The AFCI Paraguay team has launched a major evangelism initiative to bring the Gospel to groups of Paraguayans that have recently migrated to the fringes of the capital city, Asunción. Their vision includes not just preaching the Word, but also living it out in such a way that the love of Jesus becomes the main characteristic of the community.

“How can I not believe what I’ve experienced as reality?”

A ministry center is being built in the middle of five recent groups of settlers that have set up shantytowns on the outer edges of Asunción. These groups have neither access to city services nor the skills needed for urban living. In addition, there are no churches nearby.

Already, the team is seeing results. Ana is a single woman in her 40’s from Uruguay who works as a nanny. She came to one of the group meetings insisting she was an atheist and not interested in hearing about God. She experienced the presence of the Lord during one of the outreach meetings and her life was transformed. She never dreamed such joy and peace could be hers.

Now, when her atheistic sister in Uruguay taunts her with, “How can you believe such things?” Ana answers, “How can I not believe what I’ve experienced as reality?”

The material and social problems caused by poverty are overwhelming to those who suffer from them, and the breakdown of supportive family structures leave women and children at risk. Hunger and poor nutrition are problems for many of the children so each outreach program ends with a substantial snack for the children donated by local executives. The team has begun a monthly lunch for children, which becomes an opportunity to teach the mothers about good nutrition.

One of the neighbors, a young woman named Natalia, came to talk to AFCI National Director, Dario Revelli, because her husband was addicted to crack and had sold everything they owned. They now live with her mother-in-law. To be able to feed her children, Natalia goes out every day to the roadside to sell “Chipa” (a bagel-like cheese bread that her mother-in-law bakes). As Dario ministered to the family, the mother-in-law opened up and was willing for an evangelistic Bible study group to begin in her house. Many of the neighbors have joined to engage in spiritual discussions. Eliseo, the young husband, stopped using crack. The AFCI Paraguay team is rejoicing in his expressed interest in Christ.

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