by John Dykes
I HAD NEVER DOUBTED my commitment as a missionary until the day, in a dirty little market in Mexico City, I came face to face with a test. I had mostly found myself ministering to teenagers and older folks, but on that fateful day, I was standing before a small group of dirty-faced kids who put me to the test!
A little urchin girl maybe 4 or 5 years old, who was probably cute under the layer of grime, was looking up at me, and I heard her ask me for a kiss, “un beso.” What was this I was hearing? A kiss? You have to be kidding! There was not a clean spot on that little face looking up at me! I was tired, entirely too busy, and now this - a dirty little girl wants a kiss. “No way!” was my immediate response, but then a battle started to rage within. What would people think? What about germs? But, what about letting Jesus be seen through me with a quick hug and peck on the cheek? The artist’s rendition of Jesus with all the children gathered around him and on his lap was not the situation I was facing.
I thought “This is crazy. If I am who I think I am, a representative of Christ, what difference does a little dirt make if this little street girl needs to know someone cares?” I bent over to administer the hug and a kiss when I heard her speak again from a much closer vantage point. At that time, I heard her clearly say, “Un peso” or “a coin.” “Beso” or “peso”... not much difference in size but all the difference in the world when speaking of commitment. I gladly reached into my pocket and gave coins to all the children, very satisfied that I had made them happy, and I was very pleased that I had passed the test. Commitment is real only when it has been put to the test!
PURPOSE FOR EXISTENCE: Hispanic Ministries is dedicated to reaching Spanish speaking people with the Gospel message at home and abroad.
MISSION STATEMENT: It is our mission to reach the Hispanic community in their cultural and generational context with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the message of full salvation through committed leadership and laity teams taking an indigenous work forward.
VISION: The vision for Hispanic Ministries is ever expanding but can be condensed as follows:
- A heritage of holiness for our Spanish speaking people; preachers and evangelists spreading the message of holiness in the Spanish world, and impacting families by living the experience of a sanctified life before their peers and having the opportunity to attend a holiness church, both in the states and abroad
- Expand the availability of quality holiness literature in the native tongue of our people
- Wholesome music that can lift the spirit heavenward and all within the Hispanic cultural context and sustained from within this people group is vital.
GOALS: We are looking forward to the future by building strong leadership teams.
- A biblical library for each foreign country in which we work is being prepared. This library will be vital in training our future leaders in the Bible Institutes operating in these countries.
- Here in the US, we are working toward planting a new church every two years using the evangelism, education, and discipleship plan that has worked so well in the past and will carry us into the future.
STRATEGIC KINDS OF MINISTRY: Evangelism, church planting, Bible Institutes, and strong national leadership are taking the unchanging message of holiness to a spiritually hungry people. Look around and you will see that today the mission field has come to us and Spanish Ministries is needed more than ever.
GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS OF MINISTRY: Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and in five states here in the US.
Serving the Spanish-speaking regions
| Name | Serving |
|---|---|
| John & Janice Dykes | at the home office |
| Philip & Collette Burch | on extended furlough |
| Eric & Hannah Kuhns | in Honduras |
| Tamara Mahoney | at the home office |
| Michael & Crystal Mason | in Mexico |
| Rachel Ryder | on extended furlough |
| Bryan & Linda Shields | at the home office |
| Rigoberto & Ana Vasquez | at the home office |
News from the Spanish-speaking regions
For news from Region Director John Dykes, see his profile.
News from missionaries:
| 2010-05-14 | news | Spanish Ministries by John & Janice Dykes |
| 2010-02-25 | news | Mason newsletter - January/February by Michael & Crystal Mason |
| 2009-10-08 | prayer | Bookstore, language study by Eric & Hannah Kuhns |
| 2009-09-01 | prayer | Political situation in Honduras by Eric & Hannah Kuhns |
Africa | Asia | Caribbean | Eastern Europe / Russia | Spanish | U.S. Ministries