“For a great door and effectual is opened unto me…” (1 Cor. 16:9).  Doors of opportunity to preach the saving Gospel of Christ have been opened and continue to be opened for men to walk through by faith.  The door of faith has been opened that all men, both Jew and Gentile, might be saved (Acts 14:27).  A great door of opportunity was opened to Paul at Ephesus (1 Cor. 16:9).  A door was opened to Paul at Troas to preach the Gospel of Christ (2 Cor. 2:12).  All Christians are to fervently pray that doors of opportunity will be opened for the preaching of the Gospel (Col. 4:2-3).  The doors of heaven will be opened unto all who obey the saving Gospel of Christ, as Jesus Christ is the way (John 14:6).

 

Latin American Missions is a multifaceted ministry that has been walking through doors of opportunity since 1958, with the goal of winning souls for Christ.  LAM is overseen by the elders of the Forrest Park church of Christ in Valdosta, GA, an eldership that has never hesitated to walk through a door of opportunity in order to preach the Gospel in Latin America.  Doors of opportunity have been opened to LAM in ten Latin American countries, and by faith, LAM has walked through each of them.  These countries include:  Panama (1958), Costa Rica (1987), Honduras (1988), Nicaragua (1992), Peru (1992), Colombia (1996), Venezuela (2000), El Salvador (2001), Guatemala (2002), and Argentina (2004).  In order to preach the soul-saving Gospel, LAM has walked through, is walking through, and will walk through many more doors of opportunity in the future.

 

The backbone of the work of Latin American Missions is the Bible School of the Americas, which trains faithful men to teach others (2 Tim. 2:2).  The Bible School of the Americas began training preachers in 1963, in Panama City, Panama, and offers two years of preacher training, with a curriculum of eighty subjects.  The Lord has continued to open doors of opportunity for training men to preach the Gospel, and there are now four campuses of the BSA (Panama, San Blas Islands, Colombia, and Peru).  Thanks to the generosity of the brotherhood, the BSA reached full capacity in 2006 for the first time ever! 

 

Students from all Latin American countries are allowed to study in the BSA.  Originally, eight Colombian men were trained in the BSA in Panama, who returned to their country, and baptized over nine hundred souls into Christ within one year.  The next year, there were 72 candidates from Colombia desiring to go to Panama to study, which prompted the opening of the BSA in Colombia.  The Lord opened the door of opportunity to Colombia by allowing the BSA in Colombia to train men to preach the Gospel to a country whose political situation makes it unstable for Americans to enter.

 

The BSA in Peru began in February 2006, and will train South American men to preach the Gospel.  Immigration laws and fees made it difficult to bring South American men to Panama to be educated, and as a result, the Lord has opened the door of opportunity to South America in the form of the BSA in Peru.  The BSA in the San Blas Islands also opened in 2006, and will train Kuna Indians to preach the Gospel to their tribe in their own native tongue, Kuna.

 

Mobile medical missions, evangelistic campaigns, and disaster relief are vital parts of the work of LAM.  The body is treated in order to reach the soul (Matt. 9:35).  Upon the removal of the dictatorship of Noriega in Panama in 1990, LAM was not one of the first, but was the first to contact the Panamanian Department of Health in order to help.  When Hurricane Mitch devastated Honduras, LAM was there within two weeks providing relief.  Without hesitation, the elders overseeing this work borrowed $50,000 to help with the relief.  The elders stepped out in faith, knowing that the Lord would provide a way to repay the money.  This eldership has never been hesitant to take giant steps of faith.  Through this door of opportunity, many congregations were established in Honduras.  When El Salvador was crushed by an earthquake, LAM once again borrowed money in order to provide relief, knowing that the Lord would provide.

 

One of the most beloved works of LAM is the Children’s Home of the Americas, which opened its doors in 1996, and is located in Panama City, Panama.  The Children’s Home of the Americas holds between forty and fifty children.  The Panamanian government views the Children’s Home of the Americas as the “model home,” and not only places orphans in the home, but also sends its college interns to learn from the native Christians operating the home.  The home has a full-time social worker, regular medical care, and a tutor for the children.  Countless orphans have become Christians as a result of the Children’s Home of the Americas.  A love for the Word of God is instilled in the hearts of these young children by the home parents, whom are faithful, loving Christians.

 

Other doors of opportunity have been opened in the form of the printed word ministry, native preacher support, and construction teams.  The printed word ministry, which includes a fully operational print shop, full-time printer, and full-time native Spanish-speaking translators, produces over one million Spanish tracts per year.  When a new congregation is established, the church is not left without a preacher, but a preacher is placed to work with the new Christians and evangelize the area.  Support is provided for these native preachers until the local church is able to support its preacher.  Construction teams provide a great service to new congregations in need of a meeting place.

 

The greatest need in Latin America is the need for more Christian workers.  “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest” (Matt. 9:37-38).  The country of Honduras, for example, has eighteen states, and only four of these states have faithful congregations.  More missionaries are needed in the field, more campaigners are needed on campaigns, and more preachers need to be trained.  The doors of opportunity are wide-open in Latin America.  Will you walk through them with us?