The auditorium of Iglesia Impacto in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, was filled to the brim as volunteers buzzed around the room handing out booklets and TEAM pens. The event was promoted as a kind of “Missions 101” for Latin American believers eager to learn more about global, cross-cultural missions.
Planned and coordinated by TEAM Mobilization Director, David Puerto, the global missions training was conducted entirely in Spanish and spoke to the very heart of the Latin American church and its desire to embrace God’s global mission.
Initially, around 60 people were expected to attend the event. When 120 registered and 150 showed up, the energy and excitement were palpable. It was clear that these Latin American brothers and sisters wanted to know more about taking the Gospel to the least-reached nations.
Jose-Adan is one of the pastors at an Iglesia Impacto church plant. He has a medical degree and additional theological training in the hopes of using his profession to enter difficult-to-access places. Despite knowing that Gospel needs continue in his home country, he lives with a deep burden for the places in the world where Christ is not yet named.
In a panel discussion, Jose-Adan was asked about the importance of his professional training in the field of medicine and why he thinks that could be important for his passion to see Christ named among the nations. Jose-Adán responded, “many times I was told to give up my profession to follow God’s call; it was more “spiritual” to be a missionary than a doctor. I’m grateful that my parents insisted on me pursuing my degree. In all reality, I decided to pursue my medical profession precisely to pursue God’s call. Because of my medical degree, I can access many countries that prohibit missionaries from entering.”
Jose-Adan is ready to go, and Iglesia Impacto is ready to send him. Your connection to TEAM, and therefore the global Church movement, can make this happen for more believers like Jose-Adan.
Global sending is advancing the Gospel like never before, but we need the support of believers like you to make it happen.
This experience in Tegucigalpa is not a new phenomenon. Latin America has developed a growing interest in global missions for the last 30 years. Tens of thousands of Latin Americans have been mobilized into places of tremendous spiritual darkness, reminding us that much of the world now has mature expressions of the Church among its people. Many regions are no longer just receiving cross-cultural workers but are also able and ready to send their own cross-cultural workers.
COMIBAM, Comisión Misionera Iberoamericana (Mission Commission of Ibero-America), has a motto that summarizes this appropriately — De campo misionero a fuerza misionera – From mission field to missionary force!
All across Latin America and worldwide, we are seeing believers that are not only being saved, baptized and discipled, but are also ready to take that same message to others! Churches that TEAM once helped to plant are now reaching a point of maturity where they invite TEAM back to help them send cross-cultural workers.
God’s Gospel will not be deterred, and God’s people will continue to go. Thus, TEAM’s role and posture are changing as we serve the nations where God is mobilizing His people to share Christ’s love—nations that once were only recipients of mission activity.
And as TEAM’s role and posture evolve, your impact on the world for Christ is multiplied. As more and more of your brothers and sisters are called FROM everywhere TO everywhere, you have the unique and exciting opportunity to help identify, train, and send this diverse “mission force” in groundbreaking ways.
Never before has your reach as a supporter of kingdom work been greater than it is right now. Even as we eagerly await the Lord’s return, we can witness the fruit of this dynamic story that God is writing – a story in which you are a crucial character. Will you lend your support to this global sending movement?
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne…” Rev 7:9
You can help build disciples around the world so they can spread the word of Christ to the world.
