Outreach to Latin America

This is a new day for DPM's Hispanic Outreach. On several fronts, we are deeply blessed and challenged. The blessing is the consistent growth of our Hispanic work; the challenge is the massive vision that is opening before us. The winds of revival continue to sweep through Latin America, and we at DPM are inspired to play our part in God's end-time plan. We believe that Derek's foundational teachings will be a vital ingredient in God's strategy for the Spanish-speaking world, and we are positioned to see goals and faith unite to become life and reality.

Although political pressures persist in Cuba, our dedicated staff continues to publish Derek's materials inside the country. We are printing many different books there, but it is our strong desire to print and distribute Derek's Bible study book, In Search of Truth, to every house church in Cuba. There are presently thousands of these meetings, and the number is growing daily. In spite of religious restrictions, small group Bible studies are springing up everywhere.

Registered churches are growing beyond the seating capacity of their buildings, and many university students are gathering off campus to seek the Lord in homes. In some ways, Cuba is like China-as religious persecution persists, the underground Church continues to grow rapidly. We praise God for the multitudes of new Cuban believers and are excited for the opportunity to give them the solid Bible teachings of Derek Prince.

On my recent trip to Cuba, I saw firsthand the great poverty that hangs over the land. At a conference there, a Christian book table was set up. Bibles from the Canadian Bible Society were selling for 10 cents each. Many people are wondering how they will provide the next meal for their families, so even though they are hungry for God's Word and the cost of a Bible was so low, they still could not purchase one! So the Bibles were given to them without charge.

An average family needs $100 (U.S.) per month to survive in Cuba, but I met Christian families whose income was only $25 a month. They survive because God miraculously watches over them. When they come to the end of their provisions, the Lord provides in some unforeseen way. In the midst of these harsh realities, it is our privilege and honor to give Derek's teaching material free of charge to our brothers and sisters in Cuba, where the demand for it is great.

Denominational leaders are asking for tens of thousands of Derek's books to distribute among their churches, but we are only able to supply a fraction of their requests due to financial limitations. Our team there has just acquired another printing press due to a generous donation. So we now have a new goal to print 200,000 copies of In Search of Truth in Cuba at a cost of $100,000, which is only 50 cents per copy! This teaching would be an invaluable tool to establish a firm biblical foundation in the growing body of believers there. Derek Prince has already been used of God to impact Cuba in a powerful way, but we have just begun to meet the challenge that is before us. Our united prayer continues to be, 'Oh God, give us Cuba, for Your glory.'

In 1997, Derek Prince visited and ministered in Bogota, Colombia, but it wasn't until this year that DPM was able to return to the country. Great numbers of people are coming to the Lord in Colombia. We were told that one church in Bogota has over 150,000 members! We were met with a wonderful surprise. It felt like we had to run to keep up with what God was doing! The Lord gave us favor on every hand as we met many influential leaders who offered to partner with us in the work. Both denominational and parachurch ministry leaders were excited to open their networks for the distribution of Derek's teachings.

Ruben and Nohra Rodriguez, a young couple living in Bogota, contacted us to see how they could help DPM in their country. This young couple had made the initial contacts for us and agreed to facilitate ongoing interaction for us in Colombia. They are eager to help us set up an outreach office so that we will have a permanent DPM base there. The coming together of so many quality leaders pointed us to one massive challenge-the need to print large quantities of Derek's materials in Spanish. The doors swung open and the answer was before us-we were introduced to David Peacock! David is a missionary who moved to Colombia from the U.S. 25 years ago. His field of service is not preaching or pastoring, but printing. He partners with a large Christian printing company that produces quality work. We had a wonderful 'God time' together, and David agreed to print our Spanish material at missionary prices. This month we will begin printing Derek's books in Bogota-as many as we have funds for-to be distributed in churches, parachurch ministries, schools, and prisons.

I am also reminded of our new friends in Cali, David and Marcy McMillan, who pastor a church which they pioneered in 1971. At that time, there were only seven evangelical churches in Cali. Today there are more than 600 evangelical churches, and they gther together in the stadium for all-day meetings, three times a year. The McMillans are thrilled to network with us in spreading DPM books at home and throughout Central and South America. This marks the beginning of a plan to reach the vast harvest field of these nations with Derek's books.

We are positioned on the starting line, ready to run a long distance race throughout the Spanish-speaking world. DPM is active in over 70 nations around the globe, but until now, little has been done in Central and South America. This is changing rapidly, and our Hispanic Outreach could become one of DPM's largest and most successful outreaches. Even though revival has touched down in many locations throughout Latin America, the need for solid Bible teaching is great.

It is our aim to initially raise $150,000 for two major directives. One is to translate and publish more of Derek's books in Spanish for the Latin American harvest. To date, only about one-half of his 50 titles have been published in Spanish. Our goal over the next year is to print 50,000 books in Colombia and distribute them throughout Central and South America (including several new translations) at a cost of $75,000. A further $75,000 is needed for the second directive, which is to visit many more Spanish-speaking nations as we are led by the Holy Spirit. We will contact churches, preach God's Word, and network with national Christian leaders whom the Lord is calling to work with us. Then we will endeavor to set up outreach offices for distributing Derek's teaching.

Only God could have orchestrated the plans we are seeing unfold, and He has given us grace and faith for the task that lies before us. Please pray that as we open our DPM sails, the wind of the Holy Spirit will fill them. Over 50 years ago, Derek received a prophetic word for his ministry long before it even existed. The Lord spoke to him and said, 'It shall be like a little stream, the little stream shall become a river, the river shall become a great river, the great river shall become a sea, and the sea shall become a mighty ocean.

To some extent this has already happened, but God has so much more to do through this ministry, and we are delighted with the fresh release of His Holy Spirit and the new sense of calling to the nations that looms before us. Please join us in this rapidly growing and exciting outreach venture in Latin America!