Latin America

Chile

Marriage Conference a Great Success!
The first FamilyLife Conference for Chile took place in Santiago on September1, 2006. Thirty-one couples from two churches and the community of Lonquen participated in “A Day to Remember”. During the weekend these couples were treated to talks on:

• The Five Threats to Marital Unity,
• The Roles of the Husband and Wife in Marriage,
• Sexual Intimacy in Marriage,
• Resolving Conflicts in Marriage, and
• The Marriage Pact: Understanding the Secret of Marital Harmony.

After each session the couples were given projects to implement what they learned. Couples spoke highly of how the conference met a need in their marriage to pull away from the business of everyday life and talk about issues important to having a strong marriage.

The Church of Lonquen sponsored the conference and is hoping to involve the people who came to the conference in HomeBuilders small groups. Seven couples at the conference indicated a desire to meet in small groups for the next three months to discuss the contents of the conference. The pastor of this church located in an affluent area said, “Marriage conferences like this one and the small groups studies that follow are some of the most effective ways to reach out to people here in this community.” Chileans value family and since many families and marriages are in crisis these days, the FamilyLife Marriage conferences that are based on Biblical values and a Christ-centered approach to marriage are a great way to serve the community and reach out.

The speakers from Ecuador did a great job at communicating the sessions in a memorable and enjoyable way. Both were well received and were full of practical application. As always, The Campus Crusade couple of Chile took advantage of the time with them to “pepper” them with questions about how they have helped to grow a national ministry in Ecuador. They thanked the Lord that their ministry in Ecuador had an effect way down in Chile.

Mexico

How God Used a Healed Marriage
Antonio and Dolores faced significant real-life adjustments when they first were married 10 years ago in Cancun, Mexico. They were both in a routine of independent living for several years prior to marrying. Their independence led to significant problems in communication. The problems were so severe that Dolores concluded that divorce was the only solution.

They began meeting with a missionary couple, John and Shirley Wind, who gave them godly counseling and introduced them to the HomeBuilders Couples Series. Antonio and Dolores worked through their issues of poor communication skills and self-centeredness. They began to realize that not only did God have a blueprint for marriage; He also had a plan and a purpose for marriage. They really were challenged and changed by the blueprints for marriage they found in the HomeBuilders studies.

Dolores said: “God used the HomeBuilders studies to heal our marriage relationship and gave us a new pattern for communication. Our marriage would never have survived without godly counseling and the HomeBuilders materials.”

So how does God use a “healed marriage”? Antonio and Dolores now lead a HomeBuilders group that includes four other couples. “We see the results of marriages that are being strengthened.” Antonio and Dolores are now part of the FamilyLife leadership team for the city of Cancun. They have joined with six other couples to train more couples to be HomeBuilders leaders and to help organize and host Weekend to Remember events and exposure events in the city.

In May 2007, they encouraged other couples to attend the Global Outreach Movement Maker training; 18 couples attended! They also invited couples to attend the Weekend to Remember marriage conference—80 people attended, 17 prayed to received Christ, 40 prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit and 39 recommitted their lives to God and family. That’s what God can do through a “healed marriage”!

Editor’s note: John and Shirley Wind attended Global Outreach training in Little Rock in 2004 and City Ministry Team training in Guatemala in 2005. God used them to build a FamilyLife team of volunteers in Mirada, Mexico. The FamilyLife team in Mirada then helped to start another FamilyLife team in Cancun. The Global Outreach strategy for launching spiritual movements really equips couples to reach out to other couples to help make “every home a godly home”.

San Salvador

Movement Making Continues in Latin America — February 2007

“Only as small-group spiritual movements multiply abundantly is the Great Commission likely to be fulfilled.” 
-Steve Douglas, CCCI

Latin America is experiencing the tremors of spiritual movements in many ways. Recently one of our international representatives flew to Latin America to work with Leonel Motta in several diverse ministry activities.

Movement Maker training with Pastors
Manuel and Ceci Avendano attended City Ministry Directors in 2005 and made a 3-5 year strategy to expand their outreach to families. When they returned to El Salvador they recruited a team of couples—all pastors from churches in San Salvador.

This February they gathered this team of 11 couples, all of them pastors, to help them develop an outreach ministry to families in their churches and communities. At the end of the Movement Maker training each couple presented their five-year plan using FamilyLife resources and strategies. They caught the vision of building a spiritual movement throughout in the city of San Salvador and to other regions in El Salvador.

The Avendanos also hosted a parenting seminar (35 attended) plus two seminars for men and women (97 attended). The good news is that Manuel and Ceci were not the lead couple for each of these events. They had brought together a team, trained them and then delegated these events to each of the couples.

FamilyLife Marriage Seminar
God worked in a powerful way to change hearts and reconcile marriages for the 68 couples who attended. This seminar was sponsored by one of the churches involved in the Movement Maker training this month. The following resulted:

• Prayed to receive Christ: 8
• Prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit: 35
• Prayed to recommit their lives and their marriages to Christ: 37

On the College Campus
The moral climate on the campus of The University of Jose Matias Delgado was wide open to casual sex…not just between boyfriend and girlfriend, but between students just hanging out together. At the invitation of Professor Stella de Arias, Gabe Buchholtz presented a four-hour lecture series to 50 students using the Before You Leap seminar material as a guest lecturer.

As a result, 27 students asked for follow-up information, to attend additional seminars, and to participate in small group discussions—all led by Campus Crusade student leaders and staff. They really wanted to know how God’s principles could change their lives and their lifestyles. These students have a great interest to learn how to develop lasting relationships and they have a great need to hear the gospel. Before You Leap covers it all!