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Heartbeat

The monthly newsletter of Free Methodist World Missions

Discipling: No Distance or Age Limitations

by Leobenyg Barreto | Nov 2022 | Heartbeat, HB Latin America, HB Latin America IML, HB Mexico

Agua Prieta, Mexico, is a town on the country’s border with the United States, adjacent to the town of Douglas, Arizona. This is where Myrna Galvan lived, received the Disciples that Multiply Disciples (DMD) training, and started a “house of peace.” Shortly after the house church began, she went through a difficult family situation necessitating a move. Myrna settled in Hermosillo, about a five-hour drive from Agua Prieta. There she managed to find work and joined the Tercera Free Methodist Church.

In addition to her move, her closest family members – her sister Paulina, brother-in-law, and two nieces, Danhya Paola and Danha Elena (ages 5 and 8) – moved to South Korea. This additional transition left Myrna lonely and her nieces longing to be with their beloved aunt.

To stay connected with her nieces, Myrna planned a call with them. Despite the 16-hour time difference – 11 p.m. for Myrna was 3 p.m. the next day for the girls – Myrna connected to tell them Bible stories. While sharing stories with her nieces, Myrna thought, What if I share with them the DMD model? And so, she did! Myrna’s nieces began receiving training on how to be disciple-makers.

One day, Myrna received a surprising video from her sister. It showed her nieces sharing Jesus, using their own drawings of “My Story” and “The Three Circles.” The girls used simple tools to make disciples among their cousins, uncles and friends. They also began translating the stories and illustrations into English, the common language among their classmates.

Myrna participates with God in the restoration of Latin America through the multiplication of committed disciples. She continues her special appointment time with her nieces. And now, she has begun to develop another disciple, her nephew Mateo, who lives in Mexico. Myrna teaches him about Jesus Saturday after Saturday, strengthening herself as a teacher. To Myrna’s surprise, her pastor has invited her to be director of Christian education for the church.

Currently, she is looking for a new area to open a “house of peace” for women and to begin making more disciples. The pain and loneliness she has endured continue to diminish as she follows Jesus, multiplying more disciples as new doors open in her life and ministry.

Leobenyg Barreto is a content generator for IML Latin America. She lives in Colombia where, together with her family, she is planting a church in Tocancipá.

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