24 Apr Experiencing the Latino Mission Movement in Chile
Recently, I was in Chile teaching the Storyline mission course and training leaders. I was refreshed and very excited to see the missions fervor in Latin America. We have been working with Movida for almost two years now in helping to mobilize and send latino youth into missions. This was the first trip to South America with Movida.
To put the Latino missions movement into perspective, consider these statistics:
- Researchers report over 12,000 missionaries are currently serving around the world from Spanish speaking countries.
- Over the last 10 years the number of missionaries sent from Latin American countries have increased by 25%.
- Brazil, according to researchers, has roughly 50 million believers.
When I flew back into Santiago from teaching the Storyline missions course in Vitacura Church in La Serena, I was met by a young couple at the airport. Isabella and Carlos were a young married couple in missionary training and in the preparation process to go as missionaries to East Asia. Isabella is from Madrid, Spain and Carlos is from Santiago, Chile. They told me of their heart for the people of East Asia and about their preparation process as they drove me to the conference site where I was to meet with Movida leaders for the Storyline course training the next day. I was so encouraged to meet this young couple.
As I considered the surge of mission sending growth from Latin America and the sheer numbers involved, I rejoiced that now I was personally in the company of a young couple who were the embodiment of those reports. Praise God for sending the Latino Church into the harvest fields around the world.
My week with Movida leaders gave me much cause for humility. I was in the midst of young men and women who had sacrificed careers to further the gospel around the world. They spoke of the great potential of the latino church to impact the world for Christ. They spoke with a strong sense that they knew their time had come. But these were not only words. They spent much time strategizing and planning mobilization events on 3 continents, including their biggest mobilization event ever in 2020 which will draw some 3,000 latino youth from more than 20 countries. By the time I had left and completed my training with them, they informed me that they would be using Storyline as a mobilization tool all over Latin America in a matter of months. We also formulated plans together to translate Storyline into Portuguese.
God is using the Latin American church to reach the world for Christ. I am so thankful for my Movida friends who have given me the chance to see that work up close and personal. But we need to continue to pray for the pastors, leaders, and mobilizers in this part of the world. We need to pray for the health of their movements and their leaders as they lead the charge forward.