Dave Matthews founded Reflejo to mobilize more Latin American Christians in missions.

“As the Gospel has expanded to other nations—in our case, Latin America—we also have that duty to the Great Commission to obey and to go to all nations, bringing the Gospel,” Matthews says. “So what we do at Reflejo is we’re a missionary agency for Latin Americans—Spanish, Portuguese speakers from Central and South America—to go to the unreached, to go to the hard to reach places that don’t yet fully have the gospel as they should.”

Why Latino Christians?

Matthews says there are many advantages to sending Latinos to places such as the Middle East and Central Asia. First, Latinos can often blend in more easily and are less likely to attract unsafe attention. People from Central or South America also have fewer stereotypes and biases that could create barriers for them in Muslim-majority countries.

“As I go overseas and I tell people, ‘Hey, I’m from Peru or from Latin America,’ they don’t have a lot of ideas as to what to attach Peru to. Whereas, if I say I’m American or I’m from the US, there’s a lot of baggage that comes to that in their mind,” says Matthews. “So I get to start at a point of more of a carte blanche with them, relationally, and for them to see who I am.”

Historically, early Arabic influences on the Iberian peninsula contributed to the cultures and languages of Spain and Portugal. With Spanish and Portuguese colonization, those same influences shaped Central and South American worldviews, values, and more. Hundreds of years later, the similarities help Latino Christians to connect with unreached peoples on the other side of the world.

“We find that Latin American culture is a lot closer to Arab culture or Muslim culture in most places it’s in,” says Matthews.

“Latinos are uniquely positioned to bring the gospel to the unreached.”

Reflejo has also successfully placed Latino Christians in areas where others may not have access or be welcomed. They are met with curiosity and openness that allows them to quickly build relationships. For example, someone from the United States may not be able to safely travel to or work in certain countries that are open to South Americans.

“We are seeing access in a few of these places, and we’re well received. People are curious about where we’re from, what we’re doing, who we are, and we get to build relationships over time and share Jesus in a different way,” Matthews says.

“We’ve been able to put people who are going to do their work, and while they are doing their work, they’re going to be that living, breathing testimony of the love of God.”

If you are a Latino Christian interested in more information about Reflejo, visit their website here. There are opportunities to serve internationally as well as volunteer from home. Dave Matthews also invites believers from any background to pray for and support Latin American missionaries.

“One of the things that’s a common theme in the countries we’re going to is the enemy has had control of that region for a long time, and he is not excited to give it up,” says Matthews. “He will do what is in his power in terms of spiritual warfare, challenges, difficulties of any sort of kind that are at his disposal to get in the way of missions advance. And so we need lots and lots of people covering our staff, our team, our projects in prayer.”

Sign up for Reflejo’s prayer newsletter here.

“The whole body of Christ works together. If you are not a Latino and you still want to get involved in helping Latinos go, there’s a number of ways you can do that,” says Matthews. “Get involved. Join us. Partner with somebody. Help us sponsor a missionary that will do excellent work, sometimes in places, even if you wanted to, you couldn’t go into.”

Header representative photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash.

Hermanas

Rivera notes there are few books available for Latina women with a theological bent for resourcing and encouraging them so as to provide Biblical mentorship. Their book, Hermanas, aims to change this.

“We wanted to help resource, empower, encourage, and just provide mentorship to Latina women. Provide mentorship with ancient women in the Bible and then current, modern mentorship, and help bridge the gap for women; young and old,” Rivera says.

(Screen grab from InterVarsity Press website)

Hermanas looks at stories of women like Lydia, who partnered with Paul. Rivera says men and women were created to partner together, but sin has instead created distance.

“Paul ends up going on from Philippi, and planted other churches, leaving Lydia as one of the leaders. Commentaries say over and over again Philippi was his favorite church. There’s a connection there with leadership. There’s a connection that he entrusted women, and knew that Jesus did too.”

Women in the Bible

Hermanas also explores the stories of Ruth, Esther, Rahab, Deborah, and many more through the Latina cultural lens. But its very existence tugs at the conversation about inclusion in the Church, particularly the inclusion of Latina women. Author Quiñones says:

“Our basic assumption is that the Holy Spirit can empower anyone who is willing to say yes, and that is the goal of this book as well. If you feel called by Jesus to say something, do something, start something, pray for something—here are these 12 beautiful examples of women in the Bible that did so, and will you do likewise?”

However, Rivera says these stories are not limited to the 12 women Quiñones, Robinson, and Rivera focus their attention on. There are dozens more women in the Bible whose stories they have yet to explore and detail on the written page.

Anonymous, Silenced

Some women in the Bible have no name. Many led but were left anonymous when their stories were documented.

“They’re leading from these spaces and we’re drawing that out, knowing that some of the people reading this book are going to be coming from spaces where they feel like their voices are silent or they’re not invited,” Robinson says.

(Photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash)

Robinson wrote on Deborah. During her research, she says she found commentaries with differing perceptions of Deborah’s role in the Old Testament. Some commentaries claimed Deborah was indeed a judge while others quieted her voice by reporting Deborah judged, but was not an actual judge.

“These are stories in the scriptures we are all invited to learn from and they’re all living out who they are in the context they find themselves in which we know from ancient biblical learning that a lot of that’s very patriarchal. There’s a reason why the bleeding woman doesn’t have a name. I think even those parts of the story within Latino culture, I think there are parts of that we can relate to.”

Need for Latina Voices

Demographically speaking, the Latino population is growing in the United States. But as it grows, what voices do Latinas have to lead and guide them as they become leaders and influencers in this country?

“If they don’t have anyone that they are looking up to, to model leadership, then what kind of communities are we going to be forming and shaping and creating in the United States? I’m really passionate about empowering women from all walks of life. And I think that that’s a big reason why this book is needed,” Quiñones says.

What is one hope these authors have for Hermanas? That readers will respond with a curious and open heart. Read these stories, learn about these women, and learn how to help strengthen the voice of our Latina sisters. In the process, this book might just help strengthen your faith, too.

“I’m stealing this phrase from a friend, but this book strengthens a Latina voice at the multi-ethnic table of God. We’re trying to bring that voice to the table as well,” Robinson says.

Order Hermanas here.

Header photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash.

Take a Trip, Share Christ

During a recent e3 Partners trip to Nicaragua, a volunteer met a 63-year-old man named Miguel. Miguel, who lives alone, only has half of his left leg and his right leg is constantly swollen. To complicate life further, Miguel uses a barely functioning wheelchair he made himself. With that said, both legs were in constant pain and Miguel spent most days alone and feeling like there was nothing to have hope in.

(Photo Courtesy of Guillaume Baviere via Flickr) https://flic.kr/p/TwBZLj

That was until Miguel met a man named George. George was a volunteer with e3 on the church planting trip in Nicaragua. One afternoon during the trip, George knocked on Miguel’s door with the intent to share his testimony and the hope of Christ. But while Miguel was intrigued by what George had to say, he was still skeptical.

“George asked Miguel, ‘Is there anything that I can be praying for you about?’ And Miguel explained to him the pain that he had in his legs and how it was just this constant, almost unbearable pain, and asked if he could be praying for that,” e3’s Jeff Johnston shares.

“[George] did right then and there. So, George prayed to God, asking for God to relieve some of the pain in Miguel’s legs. And Miguel told him that immediately after that, immediately after he ended that prayer, he could feel some of that pain go away.”

Hope Found in Nicaragua

George continued to visit Miguel every day after the answered prayer. Upon his first visit, Miguel was moving around his home nearly pain-free. During the visit, the two men dug into the scriptures and George shared more stories about God.

“And so it was on that third day, that George came back, that Miguel accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He accepted Jesus into his life. He said that he finally had hope again and he was just filled with joy,” Jeff explains.

“He told George that he was grateful for all that he was teaching him, but he also told him he was sad that [George] was leaving because he was still so hungry to learn more about God, about Jesus, about the Bible. And he wanted someone to be able to teach him.”

Living Out Acts 2:42

(Photo courtesy of e3 Partners)

What Miguel soon learned, though, was that e3 wouldn’t leave Nicaragua without securing someone who’d help disciple Miguel. In fact, at his neighbor’s house, the e3 team was teaching a woman named Adrianna how to share her testimony, the Gospel, and how to lead a Bible study.

When the last day of the trip came, George brought Adrianna along with him to Miguel’s house. There, the two were introduced and Adrianna agreed to lead a Bible study with Miguel. In fact, she promised to come over every day to teach him more about God’s Word.

“It really drove home what we see in Acts 2:42 where it says, ‘they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer,’” Johnston says.

Be Prayerful, Be Active

And this story gets even better. That’s because you can be a George in somebody’s life, too. Start by praying for people who have yet to encounter the Gospel and Christ’s transformative love.

Try setting a daily alarm on your phone to pray, asking God to send more people into the harvest, for Him to continue working in the hearts and lives of people who’ve been reached with the Gospel, and for hearts to be softened to God’s love. Pray also for the continued perseverance for the people who are dedicating their lives to reaching others with the hope of Christ.

Another way to get involved is by joining an e3 Partners trip and sharing the Gospel somewhere you’ve never been.

Find an e3 Partners trip here!

*Names have been changed for security reasons.

One Latin American doctor credits Corrientes with giving her the courage to share her faith in Haiti. (Image courtesy HCJB Global)

HCJB Global President Wayne Pederson explains the goal of their Corrientes program.

“We’re putting the emphasis on mentoring and mobilizing people from Latin America that can be more effective, frankly, than Americans,” says Pederson. “[In] many parts of the world, Americans are not loved and welcomed. But Latinos can go in easily and serve Christ effectively.”

