Shaped Driven - Camino Global

sharing
the
journey
together
Shaped by our Past
Driven by our Future
ISSUE
#581
|
FALL
2015
125TH
ANNIVERSARY
EDITION
Issue #581, Fall 2015
125th Anniversary Edition
ISSN 2168-4200
Letter from the Editor
Editor: Phil O’Day
Layout: César Augusto Díaz del Valle
Shaped by Our Past
A
CAMINO
missionary sending organization must be forward looking. And a
mission statement must define what an organization will do, not
merely what it has done. This is perhaps even more true of vision.
Vision is about the future. And Camino is more focused then ever before on
an expanding global vision.
But milestones on the journey are also vitally important. Understanding the
past, taking time to reflect on it, and listening to lessons learned, are so critical
and helpful in our attempt to chart a clear course ahead.
SHARING THE JOURNEY TOGETHETHER
CAMINO: Sharing the Journey Together
is published by Camino Global to inform friends of the
mission about the activities and impact of the ministries
of Camino, and to inspire readers with opportunities for
meaningful involvement in a shared global vision.
Camino Global in the U.S.:
8625 La Prada Drive
Dallas, TX 75228
214.327.8206 | [email protected]
Camino’s 125th Anniversary theme has two equally-important parts. We
are Shaped by Our Past and Driven by our Future!
Douglas Livingston, President
Phil O’Day, Executive Vice President
David Ruiz, Vice President of Global Ministries
Dan Shotts, Vice President of Operations
U.S. Board of Directors:
Dr. Roger Raymer, Chair
Juan Baldor
Nadine Bracy
Louis Cole
Gary Coppinger
Warren Davie
Aaron Farmer
Sharon Geiger
Dr. Oscar Lopez
Debbie Sherling
Julie Thomas
Camino Global in Canada:
P.O. Box 37010 Stanley Park
1005 Ottawa St. North
Kitchener, ON N2A 4A7
647.977.3226 | [email protected]
Keith Elliott, National Director
Canada Board of Directors:
Rev. Fernando Ocampo
Marvin Srigley, Chair
Rev. Steve Paul
Rev. Charles McCordic
Camino Global in Guatemala:
Calazada Roosevelt 33-86, zona 7
Edificio Ilumina Of. 806
Guatemala, Guatemala
502-2439-8552
Permissions: Camino Global grants permission for
materials in this publication to be used for personal,
non-commercial purposes, including in local churches
and classrooms. The written consent of Camino Global is
required for the reproduction, duplication, distribution,
modification or transmission of any materials from this
publication. When consent is granted, Camino Global
should be indicated as the source. Requests for permission
to reproduce content may be sent to our editorial team at
[email protected].
For an organization with such a long history, yet such a compelling global
vision, it must be about both. We cannot live in the past. We cannot bring back
the past. We dare not try. And yet, the past has so much to say to us. Camino
Global can only be what it is today because of the many faithful servants, and
faithful ministry partners, who have paved the way.
125 years is a long time. So long, in fact, that no one serving in the mission
today was alive for its founding. And yet, the mission’s founders and early
missionaries speak to us through well-preserved 19th century photos, letters and
other documents. They speak to us through early issues of this very magazine
which has been published under various mastheads since 1892. And they
speak to us through the generations of their disciples, followers of Christ who
comprise the churches which were established in our earliest ministries in Central
America, as well as believers, church leaders and missionaries throughout the
Spanish-speaking world.
So this issue of Camino Magazine features a heavy dose of reflection, of
history, of legacy! But it does so with expectancy, with a sense of seeking God
for what He has in store next. We reflect on the achievements of a century and a
quarter as God’s achievements, not our own. This is His mission, not ours. And
the future is His as well. If He chooses to bless Camino Global with another
25 years, or another 125, it will always be His!
I am certainly not the first person to pour through the Camino archives and
find treasures from history. And as I spent time this year looking through the
collection, it was obvious that many of the archive’s albums and boxes had
clearly not been opened since at least the centennial in 1990, and perhaps much
longer ago in some cases. But I believe there are new things to be learned each
time we pause to give thanks to our Lord for past provision, while expectantly
seeking Him for future guidance. I invite you to join me.
Subscriptions: This publication is distributed without
charge to friends of Camino, and is sustained by voluntary
contributions. Send subscription requests, cancellations
and address changes to [email protected]
in the U.S. and [email protected] in Canada.
Sharing the Journey Together,
Phil O’Day
Editor & Executive Vice President
facebook.com/caminoglobal
twitter.com/caminoglobal
© 2015 Camino Global. All rights reserved.
Camino Global and the Camino logo are
registered marks of Camino Global.
member
Contact the editorial team:
[email protected]
2
ta b l e of c on t e n t s
04
21 Bulletin Archives
123 years of God’s Work in Print
08
39 Give125
Invest for Impact in 2015
15
Our Samaria
The Mission is Founded
Pastor’s Congress in Costa Rica
125 years in Camino’s 1st Field
God Does All Things Well
by LaVeta Sparks
18
Sailing on the Banana Boat
by Carol Krause
36
Longitude125
The Philippines Project
26
The Road of Life
by Glenn Stewart
About the Cover and the Archives
The collage of photos which comprise this issue’s
cover are anchored by a 19th-century portrait of
William McConnell, Camino’s first missionary,
who arrived in Costa Rica with his young family
in early 1891. Also prominent in the collage is the
entrance to the Central American Bible Institute in
Guatemala City. Known today as SETECA, this
seminary is the largest among the schools, Bible
institutes and seminaries established by Camino
over the past 100+ years throughout the Spanishspeaking world.
