Please Stand Up!

Recently Katy and I returned to Colombia in January for the 2020 Field Conference. What a thrill to join the many Latin American families with the same vision and passion to reach unreached people groups for Christ!

Fifty years ago, Katy and I arrived in Bogotá, Colombia, for the first time. We joined a small group of fellow missionaries. Our vision was big. We were going to evangelize the people groups of Colombia, plant thriving churches and translate the Scripture into their languages. We couldn’t wait to get started.

I remember the first time we gathered with this small group of foreign missionaries for our first field conference and take our first steps into the unknown. There was so much energy and vision. Katy and I were thrilled to be a part of this little group with big goals, goals larger than we understood at the time.

Years later we realized that we would always be shorthanded. That is when we made a monumental change of direction. We decided to develop a missionary training center and challenge Latin Americans to join in our vision for the people groups of Colombia and beyond.

I remember the day I asked our little group of missionaries if they wanted to move towards opening a Colombian Missionary Training Center and mobilize Latin Americans to partner with us. “If you are willing, please stand up.”

Every missionary stood up.

I told them we would need to sell our four-story mission home and offices in Bogotá to get the money needed to buy property for the training center. “If you agree to sell our property, please stand up.”

Every missionary stood up.

I reminded them it would mean all future field conferences would be in the Spanish language. That would mean every foreign missionary needed to become proficient in the language of our new co-workers. “If you are willing, then please stand up.”

Every missionary stood up.

Our missionaries were 100 percent for doing whatever it took to mobilize and partner with the Latin American church to get the team we needed.

The training center became a reality. Today, our missionary team in Colombia has grown and is overwhelmingly Latin American.

Katy and I were thrilled to sit in meetings with our many missionary partners who carry the same vision to see thriving churches in remote areas of the world.

We are still only a handful of expatriate missionaries, but the increase in Latin American missionaries is a vision come true.

A well-defined vision, a great training course and more missionary partners make it possible to reach the people groups in Colombia and around the world.

Are you willing to obey our Savior’s command to make disciples of all nations? Are you willing to give gladly of your time and your resources? Are you willing to do whatever is necessary to reach the nations or your neighbor for His glory?

Then please stand up.