In August of this year, I visited the province of Manabi on the coast of Ecuador. From the indigenous city of Jipijapa (which means “Indian Chief”) to the modern city of Manta, people are warm and glad that we have come to visit their country. Cities like Portoviejo date back to the 1500s, and other cities have an older and richer history. The food is delicious with tuna and swordfish and seafood being staples. In Manabi, you can be sure to find peanuts or peanut sauce in almost all dishes (interestingly, allergies among children to peanuts is not common). Fruits are large (very large) and tasty, making for delicious natural juices. Even the humpback whales like coming to the warm waters off the coast of Manabi, migrating over 4,000 miles from Antarctica to give birth to their calves.

Ecuador has had its share of natural disasters, the earthquake in 2016 being the last one that caused the death of almost 700 individuals and left 6,200 severely injured. As expected, pastors and churches ministered with food and shelter and gave spiritual comfort. Various church buildings collapsed. In Manabi, the epicenter of the earthquake, one can still see the many empty spaces where large buildings once filled its busy streets.

As with all Latin America, Roman Catholicism predominates, while evangelicals in Ecuador make up 30% of the population. Evangelical churches celebrate one or two services on Sundays, depending on tradition. They are also busy during the week with church activities. I was told that in the Sierra (highlands) it’s common for indigenous groups to have worship services with their dances and scriptural readings which can last up to five hours!

One church where I preached was rather traditional with songs from the hymnal while in another church the music was livelier with a band and God-glorifying music. All in all, believers are faithful and focus on growing in their knowledge of the scriptures. One example of this is the practice of having all the Sunday school classes, starting with kindergarten, youth and adults come to the stage to recite the Bible verse for the day right before the start of the worship hour.
Yet Ecuador is also in great need of leadership development. Seasoned leadership recognize the need to produce a new generation of young Hispanic leaders that will plant new works and pastor churches. As a result of this, Leadership Outreach has been given the opportunity to invest in the training of men and women who are currently involved in local churches and missions in the Province of Manabi. We currently have students from five cities:

• Portoviejo
• Manta
• Ayacucho (Santa Ana)
• Pajan
• Jipijapa

The training of these leaders began with volume 9 on Church History in our B.T.C.P. curriculum. We are about to begin the study of volume 10 on missions, evangelism, and discipleship.
During our time there we visited each of the towns, some two hours away from our home base in Manta. Pastor Marco Pinargote, Vice-President of the Baptist Convention in Ecuador has agreed to coordinate all the centers for us. He kindly spent the week with me showing me the different towns and introducing me to our student-pastors. Pastor Marco’s church in Manta became inhabitable after the earthquake. They are now building a new sanctuary.

One of the pastors I met is Pastor Humberto Cevallos of Portoviejo. He and several of his mission leaders (pastors in training) are participating in our training program. One of these young men is Luis, a sharp leader with a passion for evangelism and discipleship. Together with the three missions, the church in Portoviejo is reaching the lost and serving the needy. They are thankful for Leadership Outreach.

I also met a young adult, Shirley Mora, who wants to prepare to be a missionary. She’s praying to discern how God wants to use her, whether in national or foreign missions. She would like to study at a Christian college here in the United States. We are praying that Shirly can join our training program in January.

I’m encouraged with the caliber of the students we have in Ecuador. More than fifteen pastors and mission leaders make up this group of over fifty students. And many of the lay leaders being trained are part of core leadership teams planting churches. For example, Guido Sanchez in Jipijapa is helping a church without a pastor in Jipijapa, while Pastor Rivera, who pastors in Manta, is older but recognizes his need for further theological training. He has encouraged others in his church and in Manta to be part of our training.

I was encouraged by the outpouring of gratitude and appreciation our ministry is receiving in Manabi. God has been gracious with us in extending our training. Plans are in place to promote our ministry in other cities and towns in Manabi, and possibly in other parts of Ecuador. Once again, I am humbled that the Lord would use me to train these leaders. We hope to be back in Ecuador next year.

Thank you for your prayers for the Church in Ecuador and for your financial support.
 
Roger P. Felipe, D.Min.
Network Trainer

Leadership Outreach Network has been a special blessing for our congregation. For almost two years now, we have received theological training and numerous counseling in particular with our role within the church. We are called not only to study the Bible, but to serve according to what the Bible teaches, and Pastor Roger gives practical advice for students on how we should put into action everything we are learning. Our students are training to serve God and our church in a unique way. Several of these students are already serving in different areas of ministry, especially in Bible studies. Among the students, we have children teachers, Sunday school teachers, and Bible study teachers on Wednesdays. Other students are considering leadership as deacons and even pastor. As a pastor, I have the confidence to know that we have a solid biblical foundation and a heart to honor God in our community.