3
Archives Project Credits:
Gary Bauer: Historical Film Preservation
Jonathan Deatherage: Camino125.org; Writer/Editor
César Augusto Diaz del Valle: Magazine Layout;
Camino125.org; Voice Talent, History Video Series
Reg Grant: Voice Talent, History Video Series
Nathan O’Day: Video Editor, History Video Series
Phil O’Day: Magazine Editor; Camino125.org Content;
Voice Talent, History Video Series
Alfie Pfeifer: Historical Image Scanning; Printing
Production Coordinator
Joshua Scott: Camino125.org Webmaster
Eric Weaver: Camino Archives
C A M I NO G L OB A L
1890
THE MISSION
IS FOUNDED
Born near Detroit, Michigan on August 19, 1843,
Cyrus Ingerson Scofield was a lawyer, pastor, Bible
teacher and author, best known for his Scofield
Reference Bible.
S
cofield served as pastor of the First Congregational
Church of Dallas, Texas from 1882-1895, and was
D. L Moody’s pastor in Northfield, Massachusetts
during the final years of Moody’s life. In addition to
establishing the Central American Mission, he and
Lewis Sperry Chafer were together instrumental in
the founding of the Philadelphia College of the Bible,
known today as Cairn University.
In the summer of 1888, while attending the Niagara
Bible Conference in Ontario, Canada, Scofield was
deeply impacted by his fellowship with Hudson Taylor,
who had founded the China Inland Mission nearly a
quarter century earlier.
Taylor’s influence and encouragement caused Dr.
Scofield to study the importance of missions as
seen throughout the Bible. The tremendous need
for missionaries around the world began to grow in
Scofield’s heart, and he became especially burdened
by the need in Central America, beginning with Costa
Rica.
On November 14, 1890, Dr. Scofield, with the support
of three Christian businessmen friends who closely
shared his vision, took a step of faith and officially
formed the Central American Mission.
Scofield went home to be with his Lord on July 24,
1921, some 30 years after the founding of the Central
American Mission. By then, the work of the mission
had grown to involve several dozen missionaries
serving in five Central American republics.
1890
4
1 2 5 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y E DI T I ON
“It is a fact of tremendous
import, in view of the
inspired plan in Acts 1:8,
that Central America is
the nearest unoccupied
mission field to any
Christian in the United
States or Canada!
We have passed over our
Samaria!”
C.I. Scofield, 1890
5
C A M I NO G L OB A L
COSTA
RICA
1891
D
uring the same time that
C.I. Scofield was developing
a burden to reach Central
America, two businessmen from Canada
had purchased coffee plantations in
Costa Rica, and had taken up permanent
residence there. Their wives, Mrs.
Robert Ross and Mrs. Robert Lang, were
discerning and prayerful women, and
were moved and burdened by the spiritual darkness
among the people of their adopted land. They began to
pray faithfully that God would send missionaries into
this needy and spiritually ripe harvest field in Central
America.
Their prayers were answered in February 1891, three
months after the founding of the mission, when the
William and Minnie McConnell family arrived in San
José, Costa Rica to begin what would become decades
of faithful ministry.
1891
From The Central american Bulletin, April 1892
6
1 2 5 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y E DI T I ON
7
C A M I NO G L OB A L
CENTRAL AMERICAN CHURCHES
PASTOR’S CONGRESS 2015
E
very couple of years, the pastors and leaders of churches from all
over Central America gather for a congreso (a pastor’s conference, or
“congress”). This year, it was more special than usual. The national
church leadership held the conference in Costa Rica, Camino’s first mission
field, highlighting the fact that the history of Camino Global and the
thousands of Central American churches are intrinsically intertwined.
The conference theme was Desafíos (Challenges), addressing many of
the vital issues that the Church in Central America will need to face
strategically, intentionally, and biblically in the coming years.
8
1 2 5 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y E DI T I ON
9
C A M I NO G L OB A L
CONGRESO 1966
75TH ANNIVERSARY
F
ifty years ago, much like the Desafíos
conference held in Costa Rica this
year, another large conference also
happened in Costa Rica. It coincided with the
celebration of Camino’s 75th Anniversary.
Featured on these pages are the cover and
page 6 from the April 1966 issue of the
Central American Bulletin. The cover photo
shows a part of the large audience that met
in the grandstand of the ball park in San José
for the VIII Congress of Central American
Churches and the celebration of the mission’s
Diamond Jubilee.
1966
10
1 2 5 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y E DI T I ON
11
C A M I NO G L OB A L
HONDURAS
1896
O
n May 6, 1896,
Mr. and Mrs. A.E.
Bishop and family
set sail for Honduras, even
before officially applying
to the Central American
Mission. They were sure of
their call.
