Entering the Story

We’re just back from a whirlwind trip by air and land to the south of Mexico and through America’s heartland. We began by boarding a plane in Mexico City to travel to the Latin America Caribbean (LAC) Retreat. This event, which took place from July 24th to 28th, gathered over 580 people from the entire region for rest and renewal. As area hosts, Kelly and I helped coordinate logistics for the event which also served to kick off LAC’s new advocacy campaign: “Enter the Story.”

“Enter the Story” is a product of the team led by Caribbean Area Directors, David and Kristen Speer. It presents three major blocks of the people of LAC: Unreached People Groups, the Emerging Generation, and the Urban Masses as largely unengaged by the gospel narrative. During the retreat, each Area Director presented a 5-minute window, highlighting the plight of an individual representing these groups. Kelly and I presented the story of Blanca, a member of the Urban Masses living in Mexico City.

In Blanca’s message to us via Network211, she spoke of her desperation, tired of trying to make ends meet. We responded to her with the hope of the gospel, but her access to an example of it is limited. While the most she’d have to walk to fill her stomach at a taco stand is four blocks, the journey to feed her soul in an Assembly of God church may take over 11 miles. In this city of 583 square miles, the Assemblies of God has only 52 churches–there are 1.6 million taco stands.

Following the LAC Retreat, we traveled stateside to Columbus, OH to be a part of the team to assemble and unveil the new interactive LAC exhibit which featured the stories of LAC’s unengaged at General Council ’23 (GC23), our fellowship’s national conference. During our time there, we served as “Story Influencers,” helping visitors understand the messages and encouraging them to respond.

Thank you for your prayers and support! As you help us to “Enter the Story” of LAC’s unengaged, you’re “Changing the Narrative.”

Photo Captions:

1. Over 580 people gathered in Mexico July 24th-28th for the LAC Regional Retreat, “Reignite.” We were a part of the team coordinating logistics for the event. 
2. For the roll out of the “Enter the Story” advocacy campaign, we prepared and presented a 5-minute window during the LAC Retreat.
3. We served with fellow global workers as “Story Influencers” during GC23. Here we’re pictured in the LAC exhibit with Bill and Joy Wilson from the Oregon Ministry Network.