John Jairo Leal and Susana Castro are ordained pastors in Colombia and have served as pastors and church planters in Medellín. John is currently the field director for Community Church Planting with Impact Latin America and is part of the Colombian ministerial education and guidance board. Susana is the leader of the Developing Healthy Leaders pillar for the Latin American Area and is pastor of the Camino de Vida church in Medellín. She also mentors our FM leaders in Honduras. John Jairo and Susana are passionate about developing leaders and multiplying disciples who spread the gospel with words and love in action.
Children: Isabella, Valentina, Alejandro (nephew)
Pray For
- the whole family to maintain healthy rhythms amid multiple tasks and travel
- their children to know God more fully and love Him with all their being
- much fruit in the development of healthy leaders at the local, district and area levels
- leaders to experience deep connections with God and one another through pastoral care groups
- the expansion of the Community Church Planting movement as God opens doors and prepares hearts
Recent Heartbeat Articles
From the Front Lines of the Fight to the Front Lines of Transformation
Colombia is a country of great diversity – diverse landscapes, climates, fruits and people. This diversity is also reflected in generational differences. Many in the younger generation are discontent. In 2021, young people were on the frontlines of protests and...
Raising Resilient Leaders
Developing a multiplying movement of transformational churches requires a robust system to form leaders. Four years ago, the Latin America area developed a curriculum designed to be offered in various formats and by a wide range of church leaders. Accelerated by the...
Following God’s Plan
Like many before and after him, José Carrasquel left Creative Access Country X in search of a better life. He planned to travel to Chile, where his brother-in-law had already settled, but Jóse only had enough money to reach the first town across the border in Brazil....
Following Shiprah and Puah
Before Moses and Aaron, there were Shiphrah and Puah, two midwives who stood up to the most powerful leader in the world at the time (Exodus 1). Pharaoh isn’t named. The author draws the contrast between the powerful and the powerless: a powerful tyrant against the...





