When Jesus left the early Christians, he left them with very specific commands: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”
Mars Hill Global is how we as a church participate in the worldwide mission of Jesus. We work with in-country partners to train pastors and plant churches in various countries. We’re also translating resources so that more churches around the world can benefit from our content as they make disciples, including shipping 1,000 Bibles in Spanish to Mars Hill Albuquerque in New Mexico. Here are some stories from our Albuquerque church about how they’re putting these resources to use, and we hope that other churches and ministries can do the same.
Sara and Felipe
Sara and Felipe are a couple from Colombia who have been married for eleven and a half years. They were both raised Catholic, but never had a relationship with Christ until four years ago. In 2009, Sara was given the opportunity to study at the University of New Mexico, and today she is now one year away from obtaining a PhD in biology. She began attending Mars Hill Albuquerque in January of this year and was connected to a Spanish-speaking Community Group. In Community Group, Sara was encouraged to walk through the Real Marriage book (Matrimonio Real in Spanish) with her husband via Skype. It was the first time Sara and Felipe had ever gone through a Christian book together. The couple said that even though they were thousands of miles apart, they had grown closer to each other through the Real Marriage sermon series and book than they had in their entire marriage. Felipe says he now understands what it means to sacrifice for his marriage and admitted that Real Marriage made him and his wife confront each other in ways that they never had. Sara and Felipe say they now feel free to love each other and Christ in a new and exciting way.
Manuel
Manuel grew up in the international district of Albuquerque, a part of town that is better known by locals as “The War Zone.” Spanish is the primary language of most residents living within the international district. Manuel grew up speaking Spanish in his home, with his neighbors, in businesses where he shopped, and at Mass, which he attended with his family. However, until recently Manuel had never held a Christian book other than the Bible that was written in Spanish. Although he grew up attending church, it wasn’t until last year that Manuel gave his life to Christ and began to walk in repentance. He began attending Mars Hill Albuquerque in May and is involved in one of the church’s Spanish-speaking Community Groups. He says he’s most excited to share his love for the Spanish-speaking ministry and the hope to see friends and family reached for Christ through the Spanish-language materials. In the fall, Manuel will return to Portales, New Mexico (about four hours east of Albuquerque), where he attends Eastern New Mexico University. With the online content from Mars Hill, he plans on starting a Spanish-speaking Community Group at his school.
More to Come
This summer, Mars Hill Global will be releasing Pastor Mark’s Doctrine book in Spanish, and we’re also working on having our children’s ministry curriculum translated soon. Please give to Mars Hill Global to support our effort to make disciples and plant churches in many different countries and languages.
Cada semana, se traduce el sermón de Pastor Mark en español. Para ver como mirarlo con los sutítulos en español, lea esta entrada de blog.