The name Corrientes, or “Currents”, reflects the flowing of the Holy Spirit and the movement of God’s people in response to the Spirit’s calling. Since its launch in 2009, Corrientes has worked with more than 20 Latino missionaries who are now serving the Lord in Asia, Africa, South America, Europe and the Middle East.

In the past, says Pederson, 70% of all Latin American missionaries returned from the field in failure because they weren’t properly prepared. Corrientes seeks to reverse the trend.

“We’re investing in young lives in Latin America that could serve Christ in other parts of the world for years and decades to come,” explains Pederson. “We are fortunate enough to get Bible school, Bible college graduates that have the basics, and we’re able to spend this year in intensive mentorship.”

For a year, students in the Corrientes program are mentored by leaders in five areas: spiritual formation, Biblical studies, bi-vocational, cross-cultural relationships, and language acquisition.

Each mentor helps students prepare for cross-cultural changes and challenges.

“There’s great passion and excitement in the Latin America church but there’s been a lack of preparation and readiness,” Pederson says. “So, we’re seeking to give them the skills they need to survive in a different culture as they present the Gospel.”

Corrientes training goes beyond equipping Latin American believers. The end goal is placement in a culture desperately needing the Gospel.

“Some will stay in Latin America, but they’ll go into the jungles or work with some of the tribes,” explains Pederson. “We’ve had people go into places like Croatia, Egypt, some of the Stan countries. These people are going into some of the least-reached places of the world, the hard-to-reach places.

“They’re going in as doctors, nurses, teachers, radio personnel, leadership training…a variety of disciplines that they’re bringing with them but with the added dimension of the mentoring they’re getting in the Corrientes program.”

Many Latin American believers are part of the program and eager to begin service around the world. A program like this would normally cost thousands of dollars, but thanks to donors, it’s free for students. Can you help it continue? Click here.

“I have a lot of experience as a health professional, but little knowledge about working within rural communities in my own country,” says a Corrientes student. “This practical and intercultural experience complemented what I have been learning and dialoguing about with my mentors at the Corrientes program.

“I have learned that when I go to the community my main task, in order to be well received and effective, is to be a learner, not a teacher, and to understand the world vision of the people I want to serve. Then, later, I can share the Gospel.”

Orellana, now a pastor and seminary rector, once served as a chaplain at HCJB Global Hospital Vozandes-Quito (HVQ). He would lead Bible studies for the staff, he would conduct chapel services in the waiting areas, and pray with patients and their relatives.

During the last five years, he authored commentaries on the gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke. They were both part of the Biblia do Estudio Mundo Hispano, which is now available in bookstores. He was one of 57 Latin American theologians who contributed to the study Bible.

Orellana says that the greatest value of the study Bible is its basis in a Latino perspective. He said, "It was published in the U.S. but with a Latin American mindset, with learned authors from Latin America."

David Sills, a former missionary to Ecuador with the Southern Baptist denomination, said, "The best commendation I could give to Joselito's writing in the commentary and in the notes he provided for the study Bible is that his work is purely Latino, not a translation of other scholars."

"I'd like to see the study Bible used as a core resource for pastors throughout Latin America who are highly literate but have never had the opportunity for theological education," Sills added.

When Orellana was being interviewed by Duval Rueda on Radio Station HCJB in Quito, he said that there were three different categories of Bibles. There is the paraphrased version, the dynamic translation using a dynamic equivalence of translated words, and the literal translation from the original languages.

The new study Bible is between dynamic and literal, according to Orellana. In the study Bible, he offers readers study helps such as color coding to indicate whether comments and notes come from translation, cultural context investigations, or other study areas.

Orellana stays busy with a range of things such as preaching at Iglesia Bautista Universitaria, to seminary work where he presently is the rector.

LaFe07 is a gathering of Latino college students who are eager to build on their unique culture and nurture a deeper relationship with God. As an arm of Intervarsity, it began 25 years ago as an act of faith and out of a strong desire to truly become an ethnically and culturally diverse movement that includes Latino students.

The group is committed to developing Latino leaders who serve the campus community with the love of Jesus Christ as they explore God, faith, and the experiences of our people. As such, a specific time was set aside in 2004 to look at issues specific to this people group, and it's been growing ever since.

InterVarsity launched two different tracks for the 2007 conference. These tracks will cover the same material but with different emphasis on certain topics.

Participants will be learning from Joseph's life (of the Old Testament), building on the foundation of ethnic identity formation, as well as relevant faith. Students will also learn how to develop evangelical witnessing communities on campus. 

LaFe is incorporated into hundreds of InterVarsity chapters nationwide, with additional LaFe-specific chapters at UCLA, UC-Berkeley, the University of Texas at El Paso, UC-Davis, and East Los Angeles College.

With over 40 campus ministers working with Latino students, 28 of whom are Latino themselves, InterVarsity is serious about equipping Latino students for present and future leadership.

Click here if you want more information .