On August 25-29, Matt traveled with Gilbert Rodriguez, a friend of ours, to Leon, Mexico. They presented the Unbound: Freedom in Christ message at the Sanctus Conference hosted by Rise Up, a ministry of Regnum Christi. Almost 500 people attended the conference, including many young adults on fire for the Lord. The times of worship were powerful and filled with the Spirit (the worship band had just performed at World Youth Day).
Gilbert and Matt alternated giving the talks, with Matt speaking in English with translation and Gilbert in Spanish. Gilbert did an amazing job, teaching the important points and connecting with the people. No one there guessed that this was his first trip with Heart of the Father! Many people expressed appreciation for being able to hear the message in both languages. They were also grateful to spend time with us in moments of ministry and sharing, at meals, and between sessions. The Mexican people are some of the warmest and friendliest we have ever met! So much joy, kindness, and affection flowed from their hearts.
Matt and Gilbert saw many friends there who we have trained along the way - in our ecourses and mentoring programs - like Alicia and Fr. Francisco from Mexico, Susana from Chile, and several others. Some came from as far as Costa Rica to attend. During our Unbound sessions, they each helped lead a group of 25 people to learn Unbound by modeling it for them. After Matt modeled the first session, the group asked over 40 great questions! They were truly hungry for this ministry.
After a day of sightseeing in the city of Guanajuato on the last day, Gilbert and Matt led another session where they prayed for people and answered more questions. The sessions were so powerful, and we knew the foundations for a lasting ministry were being laid. Many people were won over from more confrontational models of deliverance ministry, and now trust that Unbound will be a solid and effective way to minister moving forward.
We believe this trip is going to be momentous for the Unbound ministry. First, many more invitations from Latin America for us to visit will come. Second, Matt hopes to return to Mexico and do a full Basic Training prior to a conference, so that we can really launch the ministry there. Finally, now that most of our resources are translated into Spanish (thanks to our wonderful donors!), the message will spread quickly. Our resources sold out in under 10 minutes - now that is some spiritual hunger!
This trip was a joy for Matt personally. Getting to know some amazing people and receiving a personal answer to his prayers (he has been praying for an open door into Mexico for the past two or three years) was thrilling. He attempted to speak the little Spanish he knows and encouraged everyone to speak some Spanish to him, so he can learn some more for next time!
We are especially grateful for everyone who prayed and supported this trip. Gracias por todo!
Find more photos/video of the trip here.
