A Lifelong Calling

Pastor Lucas has felt a calling from the Lord since an early age. “At 10 years old, I was different than my friends,” he says. “I liked going to church. I loved the Bible.”

His passion didn’t fade with time. At 20, he was working for the government as an engineer in his home country of Argentina. But despite his success, he felt empty. He was making good money in a steady job, but Lucas’ passion to share the Gospel was still there. He finally quit his job and attended seminary, then continued to follow the Lord on a long and winding path that landed him in Visalia, California.

Visalia is an agricultural town in central California. In this town of 133,000 people, more than half the population is Hispanic. Many work 12-16 hours a day in the fields to support their families. They came to the U.S. to find a better life, but still carry the baggage they brought with them.

“The Hispanic community here is damaged emotionally because of people’s backgrounds and childhoods,” Lucas says. “Some of them ran away from their countries to get here. There are single moms. Abuse. A lot of bad backgrounds.”

Through Bible League’s Church Planter Training, Lucas learned how to plant a thriving church and how to host Project Philip Bible studies in homes, places where people are more likely to open up to others. “I think the way to show Jesus’ love in Visalia is to open house churches, to hold Bible studies in houses,” he says. “Our vision is to transform this town.”

But Lucas can’t do it on his own. He feels blessed to be trained by Bible League because so many other church leaders lack that guidance. “We are in an area where people are not prepared biblically,” he says. “Most of the Hispanic pastors here do not have biblical training. Many churches have closed because they don’t continue to train leaders.”

It may seem odd that churches and church leaders in the U.S. lack training, but this is not uncommon in many communities around the country. In Visalia, there’s also a lack of Bibles. According to Lucas, only about six percent of the Hispanic community has access to God’s Word.

“The Bible is healing the people and closing the wound. We are giving people hope,” Lucas says. “The Lord can transform a family. Then, they can transform another family. The entire city can change. The Gospel must go outside the church. Everybody needs to meet Jesus.”

FEATURED STORIES

A Flea Market Encounter

Terry and her husband, Ezequiel, are joyfully living out their faith in the mostly Hispanic community of Williams, California. Ezequiel has only been a believer for about three years, but the energetic couple is proof God is working in the hearts of people of all ages. Terry notes, “I am 70 and my husband is 75. God doesn’t care how old you are. He wants you saved.”

Each week, the couple works at the local flea market. Their table was right behind Rosa’s table—a Christian woman doing ministry in the flea market. Terry notes, “When we were working, we would listen to her praying for people.”

Terry believed in Jesus, but her faith wasn’t very strong. She notes, “When I listened to Rosa pray, it stirred something in my heart. One day, while I was working at the flea market, God told me to kneel, and I began praying.”

Soon after, Terry’s friend invited her to church. When she and her husband arrived, they were surprised to see a familiar face—Rosa. She says excitedly, “I came, and I saw Rosa! I said, ‘My goodness, it’s the lady from the flea market.’”

Since then, Terry and Ezequiel have been going to Iglesia Sinai. Terry can’t keep from smiling as she says, “I feel God wanted us at this church. We have been very, very happy here. I 100% feel like my faith has grown since being at this church. Every week, I’m excited to go. Every minute feels like heaven to me.”

Recently, Terry and Ezequiel attended a Project Philip Bible study training at Rosa’s church. They are looking forward to putting into action what they learned. Terry explains, “The training was beautiful. Sometimes you need to learn a better way to do things, and that’s what the training was for us. This has made my life and my husband’s life clearer. Now, we can work better outside of the church.”

Answered Prayers

Years ago, Keyla accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She was the only Christian in her entire family. “For many years, I have prayed for the conversion of my family members,” she says.

In 2017, Keyla and most of her family moved from their home in Venezuela to Chicago where she got involved in a local church. This year, she attended a Project Philip Bible study leader training in both Spanish and English. In this course, Keyla learned how to teach Bible studies in small groups.

“Project Philip is an answer to my prayers,” she says.

Once she finished the training, she immediately put her new skills to work and started a small group Bible study. Her first student was her mother, who still lives in Venezuela. Keyla hosts her classes online so that her mother can participate.

In July, Keyla started leading Bible League’s Project Philip discipleship Bible study with a small group. At the end of the first lesson, another of Keyla’s prayers was answered. “My beloved mother received Jesus as her only Lord and Savior for the glory of God.” Praise the Lord!

SMARTER WAYS TO GIVE

Giving Through your Will

Know the peace of mind that comes from having a plan in place. When it comes to your Will, keep these things in mind:

To learn more, call Jim Prock, Director of Planned Giving, at (405) 205-8343 or email him at jprock@bibleleague.org.