Transforming a Region: A Testimony from WME's Strategy Coordinator

The following is a true story  that shows what can happen when one focuses on seeing a MOVEMENT birthed in disciple making and church planting. To see a movement one has to focus on rapid multiplication and expansion concepts, and then make sure they are taught..learned..and put into practice. Through a training sponsored by World Missions and Evangelism, we trained Beto in these concepts (this a real person but a fictional name for the story) in November of 2009. He subsequently has taken the training numerous times and is now a trainer of others.

This is the story of how the Gospel spread to the Patuca river area of Honduras. It is November of 2009. Beto has been invited to a training hosted by World Missions and Evangelism. This training is about making disciples and planting churches rapidly. This conference is taking place in the town of Catacamas, Olancho, Honduras. Beto was going to meet up with nine other people and take them with him to the training. However, on the way to meet up with Beto the nine ran into a roadblock of people protesting the
ouster of the President of Honduras. The nine decided to return home since they didn’t have their identification documents with them. Honduras was under martial law because of the overthrow of the President. So, Beto came to the training alone. There were other church leaders there at the training that were from other denominations or missions. Beto listens intently and made copious
notes. He heard new and different things. Things he had never heard. He was challenged and struggled with many of the concepts that seemed so different to what he and his denomination had employed for years. He wondered; could all this be true? But, something rang a bell. It was a different sound. He didn’t understand it but he thought he would just make a lot of good notes and review them later. Afterwards Beto even recorded his written notes for personal review and to use the recording to help train others.
After the training he was also given a taped audio version of the conference for use in training others and for his own personal use.

Several weeks after the training conference Beto got 19 of the leaders and workers from his denomination together and he trained them. He taught them what he had learned about making disciples, planting churches, and rapid expansion. At first only six of them were interested in using these principles and concepts in their work. So, these six, along with Beto, started a discovery bible study
(DBS) amongst themselves, just to practice, and to learn first hand exactly how to do it. Then, the day came for them to launch out into the field. They would be using the new concepts, strategies, and tactics that they had learned.

By now it is June of 2010. Beto, Jorge, Mario, and Esteban (real people but fictional names) leave for the town of Nuevo Choluteca It was a hard seven hour trip on dirt road. It was raining and the two of them that were riding in back of the little toyota pickup got wet. Finally, they arrived at the town of Palestina. They still had under an hour to go but the rest of the way was by foot so they decided to spend the night in Palestina. They were tired and two of them were quite wet from the rain. They found a small boarding
house in Palestina and rented rooms. The next day around 8:00 a.m. they began walking in the hot sun towards Nuevo Choluteca. In one of their backpacks they carried two tape players and two sets of the recorded DBS studies. Years ago Beto had tried to enter this area of Honduras to begin a ministry. During this time he had met a man named Felipe. In 1994, Beto, on one of his trips there, had left some sewing machines with Don Felipe. They were trying to teach the people some skills as a way to help them
help themselves economically. The thought pops into Beto’s mind; it has been 11 years since I last saw Don Felipe…would he remember us and know us? Beto and the other three go to the plaza; a central park in the town. The four see a young man who happened to be in the park and they asked him; “do you know how we can get to Don Felipes house?” Unbeknown to Beto and the others the young man was Don Felipe’s grandson!

 Beto remembers; eleven years ago we tried to penetrate this area with the gospel. We came here for four years ..and not a single convert. At that time there were no evangelical churches in the area. He continues thinking; here we are in 2010 and there still aren’t any evangelical churches. We finally gave up after four long years and left the area. He remembers it vividly like it was yesterday; FAILURE…the word lingers in his mind. He muses; could it have been the tactics and strategies we used?
Then he remembers; this time we are going to use some new tactics and strategies. We aren’t going use typical evangelism techniques. Instead we will hunt for a person of peace as Jesus said in Luke 10 and we will attempt to start a discovery bible study. We won’t be going from house to house evangelizing. He continues thinking; we fasted and prayed before coming for the Lord help us find a person of peace (POP). I believe we will find one!

The young man leads them to Felipe who happens to be in town talking to a priest. Don Felipe immediately recognizes Beto. Now, Felipe is a leader and a respected man in the town but he is not a christian; he is against evangelicals. Could he possibly be a person of peace like Jesus refers to in the scriptures? Beto had previousley told the other three; “if Don Felipe hears us… if  he opens the door to us…then he will be the POP (person of peace).” Right away Don Felipe asks Beto and the other three to come to his house. He invites them to eat. Could they have found their person of peace? It sure seemed like it! But this was so
quick!

Suddenly Don Felipe turns to them and asks; “have you come to take away the sewing machines?” “No” says Beto, “but we have a gift for you. It is a tape player and tapes with the Word of God on it.” Felipe responds; “I’ll first have to listen to it in my house.” Don Felipe had enough room in his house for the four visitors since his wife had recently passed away. So, he invited the four to stay in his house. The four visitors were amazed when Don Felipe immediately asked to hear a study. So, they pulled out the tape players and the tapes and they did a discovery bible study (DBS) with Don Felipe in his house. Don Felipe
like it so well that he then invited his friends and family to come to a DBS. He also pressed Beto, Jorge, Mario, and Esteban to stay for a whole week at his home and do the bible studies. The neighbors became curious as to what was going on in Don Felipe’s house! Beto and his friends were amazed that the door had opened so soon and they rejoiced at the opportunity to stay for one week. Beto sent word back to his wife that they would be staying for a week. She was used to such things! After all, sacrifices must be made for the advancement of the Kingdom. For one week they had Discovery Bible Studies with Don Felipe
and those that were gathered together in his home.

Finally, they arrived at the last study they could do for that week. Don Felipe was so impacted by the studies that he, and his son, who was the mayor, decided to start these studies with the towns workers in the city hall offices. Then the idea came to his mind, and his son’s mind, to put the studies on the loud speakers that were pointed towards the plaza and central park in the town. So, at 5:00 o’clock in the evenings the studies were publically broadcasted. Interest was high as the public would come and sit in the park and listen to the studies and check them out in their catholic bibles to see if they were indeed the truth, or
not. Weeks went by and soon people began to decide for Christ. More and more decided. The doors were flung wide open to that area!

Now, fast forward to the present; the fall of 2014. There are now, to the amazement of Beto and the other three, 14 churches in the area and over 120 DBSs. Beto estimates that around 2,500 to 3000 people have been saved since that first DBS was started in Don Felipe’s house that June of 2010. God opened such an effectual door that in a little more than four short years, barriers were broken down..people decided to follow Christ, and many have been baptized. And to this day there exists a strong ongoing interest in the gospel. Currently many bible studies are taking place.

One of the strangest things is; that to this day Don Felipe still has not made a decision for Christ, nevertheless, even he, is amazed at the transformation that has taken place. Beto muses; Jesus’ mode of evangelism sure is different than what I learned in my early days of ministry. I was trained to go from house to house when evangelizing. Jesus said DON’T do that. Beto continues thinking; evangelizing through the Discovery Bible Studies ensures the people are getting the pure Word of God and
not just some church doctrine and the evangelism methodology is based upon the principle of finding a person of peace. It is amazing but the gospel itself speaks to the POP and to all who become involved in a DBS. His imagination begins to run away; what if this happened all over Honduras…then the rest of central America and……could it really happen?…. Beto still does not completely understand it all but he gives the glory and honor to God!

Thank YOU supporters for YOUR prayers and financial support. Because of YOUR help YOU have become a part of the story above. There are many more stories. Together we can see the Kingdom of God advance in Latin America.

Thank you and may God Bless each of you.
Randy and Linda Travis