How are INSTAR projects and missionaries impacting Latin America?

INSTAR is the name that WME has for all of its projects in Latin America.  The overall goal is to make disciples that make disciples, and to do Kingdom of God ministry that will impact lives and bring transformation to lives and regions.  Here are some of the missionaries and projects that are bringing Transformation in Latin America!

Candace Brown-Espinosa: Candace has been a member of the Abraham Project team since March 2003. She traveled to Costa Rica with the purpose of volunteering for a humanitarian organization that focuses on women and children. She has worked in many aspects of the Project including six years as Team Coordinator, two years as Children’s Home Administrative Assistant, and as of January 2011, she and Aarón are now one of two new sets of house parents. Candace married Aarón Espinoza in 2005, and they have shared their lives with the church serving in many capacities. Aarón lends his time as one of the music directors and runs the sound system at the Lighthouse Community Christian Church at the Project. Both Candace and Aarón enjoy their service with the Abraham Project and encourage others to join in this endeavor to be a haven and refuge for the hurting and unprotected.

Richard and Pat Crowder:  The Crowders are Children's evangelists and missionaries.  They are conducting Kids Krusades and evangelistic outreach to children in Latin America.  Primarily focused on Honduras, they also are impacting Mexico and Guatemala.  Literally thousands of children have received Jesus as Savior through their ministry.  They also train and equip children's ministers throughout the region.

Sid and Kathy Luke:  Sid and Kathy Luke have been ministering to Chile and Mexico for over 30 years. They have done all kinds of evangelic ministries including street evangelism, church planting, leadership training, radio ministry, along with earthquake and tsunami relief.

Randy and Linda Travis: Randy and Linda Travis have been missionaries in Latin America since 1982. During their first 6 years in Honduras they pioneered a church in the department of Olancho. From this church, came a network of churches.

Pech Indian Children

By 2006 there were about 25 churches in Honduras as a part of this network. In addition, Randy pioneered the gospel with the Pech Indian tribe.

The Travis family became affiliated with W.M.E. in 1988 and were W.M.E.’s first missionaries. Soon afterward they relocated to Chiapas, Mexico and spent a number of years in evangelism and ministry in the indigenous church there.

Also during their ministry, Randy taught missions at the Omega Missions Training Center in Alabama.

Juanita, Keith, Linda, Randy Travis

In 2006, Randy met David Watson and had the vision to see a new church planting movement emerge in Honduras. Randy and Linda along with their son and daughter-in-law, Keith and Juanita, moved back to Honduras in 2007 and began to lay the groundwork for a Church Planting Movement Project. The initial Honduran team was recruited from the original churches randy had planted years before. The project began in 2008. As of December 2014 there were 1,244 groups and churches as a result of this project.

Randy continues to serve as the strategy coordinator for the INSTAR PROJECT

Keith and Juanita Travis: Keith Travis was born in 1982. This was the same year that his parents, Randy & Linda Travis, moved to Honduras as pioneer missionaries. Growing up on the mission field he was a part of his parents’ ministry. At about age 20, Keith launched out full time in evangelistic ministry in Southern Mexico. In five years of ministry, Keith saw many people come to the Lord and has many testimonies of God’s supernatural power. During this time he met and married his wife, Juanita. In late 2006, God spoke to him and said “I’m sending you back to Honduras.”

Keith helping to drill a well.

When he told his father, Randy said that he and Linda were going back to Honduras as well. Randy told Keith about the Church Planting Movement Strategy.

Keith has served as assistant strategy coordinator throughout the process and has been powerfully used of God.

Honduras Ministries:

We currently distribute food, hygiene products and medical supplies to more than 1200 individuals per month. We help support growing congregations of Christians. That support includes construction of new church buildings and homes. Our first church building was constructed in 2006 in Cero de Piedra. Next we constructed a church building in LaFortunita.  We have four worship services at present, one on Thursday in Choluteca, one on Friday evening in SanJose, one on Saturday in LaFortunita and one on Sunday in Cerco de Piedra.  We have training programs for Hondurans to learn trades in sewing and hammock-making. We are currently training eager Honduran men and women to plant additional evangelical Christian churches and duplicate this ministry in other Honduran villages. The need is great.

There are many mountain villages that still do not have electricity or running water, children without clothing or shoes, and families without food to feed their children. High percentages of young marriages and teen pregnancy are the norm and sadly this is all they seem to know to aim for. Homes are barely constructed of mud, sticks, cardboard and whatever material they can use to cover themselves. Many villages have no organized church, a pastor, or a church building in which to meet, which leaves their spiritual needs unfulfilled.

Dawn Choate and Healing Projects:  Impacting Guatemala

As Healing Projects, we will focus on 5 main arms that all come together to showcase projects and ministries dedicated to holistic healing for vulnerable women, children or orphans, and impoverished communities. Healing Hannah, Healing Orphans, Healing Hands, Healing Hearts, & Healing Homes will focus on different aspects of the same purpose, to bring the fullness of God’s healing to those who need it most.

God's Promises: Michelle Garland, James and Barbara Page: “Las Promesas De Dios” (God’s Promises) in Villa Nueva, Guatemala, is about 30-45 minutes from Guatemala City. It is an orphanage of about 250 children ages 0-18 with backgrounds from everything imaginable. The one thing each of these kids have in common is they LOVE to be loved.

Michelle Garland began the work with this orphanage several years ago and has recently partnered with World Missions & Evangelism.

Barbara Page is moving to Guatemala soon to establish God's Promise House:
                                                                                                                                                                     God’s Promise House is a home for teen moms in Sacatepequez Guatemala. In Guatemala 135 girls become pregnant each day. The majority of them are as a result of assault or abuse and a majority of them are forced to quit school and raise their babies without help from anyone. “Babies raising Babies”  The Promise House will offer love, guidance, and parenting skills. It will be a place where they can live, have nutritional meals, receive medical care for them and their babies, and receive an education. Since it takes time to become an accredited orphanage in Guatemala, we will open the home to teen moms who are 18 years old first and soon after that, the younger teen moms. 

We are so EXCITED to announce the day of our GRAND OPENING will be JULY 1, 2015. The Instar Disciple Making Movement:  Beginning in 2008,  and under the leadership of Strategy Coordinators  Randy and Keith Travis, hundreds of leaders have  been trained to make disciples that make disciples.   The initial team of leaders trained in 2008 has  multiplied to now become 1,244 groups and  churches....with approximately 10,500 people  involved.  Nearly 3,000 people were baptized  as new followers of Jesus in 2014 alone! Would You Consider Being A Part of This Transformation? How? Pray Daily for INSTAR Give Faithfully for INSTAR