The SIM Spanish communications team is finding innovative ways to train the many Latinos who are keen to serve cross-culturally.
SIM is deeply multicultural and continues to welcome new missionaries from a broad spectrum of countries. We praise God that over the past ten years, rising numbers of Central and South Americans have been applying to serve as cross-cultural workers! SIM also believes in training missionaries with professionalism and excellence.
Yet, travel costs make it nearly impossible for new missionaries from South America to go to one training site for orientation. The SIM Spanish Communications team has found a way to provide training and encouragement for new missionaries from Latin America who are going to the field with SIM. Their churches can also be involved with their training.
The team is gathering resources from around the world, and creating an interactive and practical kit which will ideally be studied alongside a mentor. Resources will include: stories and testimonies, documentaries, video lessons, brochures, articles, book recommendations, PowerPoints, videos, Bible studies, and a guide to personally investigate/apply the topic. The kit will have input from SIM and non-SIM sources.
It is anticipated that 50 or more potential missionaries will benefit from this per year.
In every instance SIM seeks to partner with local and national churches to strengthen their capacity to send missionaries. Therefore, the next phase will include a similar kit for pastors to teach missions to their congregations.
SIM will share what we develop with other agencies and churches who seek to prepare and send cross-cultural Christian workers.
A number of Latino missionaries are answering the call of God to cross-cultural ministry. These kits will be an invaluable means of training and preparation. Nery, Eva and Yelen are three Peruvians with a heart for mission.
Nery has a mission call for South Africa and went on a vision trip there for three months in 2009. She is now waiting for her church to be fully behind her. She hopes to be able to go back to Africa in 2012 to work mainly with women and with HIV and AIDS counselling.
Yelen has been part of the SIM Peru media team for the past three years, and has helped develop the website in Spanish and produce a monthly electronic magazine. She has a calling to be a tent-maker and is praying about God’s timing for her. For now, she will be part of the team working on the orientation kit.
Eva has a calling to work in Asia someday but is still studying and leading her church’s mission team. She is part of a small group of potential missionaries who get together monthly to encourage each other in the process of preparing for missionary service.
