Global Impact

Pastor Chris recently traveled with ministry partners Paul Sandberg and Rafael Restrepo to lead sessions at a regional leadership training event. He taught six sessions to a group of around 40 leaders, with participation growing throughout the week. One attendee even traveled over 100 miles to be part of the training. These leaders are deeply committed to learning and growing. Please keep them and their communities in your prayers.

September 2025

Greetings, Island Christian Church

We have much to share with you. But in light of the challenges in our country right now, I will keep it short.

The ministry keeps reaching people in Central America, helping them to know and develop a relationship with Jesus. We serve about 500 people monthly through our various ministries, include our outreach to the boys and girls, scholarship program, ministry to the disabled, elderly, and Pastoral training.

We meet different needs, but number one is to get to know Jesus and keep a close relationship with Him. We also provide some of their needs, such as education, food, medical care, dental care, counseling, and after-school programs. 

In the after-school programs, we provide meals that, in some cases, are the only meal they have during the day. Our hope is that those boys and girls have a chance to not only finish high school, but also have a desire to find their place in society and be able to serve their country and God.

Prayer needs:

- We ask for your prayers so we can keep sharing Jesus and the hope we find in him, pray for the current challenges that we are facing.

- Pray for the people serving in each ministry

- Pray for the health issues that Wilbert and Gloria are facing now.

- Pray for our kids, Jacob is now 19 and has decided to join bible training, Naomi is in 10^th grade, and her health challenges are always there.

JULY 2025

Dear Friends,
It’s a joy to share what God is doing and to thank you for your prayers and support over these 40+ years. May brought special visits, including friends from the U.S. and a vow renewal in Barcelona—25 years after we officiated their wedding! In June, we held another Pastoral Training in Spain, co-taught with our son-in-law, Caleb. More sessions are planned for the Fall and January. A class is also scheduled for Central America in August, and the Caribbean Family Conference follows.

Two pastors were recently ordained in Spain. Pray for the Dutch and English churches during this transition. Street and beach evangelism also bore fruit—pray for those who responded.

We signed a pre-contract for a pastoral house and are trusting God to provide the remaining $95,000 by September. This home will bless future ministry.

Please also pray for our mothers, whose health is declining.

With gratitude,
Rafael & Mary

November 2025 Update

In Mark 16:15, Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” He gave us the command and authority to bring freedom to the oppressed and light into darkness. The Gospel is power over Satan, authority over sin, hope for the hopeless, light for the lost, and life over death. It transforms hearts, restores communities, and brings heaven’s touch to earth. It is the treasure that makes people rich, the covering for shame, and the vessel that carries souls from death to life. Without it, children suffer, young people lose direction, families are broken, and communities are divided—but the Gospel can change everything.

Our ministry motto is “Equip people to Make Him Known.” To fulfill this, we focus on training and discipleship for young people and leaders, community outreach, and caring for children in need. One of our key programs is a five-month Discipleship Training School (DTS). After three months of teaching, students spend two months sharing the Gospel in remote areas. Recently, two teams have reached many who had never heard the Good News before. In just five weeks, over 1,200 people have heard the Gospel, hundreds received prayer, and several experienced freedom and healing. Despite facing threats and challenges, our teams have remained steadfast—trusting that God will bring lasting change and receive the glory.

We praise God for His protection during our recent training, for those who have been baptized through our church-planting efforts, and for His continued blessing on our children’s home.

We are currently praying for more Bible teachers for our pastor training program, which serves hundreds of leaders in multiple regions. We also need continued support for our children’s home, which is growing and making a lasting difference in young lives.

Please pray for God’s presence, anointing, and provision for our ministry and family.

As a family, we have served with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) for 25 years. It has been the most fulfilling work of our lives. Our oldest son is 17 and studying computer management while learning bass guitar for church. Our middle son is in ninth grade and loves to read, and our youngest, age eight, enjoys books and soccer. We are deeply thankful for our three boys—and for your friendship, love, and generosity that sustain us in this mission.