Carlos and Lily Saavedra

Carlos: I grew up in a Catholic family, assuming that I was already with God and that religious life was about being generous and kind to one's neighbor. God showed me His immense love through the radio, crusades, and a local church that had several missionaries and shared the Gospel.

I gave my life to Christ at 19 years old in my room. The Holy Spirit brought conviction in my life of what I was without Him and what God could do in me with His power. Years later, during my fourth year of medical school, God gave me a new conviction to enter fully into the ministry. I left medical school and began a new vocation to prepare myself for pastoral and missionary ministry. God gave my wife and I and our four children opportunities to serve Him as church planters in the USA and in other countries.

Currently, Mexico has a very special place in our hearts. We desire to see His Gospel forming a community that glorifies Christ. We are putting our efforts to disciple families by loving them from the first day. We dream of seeing Mexican people strong in their faith, serving Jesus, and their local church and communities.

Lily: The first time I remember hearing the Gospel clearly was at a Christian summer camp when I was 8 years old. There were many things I did not know as an 8-year-old, but I did know that I wanted Jesus. I made a decision that day to repent of my sins and turn to Jesus.

I continued to grow and be discipled in a family that was striving to love and follow the Lord. At 15, I was working at this same summer camp when a missionary came and shared her story. I heard the Lord’s call that night inviting me to join Him in what He was already doing. From that time forward I tried to filter my decisions through the grid of how to walk out this missional call.

I put lots of attention on God’s Word and my time with Him and my church body. I focused my college studies on this call. I took some trips overseas to learn. My husband and I and our four children have had the opportunity and joy to serve as church planters in the United States and overseas.

We intentionally seek out lost people and share the love of Jesus with them. The Holy Spirit is already working in people and drawling them to Himself. We disciple people through the Bible and church plant. Just like God used someone to clearly share the Gospel with me, I strive to clearly share the Gospel with others.

 We also desire to start a training center to invite people alongside us who might not fully understand missions work. We believe that missions work is often “caught”; we would like them to fall in love with Jesus and get a taste of a missions lifestyle.

Why

• In Central Mexico there is a region called “The Circle of Silence” where 23 million people have not heard the Gospel.
• Tradition, cartel violence, fear, and demonic forces have kept evangelicals out of this region.
• This region has the greatest population with the least percentage of evangelicals in all of Latin America.  It is only 2% evangelical.

What

• Together, we are taking and proclaiming the Gospel in “The Circle of Silence.”
• The stereotype that church is just a religion is being broken. Jesus is impacting every area of people’s lives.
• Churches need to be planted, and people need to be trained. Real partnership is needed through mission trips and interns from our churches in the USA to develop a people to “taste and see,” to “catch” God’s heart for missions.

How

• You are giving people the opportunity to hear about Jesus! You are investing in people’s souls, in their eternities. This is what truly lasts.
• You are sharing Jesus and providing discipleship and training to people who are saying yes to the Gospel.
• As you obey Jesus, His power and change will occur as you make disciples. The vision will be multiplied. The National leadership in Mexico will take the Gospel to lesser reached areas of Mexico. Missions and a love for Jesus will be caught, and people who come on mission trips will be changed and will live out their calls in their home churches.

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We’re praying for God to call 83 people, churches, or organizations to join our ministry team. Will you help today?