Current Camino
Ministries in Honduras:
Evangelism, Community Development, Missions Mobilization,
Training in Christian Education, Evangelism in Public Schools,
Music Education for Church Leaders, Christian School
Administration, Leader Development, Mentoring Pastors
1896
12
1 2 5 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y E DI T I ON
EL SALVADOR
1899
A
s the work in Costa
Rica and Honduras
continued to strengthen
and grow, El Salvador was
established as the mission’s next
field, led by Robert and Belle
Bender. Today, by God’s grace,
the Camino-related national
Church in El Salvador seeks
to plant 75 new churches and
double in size in the next ten
years.
H.C. Dillon led a 5,000 mile expedition through Central America from
1894 to 1896 known as the Arthington Exploration. He determined the
location, number and condition of indigenous populations, and opened
the eyes of the Christian world to their spiritual darkness.
1899
13
C A M I NO G L OB A L
GUATEMALA
1899
H
aving worked for several years in
Honduras, the Bishops moved
to Guatemala in 1899 to begin
the mission’s permanent work there.
One of their first converts was a Quiche
Indian woman who exclaimed, “I have
come out of darkness into light. I am the
slave of my blessed Lord until the day
of my death.” Camino-related churches
in Guatemala now number 1,300 with
a combined membership of more than
100,000 people.
Current Camino
Ministries in Guatemala:
Theological Education, Radio, Training of Rural Pastors
and Church Leaders, Global Missions Mobilization, MK
Education, Camp Ministry
1899
14
1 2 5 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y E DI T I ON
God Does All Things Well
By LaVeta Sparks
I
n 1963, we returned to Guatemala to begin our
second term of service. We had spent our first 5
years planting a church in San Rafael, and now we
hoped to live and work in San Pablo because it did not
yet have an evangelical church. But as we went visiting
house-to-house in San Pablo, many doors closed in
our faces. We wondered how the Lord would open that
town to the gospel.
One day as we were eating lunch, an urgent knock
came at our door. Bill answered to find a distraught
man there saying, “Help us! Help us! My brother has
accidentally taken poison and needs to get to the
hospital in Malacatán!” Having one of the few vehicles
in town, Bill took the man and two of his brothers to
the nearby town. While the doctor was working on
Baudilio, the brothers and Bill were in the waiting
room. Bill prayed out loud, and even before the “Amen,”
one brother, Erasmo, prayed, “God, if you save my
brother I will accept the gospel.”
good time when one of our eight year old twins got too
close to the edge where the water flowed back into the
river. She slipped in and was carried away. Our efforts
to save her were futile. Yet her death was used by God
to open the hearts of many more people in the town as
they realized that these “rich Americans” also suffer. In
witnessing our great loss, they were softened toward us,
and expressed their compassion to us. They were deeply
touched that we elected to bury our daughter in their
local cemetery. A few months later, the first gospelpreaching church was organized.
As Bill cleaned up the car, he wondered if it was worth
the effort and if the brother would honor his promise
to God. But Baudilio did recover, and Erasmo kept his
promise to accept the gospel. In fact, little by little, the
entire family accepted the Lord and began to have Bible
studies with Bill. Eventually, not only the older brother
Erasmo, but even the children and grandchildren
became leaders in the San Pablo church. 50 years
later, in 2014, they held a celebration in the church to
commemorate their years of walking with the Lord.
Today, San Pablo has a growing church with up to
200 people in regular attendance, and there are many
daughter churches on coffee plantations scattered
throughout the area. God does all things well!
Bill and LaVeta Sparks have been church planting
missionaries with Camino since 1958.
They have served in Guatemala, Mexico, and the USA.
Shortly after the poison episode, God used a tragic
incident to help open the town to the gospel. A
nearby river had a shallow pool in it where we would
sometimes go to let our children play in the water. One
particular day, Dec. 3, 1964, the girls were having a
See the Sparks’ story
in the 1966 film
“The Generals”
vimeo.com/caminoglobal
1963
15
C A M I NO G L OB A L
NICARAGUA
1900
T
he work in Nicaragua was
started by Clarence Wilbur,
who died from yellow fever
only 16 months after he entered
the field. Mr. A.B. De Roos, who
initially labored in Costa Rica,
relocated to Nicaragua in 1900 to
continue the work Wilbur started.
The first church was planted
there in 1901. Today there are
greater than 100 congregations
throughout the country.
1900
16
1 2 5 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y E DI T I ON
PANAMA
1944
I
n 1944, the Central American
Mission expanded into Panama.
This was a challenging field,
referred to as “the white man’s
graveyard” because of the scourge
of yellow fever.
Congregations and organized churches
today number 28. The church is
growing, and a new generation of
national leaders is increasingly taking
the leadership needed to reach this
needy, but resistant country.
1944
17
I M PAC T S T OR Y
Traveling to the Field in 1941
Sailing on the
Banana Boat
By Carol Krause (based on
“Jesus Led Me All the Way”
by Charlotte Truesdell Marcy)
What was traveling
to the field like in
1941? Not what
you’d think!
A
s support began coming in for their future
work in Honduras with The Central
American Mission, Sidney and Charlotte
Marcy were looking forward to a soon departure.
They wrote the United Fruit Company in New York
and were able to get reservations to travel on the
banana boat in May. About the middle of March,
1941, on their way back home to Massachusetts from
a conference in Pennsylvania, the Marcys stopped in
New York to confirm those reservations.
