2019 has become a new record year for Global Intent’s and Tent International’s GO Equipped courses. The steepest growth is now coming in the Spanish speaking world.

More than 400 participants from a vast number of nations have taken the GO Equipped course in 2019. This is up more than 50 percent from the 262 participants last year, which also was a record year. 

In 2019 courses have been held in Liberia, Nigeria, US, Cuba, Costa Rica, Norway, India and Brazil. In 2020 there will be courses in South Africa, Niger and Germany as well. 

Spanish speaking pioneers

Cuba and Costa Rica had their first-ever GO Equipped courses in 2019 and the turn-out indicates a bright GO Equipped-future in the Spanish speaking world. 

There was great enthusiasm for the course and people’s eyes were opened to new possibilities they had not thought about before, says Global Intent’s director, Phill Sandahl, commenting on the courses held in Costa Rica and Cuba. He and Tent Brazil’s director, Gustavo Borges, have been the main teachers at the courses in the Spanish-speaking nations. Borges shares the view that God is now creating something new in the Hispanic world.

Both in Costa Rica and Cuba people were amazed to learn how they can use their talents, gifts and skills at the same time as they fulfill the calling to bring the Gospel to the nations, comments Borges. He senses that language-barriers may be a main obstacle for people from these nations who want to go abroad to work or study. 

Highly educated

Many of the participants have however taken their professions to a high level. This will help them to find jobs as soon as the language issues have been worked out, says Gustavo Borges.

Phill Sandahl also believes that Hispanic Christians can have some advantages in the worldwide mission work.

Believers from Latin America have some areas where their background and cultural experience give them an advantage over western believers from the northern countries. Often the cultural distance that needs to be crossed, is much shorter. They also do not carry the “political baggage” many westerners have to deal with, says Global Intent’s director.

New era

Borges and Sandahl believe teaching on tentmaking can start a new era in Latin American missions.

We are finding an awakening and growing interest among Latin Americans to become cross cultural disciple-makers when they realize they are not limited to the western missionary model they have seen in the past and they are given permission to explore more appropriate alternatives which suit them better. We have only scratched the surface, says Phill Sandahl.

The movement has started, and several organizations are now speaking about tentmaking in the Spanish speaking world. The GO Equipped course brings concise teaching that is suitable for everybody. People can even practice what they are taught in their home nations before they go, concludes Gustavo Borges.

By Steinar Opheim