Through technology, it is possible each student could train from home, but we have decided as a group to meet every Monday at church to be able to ask and answer questions, and also to encourage each other to be faithful to the biblical study every week.

We ask that you pray for our church, and especially our community. The lack of good secular education and regular work schedules has created poverty and a lot of crime. Our goal is to be a healthy church that has evangelism in the center of its heart and bring hope for those who do not know Jesus as their Saviour.
 
– Pastor Marlon Browne, Iglesia Bautista Ebenezer in Belle Glade, Florida

The need for well-trained pastors is more important today than ever before. This is no less important among the Hispanic community than any other groups. The rapid growth of Hispanics demand for ministries that will provide theological training and mentorship to those in ministry now, as well as those who sense God’s call on their lives for future service. Paul’s writings to both Timothy (1 Timothy 3:1-7) and Titus (Titus 1:5-9) lay a foundation for the personal, moral and spiritual qualifications for those in pastoral ministry.

Leadership Outreach desires to come along side of Spanish-speaking churches to help equip leaders who have little to no theological education. As hinted above, the Spanish population is expected to grow in the United States to over 129 million by the year 2060. This means that the urgency to train and equip pastors who will reach this segment of our society is truly huge. Furthermore, not only is there need for theological training, but perhaps even more importantly, for practical oversight and coaching of those who have been called to the ministry.

Leadership Outreach is providing leadership training to Hispanics both in and out of the United States. Our Spanish online training program has 70 students from the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Florida and Tennessee. We hope to develop a residential training center in the Dominican Republic in the future. I will be traveling to the Dominican Republic in the month of July. I plan to meet many of the online students for the first time and develop deeper relationships with each one. Leadership Outreach believes in a “boots on the ground” philosophy of educational ministry. We believe this is important for at least two reasons. First, Jesus gave us examples of both formal and informal teaching. He desired for his disciples to be with him and for them to develop and become like him, their Master (Mark 3:14; Luke 6:40). Second, we don’t simply teach the bible to students, but we teach students the bible. The difference is significant. Pastors are real people, with real struggles, doubts, failures, and victories. It is true that teaching is knowledge-based, but it must ultimately be life-filtered. That is, we want our students to know that we will not only instill theological knowledge but will help them to flesh out theological and ministry truths in real-life experiences with their spouses and children, as well as ministry. This means that we want our students to lead healthy personal, family and ministry lives.

Finally, we recognize that our ministry at Leadership Outreach would be impossible without the presence, support, and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit. For this reason, we ask that you remember all our students in your prayers, as well as the many instructors around the world imparting biblical truth through our ministry. Please remember my trip to the Dominican Republic July 14-21, 2018. Thank you for your involvement in what we do, and may God continue to use your life for his kingdom purposes.

I had always heard that Navarrete was a city known for its lively protests. The northern cities of Esperanza and Navarrete in the Dominican Republic feel they have gotten the raw end of the deal when it comes to government aid for water quality and road conditions. My wife and I flew into Santiago and had a local pastor pick us up. Little did we know that at 3:00 a.m. we would have to travel through debris and blocked roads due to the protests in Navarrete. The following day we had to stay two-hours away because the protests were still going on. Thank God the protests stopped, and we were able to continue our trips to various cities in the northern and southern part of the island country.

During our trip to the Dominican Republic, June 3-18, my wife Elaine and I visited thirteen cities, preaching, teaching, and promoting the training ministry of Leadership Outreach. I taught “Teaching Principles and Methods” (Volume 8 in our B.T.C.P. curriculum) during the first week in the north in Esperanza and then in the last leg of our trip in the south in the capital, Santo Domingo.

During our trip we visited the following cities:

• Esperanza in the north
• Piedra Gorda in the north
• Boruco in the north
• Jaibon in the northwest
• Sosua in the northern coast
• Puerto Plata in the northern coast
• Santiago in the north-central
• La Vega in the central section
• San Cristobal in the south (west of Santo Domingo)
• San Pedro de Macorís in the southeast
• La Romana in the southeast
• Veron, Punta Cana, in the southeast
• Santo Domingo in the south

Eight of the thirteen cities were new to our ministry. In each of these eight cities, we presented the ministry of Leadership Outreach. In all our promotional events the response was the same: Pastors are thirsty for training and thankful that Leadership Outreach is willing to invest in the development of their leaders. We are praying and seeking the Lord’s will to add new training centers around the Dominican Republic.