Since the ship would not set sail until 5 p.m., they knew
they could leave home that same morning and still get
to New York in time. When the day came, they hadn’t
received many more support pledges, hadn’t heard
from the mission, and didn’t have all the funds for their
passage, but they felt they should go. Charlotte wrote,
“So, something like Abraham, we started out with our
three children, not knowing what we would do.” The
children were ages 5 years, 3 years, and 8 months.
When they arrived at the United Fruit Company’s office,
they asked if any mail had come for them and were
told it was already on board. The Marcys were granted
permission to go check their mail first before paying the
rest of their passage. Waiting on the ship for them were
a number of letters with enough money enclosed to
pay what they owed, as well as a letter from the mission
granting them permission to go!
To their surprise, they were told that because of a
cancellation, there was room for them to sail the last
week in March. That was only two weeks away! After
finding a little corner where they could pray, they
returned to the United Fruit Company’s office to tell
them they would go. They had just enough money in
their pockets to secure the reservations . . . with $2.00
left for gas to get back to Massachusetts.
The unforgettable day of their arrival in the port town of
Tela, Honduras, was March 31, 1941. The Marcys soon
heard that the next day, April 1, a law was passed saying
that no more missionaries could enter the country. The
Lord had given them faith to trust Him and provide
for them, and they knew then why He had directed the
details so that they could enter Honduras before that law
was passed.
They quickly wrote a letter to the mission asking for
permission to go without having all the required
support, then sent postcards to interested persons,
informing them that they were booked to sail, giving
the name of the boat and departure date, and asking
for prayer.
18
I M PAC T S T OR Y
The Rest of the Story
Joining “Dr. Scofield’s Mission”
By Carol Krause (based on “Jesus Led Me All the Way” by Charlotte Truesdell Marcy)
A
fter Sidney and Charlotte Marcy were accepted
with The Central American Mission in 1940,
Charlotte’s father, Arthur Truesdell, told her
“the rest of the story.” It began many years before
Charlotte was born.
As newlyweds, Charlotte’s parents had attended
Northfield Bible Training School, a small school held
in a hotel in Northfield, Massachusetts. One of the
teachers at the school was Dr. C. I. Scofield, who at the
time was working on the notes for what later would
become known as the Scofield Reference Bible. Arthur
used his secretarial experience to help Dr. Scofield with
those notes.
Later, when Dr. Scofield founded The Central American
Mission in 1890, Arthur and his wife wanted to go to
Central America as missionaries, but his health didn’t
permit it. Even though they had no children at the
time, Arthur began to pray that one of his children
would someday serve in Central America under “Dr.
Scofield’s mission.”
The Truesdell fa
mily, Lev
Charlotte is on erett, MA, Circa 1920.
the lower right.
Eventually the Truesdells had ten children. Two of the
older daughters went to Africa as missionaries, but it
seemed like the other children, except for Charlotte,
were not interested in missions. Arthur told none of
them about his prayer. After Charlotte married Sidney
Marcy, they served a short time in Costa Rica with
another mission, yet Arthur still said nothing and kept
praying fervently.
Charlotte wrote: “It would seem that my father had
reason to complain to the Lord, but we never heard
a thing. However, unbeknown to us, the Lord was
working. After two years in Costa Rica, we returned
to study at Moody Bible Institute. At the end of those
studies, the Lord put Honduras and ‘Dr. Scofield’s
mission’ on our hearts because He was answering my
father’s prayer. Thank the Lord that my father had faith
to wait on the Lord for His timing.”
1,
August 31,201
n
o
s
ra
u
d
n
o
H
away in
ting her
Charlotte passed /2. In this photo, she is seen wri
1
at the age of 97 005. Jesus led her all the way!
book in 2
In March of 1941 Sidney and Charlotte Marcy began
working in Honduras with The Central American
Mission.
19
C A M I NO G L OB A L
HISTORY
View all three videos
on this page in Spanish
vimeo.com/caminoglobal
VIDEO SERIES
Part One:
The Mission
is Founded
1890
The story of C.I. Scofield’s
vision. The prayers of two
Canadian women in Costa
Rica. The sending of a
missionary family from St.
Paul, Minnesota.
A mission founded.
Part Two:
The Vision
Expands
1891-1975
By the turn of the twentieth
century, the work of the Central
American Mission had expanded
to include Guatemala, Honduras,
El Salvador and Nicaragua. The
ensuing 20th century expansion
moved the mission well beyond
Central America.
Part Three
Journeying
Together
1976-2015
The Central American
Mission was known as CAM
International for 37 years,
from 1975 to 2012. CAM
became Camino Global in
2012. Today the scope of
outreach is truly global.
20
1 2 5 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y E DI T I ON
BULLETIN
1892 - 2015
ARCHIVE INDEX
More than a
century of God’s
faithfulness in
print
The mission is blessed to have a well-preserved archive
of bulletin and magazine issues dating back to the first
edition in 1892. That’s 123 years of written historical
record and nearly 600 issues of this publication
spanning a length of time that included two world wars,
the Great Depression, the information age, the turning
of two centuries, and 9/11. It also is a span of time
during which tens of thousands of Spanish speakers
came to saving faith in Jesus Christ, and thousands of
churches were planted.
