Greetings, Saludos, Bendições and Bonjou

Greetings, Saludos, Bendições and Bonjou from Costa Rica. I trust that our loving God will bless you, your families and your ministries in this upcoming year. 

2010 was a fascinating year of changes for many of us. As you can see from the greeting above, although we live in a primarily Spanish-speaking world, we work in four languages in our area alone.

January 12, 2011, marks a year since the devastating earthquake in Haiti that resulted in a new field for our area. In 2010, we witnessed God’s hand and followed His leading in the immediate aftermath of the crisis. In 2011, we expect to see an international team of missionaries come together, committed to seeing healthy churches multiplied in Haiti – a country that has been without hope for so long.

Two veteran missionary families (the Hillis and Oates families) retired from ReachGlobal after many years of service. We rejoice in the testimony they are to God’s faithfulness.

At the same time, we welcomed a few new missionaries to RG LA – the Jenkins family, Melissa Putney, the De Marcos and the Wilsons. Others entered the on-boarding and support team building pipeline – the Ziels and Ashlee Nuest. God has been gracious in planting a vision for LA missions in people’s hearts. 

Roles changed in 2010 as well. A number of our staff have seen their focus move to new arenas and now serve from different places. Through these moves, we’ve extended several relationships with other organizations that share our heart for church multiplication. For example, as the Porters worked with a new partner ministry in the Dominican Republic, their relationship proved fortuitous as we launched into Haiti.

Communications became a new focus for the area. As Melissa Putney stepped into the role of Communications Coordinator for Latin America, she spoke with most of you as well as many supporting churches in the United States in an effort to better understand our communications needs. It was quickly apparent that we need to communicate RG work in LA better with you, our “on the ground” staff. Melissa and I have been strategizing about the best way to accomplish that, and we hope you’ve already seen some improvement. 

This year we plan to communicate with you more frequently, sharing area news and God-sightings. We will use this RGLA Staff Broadcast blog as the primary means of communication. It is important that you follow the updates. [Please visit the blog to set up an RSS feed. For more information on RSS feed and instructions on setting it up, go here.]

Childlike Faith: A Prayer Letter Repost

The following is an excerpt from the latest Happ family newsletter. What is your special story or memory from this past Christmas?

The Sunday before Christmas, [4-year-old] Jordan made a birthday card for Jesus in her Sunday school class. On Christmas Eve, when we explained that we would be lighting the Advent candles and singing to celebrate Jesus’ birth, she ran to get her card. Then she did something that was so sweet that we just have to share it with you.

She held the card high above her head, “so Jesus can see it,” and then pressed it to her chest, “so He can come into my heart.” It was so simple and so precious! There was no doubt in her little mind that Jesus exists, no doubt that He would see her, no doubt that He’d hear and respond. Of course He’d accept her; He loves her!

That is the kind of childlike faith that Jesus urges us as His followers to have. He wants us to trust Him implicitly, to follow Him without wavering, to believe that He really does love unconditionally, and to love as He loves.


A faith like Jordan’s is beautiful and wonderful, but even childlike faith must be nurtured. It must be educated and matured, for we are not to remain as children. If we were, Paul would not have admonished the Corinthians for being unable to handle the “solid food” of his spiritual teaching.

There are millions of believers in Latin America whose faith could be classified as “childlike.” We rejoice at this statistic, but we also know that it means there is a lot of work to do to nurture and mature the faith of those believers.

The mission of LATN/ProMETA is the same as Paul’s charge to Timothy, to “entrust [his teachings] to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2b), and well it should be! We’ve witnessed firsthand the abuses that take place within the church when the people and their leaders are not instructed in the Truth.

By making it our goal to provide sound theological training to the leaders of leaders in the Spanish speaking world, we are multiplying our effect across the globe. As our students share what they’ve learned with other leaders, their congregations, their seminary students, and their families, they are nurturing the childlike faith of those around them. The Church is growing in the knowledge and wisdom of the Lord, and we believe He is pleased!

Passion, Pursuit, and Encouragement for the Journey -- A Blog Repost

Did you know that many of your fellow teammates on the RG LA staff are blogging on a regular basis? Don't forget to keep up with one another, encourage one another, pray for one another, and share in the journey together.

Below is a recent blog post written by Cathi Duggan in Costa Rica:

I tend to be energized by spending time doing what I love -- listening to women, reaching out to others, feeding the multitudes, and opening my home to strangers I've never met. The early part of my week was a little disappointing.

(OK, more than a little) as my car broke down, and then I was unable to spend time in La Carpio. Apparently, four days without water in that barrio had provoked a protest of sorts, and the road was being blocked. For many of my friends, Twitter followers, and family, that would signal relief at 5:30 AM and a quick return to bed... I put on running clothes, grabbed the dog's leash and ran, and while running, prayed for a peaceful resolution (and abundant water to flow into that community soon) to this problem. The kids were happy that I chose to pick up their favorite doughnuts on my way back, and we spent a cozy morning together!

Does our Heavenly Father feel the same when He pursues the the thing He is passionate about--US--and we have something that impedes our time with Him? I believe so. Creating a space or place to meet Him (whether it is indoors or well, on a long morning run), being intentional, and seeking His face demands commitment... but the benefits are beyond compare!

A double blessing was waiting for me today. A listserv sent a reminder for a call-in meeting and, although I rarely take time to look at non-personal or urgent emails in the morning, this particular email caught my attention. It was strange to open it, see our family's picture on the margin... and realize, this meeting was occurring in Charlotte, NC, around lunchtime, and I could be a part of it via our stateside phone.

Although the connection failed midway through the call, this divine appointment encouraged me and the other ladies who intentionally put aside time to be together, learn from God's Word and one another, and pray. I am not alone on this planet, my Heavenly Father has placed others along the hills and valleys of my life so I may be encouraged and, in turn, encourage others. For some that means a slice of homemade pizza and a brownie, a cup of coffee, and for others a listening ear, a hug or a smile. My friends and family know me too well--for me, any of those work....

"Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing." I Thessalonians 5:10-11