Though Carmen grew up in a Catholic family, she didn’t know what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus. That changed when she was invited to a home where a local pastor was sharing the gospel. Her young ears had never heard about Jesus in this way, how He had died for sins and offers the free gift of salvation. Carmen accepted Jesus as her Savior that day, going against the cultural norms in her home country in Latin America.
At 16, Carmen moved with her family to the United States, where she continued to grow in her faith. For 50 years, she lived life like many Americans—she went to church, started a family, and lived comfortably. She fell more in love with Jesus, yet she did what many believers in her home country did—she rarely shared her faith with anyone. Soon, however, she would discover God’s calling on her life.
One day, her pastor announced that the church was going to send a team with East-West to an oppressed, communist country to share the gospel. Carmen decided to join the team, excited but nervous to try something new. As the team learned how to share the gospel, Carmen was worried about talking to other people about Jesus, afraid she would say the wrong thing.
The week of the mission trip came, and Carmen found herself standing outside of a hotel in a foreign country, waiting for a van to pick up her and her teammates. The team was going to split and go to two different locations in the city to evangelize. In a mix-up, Carmen got into the wrong van and was headed to the ministry location her other teammates were supposed to go to. But the church worker with her told her not to worry because there was a man waiting to talk to her.
They arrived at the home of the man, and Carmen heard him share his heartbreaking story; the man had lost his wife to cancer not long before the mission trip. Carmen shared the gospel as she had been trained to do and asked the man if he wanted to follow Jesus.
“No,” the man said. “If God loves me so much, why would He take my wife from me?”
Carmen was not prepared for that question. Calmly, she responded with what the Holy Spirit prompted her to say.
“God does love you,” she said. “I got in the wrong van today. I was not supposed to come to your house. But God brought me here because He wants you to know Jesus and give your life to Him.”
With tears in his eyes, the man grabbed Carmen’s arm and asked, “Then what do I need to do to follow Him?”
At that moment, Carmen realized she wanted to do this for the rest of her life. She understood God was calling her to tell others about Jesus, but not just anywhere. Carmen thought of all of the people in her home country who didn’t know who Jesus really is, and she decided she had to go back and tell them.
At first, Carmen thought she would just continue making short-term mission trips to Latin America. But then, East-West’s Region Director for Latin America approached her and asked if she would consider moving back home to be a full-time national partner. Carmen didn’t need convincing—she was ready to make disciples among her people.
So Carmen, now a great-grandmother, left the home she had known for more than 50 years in the U.S. to become a national partner in Latin America. In the short time she has been back in her home country, she has added four new national partners to her team, has received multiple short-term mission teams, and is discipling 12 young believers. Her heart is filled with joy as she sees these young disciples sharing the gospel and holding Bible studies in their communities.
The task is big in her home country. Though Christianity is the main religion, most locals follow a works-based faith, and some unreached tribes practice witchcraft or animism.
People will often ask Carmen why she would give up her life in the U.S. to move back home. She gladly tells them that these are her people, and God has placed a clear calling on her life.
Pray for national partners like Carmen:
- Pray for God to raise up more national partners to join the gospel work in Latin America.
- Pray that more Latin American churches would share the gospel among their people.
- Pray that God would open doors for national partners to reach the unreached in Latin America.
Names have been changed for security purposes.
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