123 years of Camino history
digitized and searchable online.
www.caminoglobal.org/archives
About the Numbering System
Until the late 1990’s, this publication utilized a sequential numbering system for each issue. When the publication name
changed, the numbers were no longer used. But in a very real sense, Camino Magazine is a continuation of The Central
American Bulletin, which has also been published under the names CAM Bulletin and Touch the World. And even with
those name changes, it has been consistently published with the same ISSN, #2168-4800. So with this 125th anniversary
special edition, we resume the sequential numbering, making this issue #581.
21
C A M I NO G L OB A L
MEXICO
T
1955
hroughout the years, missionaries had moved
back and forth across Central America,
establishing work in each of the republics.
However, they had bypassed Mexico, which was,
after all, the nearest “Samaria” to the United States.
Following a five-week survey trip through Mexico, the
mission made the decision to establish Mexico as an
official field in 1955.
The work in Mexico was initially focused on leadership
training and development, when the Bible Institute of
Puebla opened its doors. Over the years, the mission
recognized the critical need for church planting in
Mexico, which has been that field’s primary focus for
much of its history.
Current Camino Ministries in Mexico:
1955
Theological Education, Discipleship, Evangelism, Church Planting, Community Centers, Business as
Mission, Orphan Ministry, MK Education, ObreroFiel Internet Ministry, Deaf Ministry, Mentoring,
Coaching, Music Outreach, Leadership Training, Missions Mobilization, Counseling, Short-Term
Field Internships
22
1 2 5 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y E DI T I ON
T
he tremendous need that had
brought the Central American
Mission into being was even
more evident in Spain, a country
with only .03 percent claiming to
know Christ, and with an everincreasing Muslim population.
SPAIN
1971
When the Spain field was launched,
Acts 12:10 was used to illustrate the
mission’s move into Europe: “They
came to the iron gate leading into
the city. It opened to them of its
own accord, and they went out.” In
response to the tremendous spiritual
need, five families set out for Spain
in 1971 to establish the mission’s first
field beyond the Atlantic Ocean.
Current Camino Ministries in Spain:
1971
Bible Studies, Business as Mission, Children’s Ministry, Conferences, Conflict Resolution,
Discipleship, English Classes, Evangelism, Leadership Development, Literature, Men’s
& Women’s Ministries, Missions Mobilization, Music Outreach, Prisons/Hospitals,
Theological Education, Youth Ministry
23
C A M I NO G L OB A L
CANADA
C
anada has been part of the Camino story from
the very beginning. The wives of two Canadian
coffee plantation owners prayed in the 1880’s
for God to send laborers to Costa Rica. Meanwhile, at
a Bible conference in Canada, God was answering that
prayer by leading C.I. Scofield to form the mission.
1965
To strengthen the longstanding relationship with
friends and ministry partners in Canada, the Central
American Mission of Canada was incorporated in
1965. The immediate benefit was that Canadian donors
would receive tax exemptions for their gifts. Today,
a primary focus of activity in Canada is missionary
recruitment, adding to the existing Canadian citizens
serving as missionaries in other parts of the world.
Camino Canada has also worked for years in Cuba
with a focus on leadership development and theological
training, The primary partner in this work is Los Pinos
Nuevos, the New Pines Evangelical Convention of
Cuba, which is a flourishing organization with its own
seminary.
NAME
CHANGE
1975
1965
By the mid twentieth century, ministries of the mission were no longer
limited to Central America. Reflecting expansion to Mexico, Spain,
and North America, the Central American Mission became CAM
International. This name change made official what the mission had
already casually come to be known as for many years.
1975
24
1 2 5 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y E DI T I ON
HISPANIC USA
1982
T
he mission recognized the growing number
of Hispanics at its doorsteps, and kept its
original purpose of reaching Spanish-speaking
people by ministering to them as they immigrated to
the Southwest United States. Dallas and Los Angeles
became the initial centers for the mission’s U.S.-based
Hispanic ministry in 1982. Everyone assigned to this
project had to know the Spanish language, culture,
and also have church-planting experience. Above all,
they were called to encourage Hispanics to reach their
own people.
Southwest USA, the mission’s new Samaria, was
initially focused on the Southwest states of California,
New Mexico, Texas and Arizona. Later named
Hispanic USA, this mission field has since expanded
across the U.S., networking with English-speaking
churches to plant Hispanic congregations and
transform communities.
Current Camino Ministries in Hispanic USA:
1982
Church planting, Children’s Ministry, Discipleship, Leadership Development, Mentoring,
ObreroFiel Internet Ministry, Prison Ministry, Radio, Theological Education
25
I M PAC T S T OR Y
THE ROAD OF LIFE
El Camino de la Vida
by Glenn Stewart
We covered some 8,000 kilometers by bicycle and met hundreds of
people along the way. We shared that Jesus is the only way, that He
is the answer to life’s challenges, and that in Him life is eternal.
W
here were you that fateful day, February
4th, 1976, when the last big earthquake
rocked Guatemala? Thousands died
and many more lost homes and family members.
I remember that event vividly. I was sleeping in a
hammock strung between two trees in Southern
Mexico, near the Guatemala border. The 7.5
magnitude quake was felt even into Southern Mexico.
