Latin America

Where We Assist

Latin America

At a Glance

  • Revivals and growing evangelical populations
  • Need for trained leaders to disciple new believers
  • Rampant gangs and drug trafficking
  • Poverty
  • Unreached people groups: 481

Latin America’s Protestant population is booming, yet the region is still home to high numbers of unreached people groups. Brazil tops the chart of Latin American countries with the most unreached people groups. Mexico is second, followed by Peru and Colombia. Among Christians, lack of trained leadership is a challenge that has led to false teaching within some churches. Indigenous missionaries are sharing the gospel with tribes in the Amazon Jungle and the Andes Mountains, dangerous criminals in prisons, and vulnerable children. Their holistic approach ministers to people’s practical and spiritual needs, and they meticulously disciple and train those whom they lead to Christ.

Ministry Highlight

In Colombia, an indigenous ministry set up feeding centers at 22 of their congregations, providing food to more than 900 children and elderly people every Sunday. “Many of these meals were served in communities where families live around the garbage dumps of towns and cities. They make a living collecting paper, plastic, and metal, which will be sold to obtain money to support their families. By caring for children, we are helping to spread the gospel, since many of these parents consider that the food their children receive at church is the best food these children receive during the week,” the leader said.  

Countries
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Missionaries on field
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People who heard the gospel last year
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Ethnic groups being reached with the gospel
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How You Can Make a Difference

Indigenous missionaries in Latin America persevere in sharing the gospel in some of the world’s most dangerous mission fields—where gangs, drug traffickers, and hostile animist communities view them as a threat to their territories. They need your support to help them enter towns and villages through community engagement projects like small businesses and vocational training centers, which have proven effective in opening hearts to the gospel message.

From the Mission Field in Latin America

Assist Missionaries With Their Compassionate Outreach in Guatemala
Pray for new and future missionaries as they prepare to follow the Lord's lead. A 25-year-old man began attending a children's Bible study led by a local ministry when he was four years old, and he accepted the Lord as his Savior when he was 10. Over the years, the ministry consistently discipled him and now, he is one of the leaders in the ministry's outreach to children with the goal of one day becoming a missionary. “I thank this ministry for teaching me to follow Jesus and make my life change by following a dedicated Christian life,” he said. Donations of $35 or $70 assist local ministries in such compassionate outreach to children.
Brazilian Missionaries Visit Previously Unreached Tribe in Colombia
Ten years ago, an indigenous Colombian tribe fled their villages deep in the Amazon when drug traffickers and guerilla groups took over their territory, threatening them with death if they did not leave. In the chaos of the moment, their leader was killed, and the rest of the people attempted to create a new home nearer to a large city. But when—several months ago—three local missionaries from nearby Brazil trekked through the jungle to meet the tribe and assess their living situation, their continued destitution was evident. “They live in canvas tents and have no food,” one of the missionaries said. “It was very sad to see the situation in which they find themselves because it is of total abandonment. Everyone was very hungry.”
“Not I, But Christ”
Reaching Ethnic Tribes with the Gospel
Free haircuts and dental care. The distribution of medications at no cost. Lessons in art and cooking and agriculture. To some, these things may seem like simple acts of kindness, the generous gifting of important services, resources, and knowledge to enhance people’s quality of life. But to native missionaries in Brazil, they present opportunities to live out the Great Commission, opening the door for them to be the hands and feet of Jesus among ethnic tribes who are not only wary—but sometimes even hostile—to missionaries’ attempts to share the gospel.
A Cinderella Story
It was nicknamed “Cinderella” by some, this Latin American city that was rich in beauty and history but devoid of true joy, with no fellowship of believers and—prior to Daniel’s* arrival—no missionary to share the gospel message. Unbeknownst to Daniel, however, God had been preparing this place for a metamorphosis. Like Cinderella, it would soon rise from the ashes and transform into what, at its core, it was always meant to be. But unlike Cinderella, this would not be a fairy godmother intervention. This transformation would be through the work of the Holy Spirit.