hispanic harvest A CLOSER LOOK AT THE GWEN HENDRIX BIBLE INSTITUTE by Rick Bowling Find out more about the ministry of Free Will Home Missions at www.homemissions.net.

“…The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:37b-38).

As I write from Inman, South Carolina, the seventh session at the Gwen Hendrix Hispanic Bible Institute is underway, and God is really blessing! Ten students from California, Washington, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Texas, and Tennessee have arrived for this session. When I see students leave everything to study the Word of God, I am reminded that God is still calling laborers into His field of harvest. I cannot help but remember students who have already finished their education and are hard at work.

When Jorge Zacaries Molina came to South Carolina from Mexico, he intended to earn money to make a better life for his family back home. He found something far more valuable, however, and in time Jorge, his wife, and his parents accepted Jesus as their Savior. Until their move, the family had never heard the Word of God because their hometown, Michoacán, Mexico, has no evangelical church.

After being saved, the family became very concerned about their lost loved ones in Mexico. Jorge’s parents returned to Michoacán and started a Bible study in their home every Sunday. As a result, friends and family members soon accepted Jesus. They quickly ran out of room in their home and started meeting in a park in their city. The congregation continued to grow, although they had no pastor to lead them.

Jorge felt God leading him to enroll at the Gwen Hendrix Hispanic Bible Institute. While there, God called him to preach, and he eventually returned to Michoacán to build a church in the traditional Catholic stronghold.

When Jorge returned to Mexico during the Christmas season, three Catholic seminary students and a nun greeted him. They tried to persuade him to join their efforts. Instead, he offered them the way of salvation. Not long after, the local Catholic church began to distribute Christmas gifts to every “member” of their church. Using a mobile audio system, they prowled the streets making the announcement. The battle for souls is raging in Michoacán, but God has laborers in that bountiful harvest field!

Ecuadorian Diego Cueva also attended the Gwen Hendrix Hispanic Bible Institute. Today, he and his family live in Woodbridge, Virginia, where they are starting Hispanic works across the state. Several men and women led to the Lord by Diego have returned to their own countries to start churches. Diego is building a church in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The future pastor of this church will arrive from Ecuador to attend the Bible Institute this semester.

Story after story could be told about the graduates of the Institute. God is using the institute to train laborers for their work in the harvest. The work has only begun, and much remains to be accomplished. We need your help!

Please help Free Will Baptist Hispanic Ministry through prayer and financial support. Join the effort to prepare those God has called into the field of harvest.

About the Writer: Rick Bowling serves as director of Hispanic Ministries under Free Will Baptist Home Missions.

Partner with the Gwen Hendrix Bible Institute to provide quality training for Hispanic pastors and lay leaders. Send your support to:

National Home Missions
PO Box 5002
Antioch, Tennessee 37011-5002
Attention: Gwen Hendrix Hispanic Bible Institute

To find out more about Free Will Baptist Hispanic ministry, visit www.homemissions.net or  call
(877) 767-7674.