Days later I saw the results of the devastation and was
able to assist in various relief efforts. You see, I was on
a journey that was to change my life forever.
to know missionaries in order to be better prepared
to eventually join a mission, see some of God’s most
beautiful creation, and share our faith. We wrote an
illustrated tract that we shared along the way: “El
Camino de la Vida” in Spanish and “The Road of Life”
in English (for use in Texas). It introduced the reader
to who we were and what we anticipated encountering
during our journey. It shared that “Jesus is the only
way”, that He is the answer to life’s challenges, that in
Him is Life eternal.
From January 1st, 1976 through May 1st, 1976
my friend, Ben Bakker, and I covered some 8,000
kilometers (5,000 miles), by bicycle. We left Dallas,
Texas and ended up in Ocaña, Colombia. Our route
took us through Texas, Mexico, Guatemala, El
Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama
(all of which were countries where Central America
Mission missionaries worked at the time) and then on
into Venezuela and Colombia.
The goals for our four-month journey were numerous
and varied. We wanted to learn Spanish better, get
26
I M PAC T S T OR Y
We met hundreds of people along the way. The
majority of the missionaries who hosted us were
from the Central American Mission. Church
and mission leaders were sources of great
encouragement for this project, undergirding
our funding, contacts, events, meetings to hold
and places to stay.
Ben and I arrived at our destination on the very
day that we had planned on months before. All
of our goals and more, were met. We finished the
“race.” It was a journey that changed our lives.
Today, just as in 1976, when faced with
challenges that are bigger than us, my wife
Judy and I are spurred on by those who
partner with us through prayer, gifts, support,
encouragement, and ministry together.
The journey continues. We have not been
everywhere yet, but it is on our list.
Glenn and Judy Stewart serve with
Camino Global in Guatemala.
27
C A M I NO G L OB A L
ALBANIA
2005
C
ooperación MAYA was established in 1994 as an
alliance of churches in Central America which were
convinced that the local church is responsible for
fulfilling the Great Commission and that it should be done
in the context of unity. Camino’s current President, Douglas
Livingston, and his wife Gloria, were among the original
team members sent from the collaboration of churches in
El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
The mission’s first U.S.-based missionaries to join the
team arrived in 2005. Today, the focus of the Albania team
continues to be church planting in the capital city of Tirana.
2005
Current Camino Ministries in Albania:
Church planting, Discipleship, Leadership Development, Mentoring, Sports Outreach
28
1 2 5 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y E DI T I ON
Internet Ministry: Going GLOBAL!
O
brero Fiel means “Faithful Worker.” This online ministry
was established in 2003 to provide free resources to Spanishspeaking pastors and missionaries. Today, the reach of
ObreroFiel.com and its affiliated e-ministries is global, impacting
Spanish speakers in 120+ countries. Ministries now include online
evangelism, discipleship and focused online training.
2003
2008
2010
2014
MINISTRY
RESOURCES
ONLINE
EVANGELISM
ONLINE
DISCIPLESHIP
TRAINING FOR
PASTORS
This year, more than
8,650 free resources
were viewed or
downloaded millions
of times by two million
unique users.
125 trained “online
missionary” volunteers
give expert input to
45,000 new believers
each year!
The e-magazine you send each
week has been an important part of
my spiritual formation. I share the
devos with my co-workers each day
before we start work. - Omar
Each year, more than 5,000
people from all over the
world sign up for the free
“New Life in Christ” courses
to help them become healthy
disciples of Christ.
I started my online studies with you
one year ago and I’m excited to see
how much I have grown spiritually.
I teach these lessons to other God
seekers each week. - Mabel
29
Hundreds of students who
would never otherwise have the
opportunity for formal training
at a “brick and mortar” seminary
now study in various online
ObreroFiel training programs.
C A M I NO G L OB A L
BECOMING CAMINO
View the “Becoming Camino” video series at www.vimeo.com/caminoglobal
C
AM International became Camino
Global on May 21, 2012. The
launch of the mission’s new identity
was celebrated during a Convocation of
the entire missionary body and staff two
months later in Colorado, on July 15, 2012.
ABOUT OUR FIRST NAME
Camino is a Spanish word that means journey, path
or way. Our journey is with Spanish speakers, and
Christ Himself is The Way (John 14:6 - “I am the
way, the truth and the life.” “Yo soy el camino, la
verdad, y la vida.”
Camino has always been focused on
ministry among Spanish speakers. But
the names Central American Mission and
CAM International no longer reflected
the global scope of minstry. A name
was chosen that both resonates with
Spanish speakers and describes the global
journey of disciple-making and spiritual
transformation.
ABOUT OUR LAST NAME
Our last name is just as important as our first. If
Camino describes the journey, Global provides the
clear scope and destination for that journey.
Serving the Church among and with Spanish
speakers, Camino is taking the message of Christ’s
redemption not only to our Samaria, but to the ends
of the earth. We’re going global!
2012
30
1 2 5 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y E DI T I ON
CAMINO TEAM LEADERS
ANTIGUA 2015
I
n September 2015,
twenty-six Camino team
leaders, representing nearly
every Camino country,
converged in Antigua,
Guatemala for a week of
prayer, strategic planning
and training. On one
afternoon in particular, they
got just a little carried away
strolling around the historic
city of Antigua with Camino
website banners.
