A Busy Few Months in Latin America

An update from Joselo Mercado, Lead Pastor of Iglesia Gracia Soberana de Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, and Key Leader in Sovereign Grace LATAM… 

Last summer at the Mercado's house was a busy one with packing and unpacking suitcases. By the grace of the Lord, my wife Kathy and I were able to take some time to visit Turkey to study some of the roots of the Christian tradition as well as stop in Cairo to see the pyramids. I was able to go to Santo Domingo and participate in the For His Cause Conference as well as participate in a conference in Amarillo, Texas. We then visited Puerto Rico as a family and spent some time with pastor friends there. In July, we took some time off as a family, but not before we made a trip to Medellín, Colombia, where I was able to share with a church that is interested in having communion with Sovereign Grace Churches. Later in the summer, Kathy and I left for Fieles 2023 in Juárez before our family of four went to Buenos Aires, Argentina. We ended with a trip at the beginning of September to Santa Cruz and Cochabamba, Bolivia.

In the midst of accumulated miles, packed and unpacked suitcases and forgotten straps (on more than one occasion I forgot to pack my strap and had to buy one in the country I visited!) God has sustained us and we have seen the work of the Lord move in different countries. Allow me to share more on our trip to Argentina and Bolivia.

 Argentina

The four of us left for the long trip (a 12-hour flight) to Buenos Aires. The main purpose of this visit was to be part of the Spiritual Songs Conference of the Before His Word ministry. It is an annual conference which gives resources to churches to strengthen worship ministries. We arrived a few days early to recover from the trip and to spend time with my sister who has lived in Argentina for nearly 30 years.

On Friday August 25th, I was able to meet with the leaders of the Bible Societies of Argentina who wanted me to help bring greater awareness of the need for biblical truth and depth to charismatic brothers in Argentina. These folk make up 80% of evangelicals in the country.

On Saturday the 26th we were able to participate in the conference which was attended by about 250 people and representing about 50 churches. Karl Sautter from Silao Church came and led the singing during the conference. I shared two messages about the self-care of the worship leader and how this self-care should be seen in community life by modeling lives of godliness. My children Joey (16) and Janelle (14) were able to share testimonies at the conference, as Joey leads at our church and Janelle sings on some Sundays. My wife Kathy did an incredible job of fellowshipping and encouraging many ladies.

On Sunday I was able to preach in two churches that we have befriended. In both churches I was able to give two messages. In total I preached 6 messages in 24 hours and God really gave us the ability to serve with joy. God sustained us, as both my son Joey and I tested positive to the strep bacteria when we returned. I was encouraged to see that while we were sick, God gave us the strength to serve with joy. I would like to thank Grace Community Church in Ashburn, Virginia in the US who helped support us so my family could accompany me on this trip.

 Bolivia

On the weekend of September 15th-17th I was able to be in Santa Cruz and Cochabamba. Again, it was a super intense time (a 10-hour flight). I think in 3 days I preached 8 messages and participated in 4 panels.

In Santa Cruz we were able to attend the church of David Del Castillo who holds an annual conference. In Cochabamba we were able to serve the En Su Palabra church, which is in the adoption process. On Saturday I was able to give a message in Santa Cruz, take a flight to Cochabamba to give two sermons and return in the evening to be ready on Sunday to serve. In both places the theme was family and the gospel. Both churches are faithful in proclaiming the Word of God. In Bolivia we also met with Abelardo Muñoz, Matthew Williams and Chris Deloglos. It was a wonderful experience to see the same values being shared from different brothers in different churches.

Finally when I returned home, I had to start antibiotic treatment for a respiratory system infection. I didn't feel well before going to Bolivia, nor when I returned. But during the days in Bolivia I felt I had all the energy in the world! God by his grace was able to sustain us to be able to serve brothers in this beautiful place.

God is working. We see his power sustaining these churches and it's a joy and privilege to support them in proclaiming the glory of the gospel to all nations.