Over 15 years ago, a small group in Santa Cruz envisioned Centro de Vida, the first pregnancy resource center in Bolivia. At that time they set their sights on making an impact throughout Latin America.
This summer, Marco and Carmen Saavedra, Centro de Vida board members, served on a team in the Dominican Republic that trained pastors and church leaders in the sacredness of human life, transforming that original vision into reality.
In a series of motivating sessions, attendees learned about the biblical foundation for the value and dignity of human life, and gained useful insight into how to incorporate these truths into their lives and ministries.
Matthew Zoller was a part of that small group in Bolivia more than a decade ago! Now working with LIFE International, Matthew led this team of volunteer International Training Specialists facilitating The Journey of a Life Giver Church Leader Training in the Dominican Republic.
Here’s what Matthew had to say: God gave us an amazing day. We saw God’s hands working in the participants’ hearts. Many of them gave testimony about their experiences with this training. Their eyes were open to see that a real need exists in the Church, but the unforgettable part was when they started to share their hard experiences with sexual abuse, abortion and other pains [on Thursday] during the session on Repentance, Forgiveness and Healing.
Marco and Carmen facilitated the difficult topics of Abortion and After Abortion. Marco wrote: I felt a heavy burden and at the same time I was struggling with a cold when facilitating these topics. At the end we heard thankful words from the guys who attended this last session because they were touched by the Lord.
During the final session on repentance and healing our host invited the women to gather together. He asked for forgiveness on behalf of the men in the Dominican Republic for hurting them and not caring for them properly. It was a powerful and healing time for the women. The men then made a circle around the women and prayed over them.
Our fantastic volunteers from the U.S., Ecuador, and Bolivia!
Check out the International Training Specialist program to learn more!
![The wife of our host said to us, “Your ministry is very open. [The participants] appreciated that we were sensitive to their culture—open to singing, prayer, and other ways their culture will interpret what’s best for their culture.” Marco Saavedra](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/530bbf82e4b0937ca4783a11/t/57c7140659cc6843bcea3866/1472664613723/?format=750w)
The wife of our host said to us, “Your ministry is very open. [The participants] appreciated that we were sensitive to their culture—open to singing, prayer, and other ways their culture will interpret what’s best for their culture.”
Marco Saavedra
![The wife of our host said to us, “Your ministry is very open. [The participants] appreciated that we were sensitive to their culture—open to singing, prayer, and other ways their culture will interpret what’s best for their culture.” Marco Saavedra](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/530bbf82e4b0937ca4783a11/t/57c7140659cc6843bcea3866/1472664613723/)
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