2015
31
C A M I NO G L OB A L
URUGUAY
2009
ordering Argentina and Brazil, and roughly the
size of the state of Oklahoma, Uruguay is the
only country in the western hemisphere besides
Canada that lies entirely outside of the tropics.
B
percent of Uruguay’s overall population. Although one
of the most spiritually-needy countries in all of South
America, few mission organizations have identified it as
a ministry priority.
Uruguay is significantly influenced by postmodern
Europe, and is the most secular and atheistic nation in
Latin America. Evangelicals comprise less than three
This country needs cross-cultural servants who
will apply innovative approaches to ministry in an
environment where progress may be slow to come.
Current Camino Ministries in Uruguay:
2009
Evangelism, Discipleship, Church Development, Leadership Development, Marriage
Enrichment, Coaching and Mentoring, Peacemaking and Global Missions Mobilization.
32
1 2 5 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y E DI T I ON
COLOMBIA
2013
D
espite its geographic proximity to Central
America, the mission did not have a permanent
presence in South America until the 21st
century. Colombia’s history of crime and lawlessness
has presented many challenges to its residents for
more than a generation. Still, in the midst of chaos, the
church is growing, and opportunities for ministry are
tremendous.
Colombia is Camino’s newest ministry field, and
currently also its fastest growing. Focussing their efforts
in the capital city of Bogotá and surrounding areas,
Camino’s new team is involved in church planting,
theological education, sports outreach, crisis pregnancy
ministries, and more. The team’s vision includes
training 200 active Christian Colombian workers for
ministry by the year 2020.
Current Camino
Ministries in Colombia:
Church Planting, Discipleship, Theological Education,
Leadership Development, Prision Ministry, Children’s
Ministry, Crisis Pregnancy Ministry, Internet Ministry,
Radio, and Sports Outreach.
2013
33
Beyond the
Numbers
“I hope that through
these coffee beans I am
able to share with others,
even those that I cannot
see, that Jesus Christ
is the one who changes
lives.”
The Personal Impact
of the Gospel
PHOTO: Saltbox - A Creative Film Co. - www.wearesaltbox.com
T
he HOPE Coffee story begins with the coffee
farmers who cultivate these phenomenal coffee
beans. Juan, a Honduran farmer, shares this
prayer, “I hope that through these coffee beans that I am
able to share with others, even those that I cannot see,
that Jesus Christ is the one who changes lives.”
Our story continues with the many customers like Brandon
Lopez, a staff member of Cross Community Church in
Oklahoma. He shares his church’s experience as a partner
with HOPE Coffee. “…Our church loves HOPE Coffee.
We switched about a year ago from another company and
have never been more pleased with the quality of coffee
and the assurance that our money goes toward the gospel
and reaching Honduras.” The culmination of the story
is not in the hundreds of projects that HOPE Coffee has
completed through our Honduran church partnerships
over the past five years, but rather in the lives that are
transformed by the gospel.
Maria Ester, a single mother from Choluteca City in
Southern Honduras, started a tortillería (tortilla shop)
to provide for her family. When members of the Monte
Santo Church met Maria and saw the poor condition of
the roof of their home in which they cook the tortillas,
they shared this concern with Pastor Victor.
HOPE Coffee partnered with this church to provide a
new roof for her family. As church members built the
roof, they shared the gospel with Maria and her family.
Maria was interested in learning more. Church members
began a study (called “Who is Jesus Christ?”) in her home.
Several months later Maria accepted Christ!
Julian is a Garifuna man who lives in Tela in Northern
Honduras. He was befriended by a local pastor, Luis, who
learned that Julian and his neighbors had little access to
water. HOPE Coffee partnered with Luis’ church, Cristo
Viene, to build Julian and his neighbors a water storage
unit. Through the construction process, Julian accepted
Christ in August 2015 and now attends Luis’ church. Pray
for Julian as he learns more about God’s Word and grows
in his walk with Christ.
A simple cup of coffee takes nearly a year of cultivation as
the beans are harvested, roasted, and brewed to become
an enjoyable part of our daily routine. In much the same
way, it takes time to cultivate relationships that lead to
lives being transformed by the Holy Spirit.
We encourage you to partner with us by drinking HOPE
Coffee in your home, your business, and your church to
help us advance the gospel.
F O U N D AT I O N
35
Hope Coffee is a business initiative
of the new Camino Global
Foundation. The foundation was
launched in 2014 to promote and
further the purposes of Camino
Global, providing new financial
revenue streams to advance
Camino’s vision in the years to come.
C A M I NO G L OB A L
The Philippines Project
I
$50,000 is needed for this work in 2015, and
another $50,000 in 2016. This investment
will allow Camino not only to coordinate the
effort, but also to provide matching funds for
missionaries from Latin America who will be
raising funds for their ministry costs.
n 2016, a multinational team from the U.S.
and Central America will mobilize to the
Philippines in order to serve alongside the
Filipino church to reach people who have never
heard the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Longitude 125 is a reference not only to our
125th anniversary, but also to the fact that
the work will be focused at 125 degrees east
longitude on the map.
