Exploring Opportunities in Latin America
Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. —Proverbs 25:25, ESV
Trips overseas don’t usually make me nervous. I’ve traveled frequently enough and much is second nature. I don’t think much about it at all beyond what I need to. But as plans were being made and the departure date approached for the RP Global Missions exploratory trip to South America, I could feel an anxious churn in my stomach. This trip was unlike others I had been on. There were so many unknowns. The scariest part for me was the knowledge that, among all those unknowns, I was the one that knew more than any of my traveling companions. All of the “What if…?” questions began to plague my mind. “What if this trip turns out to be a total waste?” “What if I’m in over my head?” “What if I can’t handle driving across Paraguay?” “What if we aren’t well received by the people we are going there to meet with?” “What if…what if…what if…?”
But that all changed the morning after our first night in Ecuador. Monica (my friend and fellow RPCNA member who I recruited to be our translator/interpreter for the trip) and I stepped outside to get some breakfast and run a few errands. Even though Quito is a place to which I’ve never been, it was so much like so many other places I’ve regularly traversed. All of the unfamiliar began to fade away and everything began to feel comfortably familiar. I felt like I belonged right where I was in that moment. I was humbled. All of that anxiety and doubt was wasted energy. I was reminded that I still have so far to go in learning to trust the Lord in all things.
Soon after this walk through the streets of Quito, Monica and I met up with our two other trip companions (RPGM board member Colin and his father-in-law, Eric) and the four of us began traveling to meet with various contacts and groups in Ecuador and Paraguay. I kept encountering people I felt like I knew—even though we had never met. They were not strangers; they were brothers and sisters. How awesome it is to belong to the family of God! We truly do have more things in common with brothers and sisters who live thousands of miles away, who speak a different language, and who have a different culture than things that separate us.
What my traveling companions and I heard time and again from many with whom we visited was that our mere presence among them was an encouragement and a balm to their souls. This in and of itself was a direct answer to our prayers leading up to this trip. Because there are so few in these regions who have truly understood the gospel of grace, these small pockets of believers often feel quite isolated and lonely…starved for fellowship with like-minded, confessionally-Reformed believers. This reality richened our fellowship with one another and made our parting so much more difficult.
Now is the time for prayer.
Since returning from South America, many have asked, “What now?” I wish I had a clear answer to that question. But there is still much to think through. There are clear needs that we can assist with. There are other needs that are less clear. And the path forward for all of it will need to be handled with care. But this is where you come in, dear reader. Now is the time for prayer. Pray with those of us who traveled to Central and South America as we formulate proposals to bring before the board for our spring meeting. Pray that the board would receive these proposals favorably and that we could move forward with one mind. Pray that the Lord would provide the personnel and funding needed to move these plans forward. And pray that Christ would use us—even in a small way—to help grow his church in Latin America. In the coming months I hope to get a chance to introduce you to our new friends. But until then, pray with me that our union with them will continue to grow as we find ways to serve one another and magnify the name of Jesus Christ in Latin America.