One of the most joyful moments during this trip was to see one of our students, Alberto Pichardo, who is now pastoring a mission, preaching the Word of God. Alberto ministers in one of the poorest areas in the north called “Piedra Gorda” (Fat Rock). During our time there one hour of downpouring flooded several houses. Our students helped clear the way for several families before attending class that evening. I thank the Lord for the spiritual growth in the life of Alberto and all our students in the north in Esperanza, Piedra Gorda, Boruco and Santiago.
Our trip to the Dominican Republic has left us with lingering memories of the people, the struggles, the social challenges, and the need for growing spiritual leaders. Our trip was productive in terms of the teaching and promotion of our ministry, but I believe fruitful as well in terms of pastors and leaders who will enroll in our training program starting in January 2020.
Please pray for the work in the Dominican Republic as God continues to help us find favor among pastors and churches. Our next trip will be in January 2020 to the northern part of the island country. Our first graduating class in the D.R. will take place on June 2020. Praise the Lord!

Thank you for investing in our ministry through your prayers, concerns, and giving. May the Lord richly bless each of you as you continue to serve him for his glory.
 
Roger P. Felipe, D.Min.
Network Trainer

How long can one canoe with 5 guys, their luggage, an additional 100 lbs. of camera equipment, and a drone stay afloat?

It turns out, pretty long.

Until it started to rain.

The sinking feeling we all get when we realize we’re no longer in control of our surroundings, was in my case, more than a feeling, we were actually sinking! In the sweltering center of the Amazon jungle, on some brown river that appeared to be licking its chops, as its current was ready to engulf us, I found it strange that my life didn’t flash before my eyes.
It was Theodore Roosevelt’s life instead!

In that moment, I thought about the epic journey our 26th President, along with the famed Brazilian explorer, and indigenous populations advocate, Cândido Rondon took in 1913-14. Their many failures and foibles, near-death experiences, and actual death encounters are vividly regaled in Candice Millard’s book, The River of Doubt.

The extreme environment of the Amazon River Basin that day made me doubt and despair what little existence I had left. It’s snaking rivers are so severe, that even the “Rough Rider” himself, narrowly escaped. As Roosevelt lay in a canoe, similar to ours, incapacitated by an infection and fever coursing through his body, I sat in silence, with my mind racing, trying to find any thought to transport me out of this peril.

Then, a familiar shape started to appear amidst the green embankments, it was a houseboat. The only sign of hope in site. This was not just “any port in the storm.” This was the only port. We pulled into their dock, just as the waterline was parallel to the sides of our vessel, pleading for help.

The man showed us unusual kindness by inviting us in to dry off and offering to pray for us. My thoughts in that moment turned to the Apostle Paul, who was shipwrecked in the Mediterranean Sea and God spared his life by leading him to the island of Malta (Acts 27-28).
I am sure many reading this have heard the expression of a “shipwrecked faith” used with a negative connotation. In fact, Paul uses the term in 1 Timothy 1:9.

However, when you are in a river of doubt, perhaps saving-faith is the shipwrecked kind.
All our vestiges of security and illusion of control need to sink. Our boat could not be our bailout. Even Paul had to float ashore on pieces of his former “life-raft.”

My trust can only be in Jesus Christ alone.

Matthew 14:30-31 says, “When [Peter began] to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’ Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (ESV)

I was in Beruri, deep in the Amazon. My team had arrived and I was immediately impressed by the number of church leaders enrolled in our training center there. I was excited to meet the men and women God was raising up, and I started interviewing them personally.

As I heard their stories, I have to confess I wasn’t terribly impressed. Their stories didn’t seem complete – and I started thinking, “Oh no! Are these really the church leaders we are investing in? Are these the right people?”

Some of these believers were from unreached cultures in the jungle – many of them didn’t have any context to understand ministry leadership or even basic biblical morality. And how would they know about any of that? Isn’t that why they were seeking out training? That’s when felt the Lord reminding me of Mark 2:17: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

So, despite my initial worry, I began teaching our class on “Pastoral Ministry” – and I started to sense the Holy Spirit moving there, in the room, with those students. We could feel His presence! I could see tears in their eyes. I could feel tears in my own eyes. Just talking about calling, character, holiness — that we have a need for godly men and women in our churches today. And that was just our first evening together.

The next day, one of our church leaders came to me and asked for a private meeting. We found a quiet place and sat down. He began to share: “As you were teaching us last night, I felt the true love of God for me for the very first time in my life!”

He continued, “Pastor Fernando, I actually grew up in a church and I’m a church planter today. But I have to confess that I have always felt fear from my past sins and unfit to be used by God because of them. Yesterday, when I got back home I could not do anything but get down on my knees and pray. My wife came to the room and saw me praying, and she also joined me in prayer. For me, everything changed last night!”

I couldn’t help pray as well, “Okay God, please forgive me for being so judgmental! For a moment I forgot that You are changing this place by changing the hearts of these people,” and I felt the Lord graciously saying to me again, “Fernando, I am doing amazing things here… just be faithful to Me and follow Me”.