CENTRAL AMERICA — Friendly banter came before the final decision on who would carry which flag. Several of the new missionaries wanted to hold Mexico’s flag, of course. In the end, Roselia processed in carrying the flag of her home country and the home of seven of the 10 new Latin American global missionary partners (GMP), soon to join International Mission Board (IMB) teams.

The flag procession was the start of a significant night in the journey of Spanish-speaking Latin Americans preparing to reach the nations with the gospel. It was also a significant night for IMB missionaries who had long been praying for this moment.

The worship service, hosted by a local Baptist church near the mouth of the Panama Canal, kicked off a training season for the missionaries who will live and learn together for the next five weeks. This is the first time the IMB has offered this type of training for Latin American missionaries. Patterned after IMB’s field personnel orientation — seven weeks of intense preparation — this training is smaller in scale but provides vital readiness for mission service.

IMB missionaries from all over Panama came to celebrate, filling the sanctuary with the energy of a sweet family reunion. Representatives from significant partnering organizations also showed their support: the Panama Baptist Convention, Panamanians reaching the world (PAAM), Union of Latin American Baptists (UBLA) and Lacy Baptist Theological Seminary in Oaxaca, Mexico. A video included greetings on behalf of the Brazilian Baptist Convention, Comibam (Ibero-American mission cooperation), and sending partners from Argentina, Mexico and Ecuador.

John and Jenny, IMB missionaries in Panama, are directing this preparation time. During the opening days, they repeated how significant this opportunity is for the individuals, for the IMB and for Latin American congregations who are embracing the role of sending churches. This is also personally significant, as they’ve been dreaming about getting this project off the ground for five years.

“It really started in 2020, when we were asked to consider doing a field personnel orientation for Latin Americans,” John said. “We had this vision that meshed with what IMB leaders were saying. We wanted to create a bridge from Latin America to the rest of the world.”

They prayed and strategized over the vision they believed clearly came from the Lord. Jenny said she remembers the exact moment she knew what they should call the center.

“I’ve got it, the name for the center,” Jenny told John in 2022. “From and To the Nations — because it’s from the nations of Latin America to the nations of the world.”

Plans began to take off, up and over obstacles, but always moving forward.

When Jenny first saw the 10 missionaries sitting around the table, she couldn’t hold back emotions. “It hit me that this is happening. This dream, what God has been doing,” she said. “John and I have always wanted to multiply ourselves, and now we see it happening. We are extremely privileged to see this part of kingdom work.”

Training begins

The missionaries who gathered in Panama are staying in a rented guesthouse. Nestled in a neighborhood surrounded by lush trees, the team will attend a local Baptist church on Sundays within walking distance and will ride a bus together to the market and for other outings scheduled during their time. Days include personal Bible study, teaching sessions, English lessons, shared meals and even exercise.

Laura is one of the participants who has previous experience as a global missionary partner in Colombia. She has been featured before by the IMB. GMPs are those sent and supported by their own sending churches outside the U.S. to serve alongside IMB teams around the world. Laura was sent from Lacy Baptist Seminary in Mexico, a seminary founded by IMB missionaries. After training, she will return to the seminary to lead the missions program.

Roselia, who proudly carried the flag of Mexico, is leaving a large family behind in Mexico. She is one of eight siblings, and though they are excited for her, she says they are also nervous. On a previous trip to Colombia, she became very sick with dengue fever. She knows the risks but is ready to be bold in sharing the hope of Christ. This time of preparation with other missionaries is building her confidence for her next term in Colombia.

John explained that this training was opened to those who are called by God, affirmed by their local church, have raised the required funds and have an IMB team ready to receive them. They make a commitment to serve from six months to three years. This training will prepare them with an understanding of IMB’s mission, vision and strategy, which is based on a biblical understanding of the missionary task.

From and To the Nations shares the Revelation 7:9 vision, and its mission statement is also linked to that of the IMB: To equip and encourage Latin Americans in the Core Missionary Task, empowering them to thrive on the cross-cultural mission field and make a lasting impact on their communities.

On the first morning of training, the group sat around plastic tables and shared their testimonies. Some come from strong Christian families and have long heard the call to serve the Lord. Others struggled with faith for years and now walk with God, who has shown that He is faithful to use their greatest struggles and pain for His glory. Two married couples are heading to the nations, one woman is engaged to a missionary and plans to continue her missions call with her future husband, and another is a grandmother who is fulfilling her missions call much later than she originally planned.

“This is a dream for me, to finally go as a missionary,” Noemi said. She’ll miss her kids and grandkids but beams with the possibility of finally serving the Lord in another country. She’ll join an IMB team in Colombia.

IMB Journeyman Valerie Nieves left behind a career as a registered nurse to follow the Lord to Panama. Her role has been solely focused on preparing for this training time, serving as volunteer coordinator and handling many logistics. Already fluent in Spanish, Valerie seamlessly fit into the team.

“We’re all so excited for this training. This is why God sent me here,” Valerie said. “I’ve been focusing on this, on getting everything ready, helping John and Jenny however I can. The missionaries are looking forward to it, but I really am too.”

Unified effort

Events like this one point to the unity of IMB missionaries and their partners around the world who are focused on fulfilling the Great Commission. The training in Panama, for example, includes the support of Latin American Baptists in addition to Southern Baptists in the U.S. It builds on the work of past IMB missionaries and Latin American partners who planted churches and cast the vision for understanding the call of sharing the gospel to all Christians. It involves missionary teams on the other side of the world, ready to receive the new missionaries as true partners in the frontline work.

Four volunteers from First Baptist Church, Concord, Tenn., answered the request to come serve as meal planners, language tutors and encouragers. This church has a relationship with John and Jenny and has supported their work in the past. When the request came to serve, Jim and Candy Lett, Ruth Geiger and Elaine Underwood said, “Sure. We’ll go.”

Together, God’s people have prayed, given, gone and sent to provide unwavering support for the gospel to reach those living without the hope of Christ. These 10 will go soon, and more will follow. This is part of the vision of IMB’s globalization strategy — for IMB missionaries to partner effectively with sending churches and missionaries from all over the world, focused on the one Great Commission task.

Last names have been withheld for security reasons.

(EDITOR’S  NOTE — Leslie Peacock Caldwell is managing editor at the IMB.)