlett being gifted to work with children, she serves as the coordinator for the church’s Sunday School and also assist the pastors as she is a deaconess. She also helps me by being one of my musicians! In our free time we both enjoy outings with the youth of our church, gardening, or exploring the trails with our two dogs; Jenga and Mérida.