When we speak of the greatest advances of our ministry in the past year, it would not be complete without highlighting the new beginnings that took place through the “Genesis” Project in our Region.
Accepting the challenge of this great initiative a year ago, led to moments of feeling overwhelmed. How can we influence change in giant cities? Where will all the workers come from (112 in the next seven years)? How can we raise all this money?
Well, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
In a more “spiritual” manner, we needed to pray as we had never done before and work diligently on developing a step-by-step strategy and an infrastructure for this enormous task.
God has brought us excellent missionaries as the seven that are already serving (and two more in training), such as Erika Chavez, who left her family and home in Costa Rica to be sent as our most important help in managing Genesis. We designated Tuesday as our prayer and fasting day and we are challenging our region to do the same as they reflect and plan for Genesis. We spent days and weeks sculpting a plan to effectively facilitate the work of sending missionaries to 28 designated sites with little or no Nazarene presence. Together with our GM (Global Mission) coordinators team in each field and several superintendents, we visited the Genesis sites scheduled for the first two years and contextualized and developed strategies for ministry and church planting there. We have designed and implemented missionary training, which has been offered both virtually and in person in Santo Domingo.
God has also brought us donors and churches that have partnered with us on several of the sites in 2014 and 2015. Veracruz, Santo Domingo and Santiago (Dominican Republic), are receiving prayer and financial support for materials, as well as basic church planting aspects. Granada and Curacao have partners ready. San Pedro Sula, San Salvador, Guadalajara and Toluca are in the process of being sponsored, so we are expecting in the coming months. Each of these sites is working diligently on planning for the arrival of the Genesis missionaries next year.
Now our biggest challenge is to discover and develop workers for the harvest (Matthew 9:38). We ask you to be praying for sanctified workers, fully committed to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Intercede for workers that will gradually form in theology and also in their ministries, in order to plant prosperous and healthy churches. And ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers sent by their families, churches and nations, eager to give their best to the Lord. We have seen many young people and adults devote their lives to serving God as missionaries! By following up with these and other individuals interested in serving, our challenge as a region is to truly support – in prayer and finances – this great army of missionaries for the coming years.
Armstrong Family
Genesis Coordinators
Mesoamerica Region