36
Ruben and Ingrid
DRIVEN BY
OUR FUTURE
Looking Ahead with Vision
G
od is opening many doors for future ministry. Spanish
speakers continue to move throughout the world,
reaching into the most difficult-access places in a
unique way. Camino aims to accomplish the following major
goals in the next five years:
• Open a missions training center in Guatemala to prepare
hundreds for cross-cultural ministry from all over Central
America.
• Deploy ministry teams to serve in Europe, where millions
of Spanish speakers live and work and where current world
events are causing millions of people to migrate from the
Middle East.
• Grow the ministry of Obrerofiel with an online school of
discipleship and leadership training.
• Recruit 300 online missionaries to disciple new believers
through our partnership with Global Media Outreach.
• Launch a multinational ministry effort to reach Muslims in
the Philippines.
• Construct and launch a conference & training center at our
Dallas headquarters to equip both Latin Americans and
North Americans to reach the world together.
• Grow the Quest Spiritual Formation program globally to
support healthy spiritual and emotional growth of leaders
who reproduce this growth in their congregations.
37
Ruben and Ingrid (names changed
for security) are a young married
couple from Honduras, where
Camino has worked for over a
century planting churches across the
country. They came to know Christ
as a direct result of the ministry
of Camino in their community.
As their faith grew, Ruben and
Ingrid heard the call to missions.
Where did they turn to find the
support and training they would
need? “Thanks to Camino Global
missionaries,” Ruben says, “we had
the opportunity to know the Lord
and be taught God’s Word.
In collaboration with the Honduran
Bible Seminary and the Muslim
evangelism-training program
Manarah, Camino missionaries
helped to prepare Ruben and
Ingrid. They are leaving their home
country to serve in Southeast Asia
as missionaries to Muslims and are
now a part of the growing wave of
Latin American missionaries going
out into the world.
“The call of all believers is to journey
‘with’ Christ to make Him known.
Camino specifically sees that their
mission is to journey ‘with’ Spanish
speakers to accomplish this. I am
thankful for their history, have great
respect for their leaders, and believe
strongly that God will establish their
future.”
Tom Hayes
Executive Vice President,
International Ministries,
Insight For Living
C A M I NO G L OB A L
INVESTMENT
“But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and
thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
(Matthew 6:20-21)
O
ur world is filled with opportunities where
God’s people — like you — can invest
some of the treasure He has entrusted to
them. And in this reality of so many options for
investment, it is important to identify ministries
that have proven themselves trustworthy, who
align with your passions and vision, and which
have the greatest potential for impact. Camino
Global exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ,
serving among and with Spanish speakers globally.
This one passion has driven the mission since
its inception in 1890. Over the past 125 years,
the gospel has been preached, churches have
been planted, and leaders have been trained.
Missionaries are going out from these churches to
places of need all across the world, some of them
to least-reached people groups. You can trust that
an investment in Camino is a wise one.
HERE ARE A FEW WAYS YOUR INVESTMENT IN CAMINO IS USED TO ADVANCE THE KINGDOM:
Transform
Communities
Equip
Believers
Reach
the World
Ministries that meet the need
of the whole person and can
transform communities through
the power of the Holy Spirit.
Global partnerships aimed at
providing theological training,
spiriual formation for the Spanishspeaking church.
Expansion to new fields of
ministry alongside Spanish
speakers globally, often in areas
with little or no gospel witness.
$150,000 needed in 2015
$240,000 needed in 2015
$100,000 needed in 2015
“Camino Global, while rooted in lengthy commitment to ministry among Spanish
speakers, is a forward-looking mission family, concerned to make an impact with
the gospel both among and alongside Spanish speakers who are part of the amazing
Hispanic diaspora in our world today.”
Michael Pocock
Senior Professsor and Chairman Emeritus,
Dept. of World Missions and Intercultural Studies,
Dallas Theological Seminary
38
1 2 5 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y E DI T I ON
Give now using the Project # online at
www.caminoglobal.org/give
God has given Camino
Global a legacy that inspires
us to build for a future of
even greater outcomes! Your
partnership is an important
part of building on that
legacy.
Our goal for the GIVE125
initiative is to raise $125,000
for Camino’s future vision.
Would you help Camino in
this year-end initiative?
Your gift will grow the
Camino Vision Fund for
future global impact.
Project # 060110
QUEST LEADER
OBRERO FIEL
Quest conferences are designed to
encourage, affirm, renew and help Spanishspeaking church leaders — many of whom
work full-time secular jobs in addition
to being pastors — learn how to more
effectively balance their lives and ministries
so that they truly might be joyful and fruitful
in their service of the Lord.
The ObreroFiel Internet-based ministry faithfully
serves Spanish-speaking Christian leaders around
the world by providing quality ministry materials
and services to Equip, Mentor, and Encourage.
These resources help equip Spanish-speaking
pastors and leaders to effectively minister in many
areas around the world, including areas where
Camino may never be able to establish a mission
presence due to political or physical constraints.
FORMATION RETREATS
INTERNET MINISTRY
A $100 investment provides room and board for a
pastor and his wife to have the blessing of attending
a three-day conference.
Your contribution of $100 will help Camino to equip,
mentor and encourage Spanish-speaking pastors and
leaders globally via the Internet
Project # 010240
Project # 060178
39
8625 La Prada Drive
Dallas, TX 75228
Journey with spanish speakers.
transform the world.
www.caminoglobal.org/go