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The Mission Society hosted two International Mobilization Conferences in Ecuador October 15-25, 2012. The conferences took place in Quito and Guayaquil.

Staffers the Rev. Michael Mozley, senior director for international mobilization, and Steve Wilson, director of missional communities, provided leadership for the conference. Mission Society missionaries Tim, Daina, and Kevin Datwyler and Graham and Sharon Nichols, who serve in Ecuador, also assisted with the conference.

Eric and Santa Owen, who serve under the United Methodist Men of the North Georgia Annual Conference, also led sessions during the conferences. The Owens are missionaries who serve as translators for short-term mission teams in Latin America, as well as work with local pastors in Brazil.

Three seminary professors from The South American Nazarene Theological Seminary in Quito also led sessions. They included Freddy Guerrero, Roberto Quinatoa, and Fernando Almeida.

More than 100 people attended the two conferences, representing various denominations and non-denominational movements, and several countries such as Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, and Argentina. 

The International Mobilization Conferences teach an international version of The Mission Society’s Global Outreach seminar, which is adapted to each particular culture and context. The seminar focuses on the concepts of God as a missionary God, the Bible as a missionary book, and God’s call for the Church to be missionaries.

“I saw the participants’ hearts break as we taught on the concept of grounding your church in prayer,” said Mozley. “All week the participants have been seeing the flags from the surrounding South American countries, as well as countries like Iceland, Syria, Spain and others that are not normally on their radar. Pastor Roberto preached on the necessity of the church to pray. Kevin and I led them in a brief description of the needs of the countries represented. As the group began to disperse in the chapel and lay hands on the various flags, I could hear weeping from several people as God broke their heart for the first time for other countries, other peoples, other cultures. We closed the service by holding the Ecuadorian flag and everyone surrounded the flag. As various individuals prayed out loud there was weeping, moaning, groaning in the Spirit for the country of Ecuador.”

Angelica, one of the seminary students in Quito, shared that she has a heart for the lost of this world. She had previously committed to going to Cuba for two months as a missionary. Angelica told us that she answered this call, but did not feel prepared to serve as a missionary. After completing this conference, she felt ready to go as a learner, asking the questions to understand the culture that she will be serving. “God broke her heart for the people of Cuba and now He has provided provision for her to serve as one of His children with an incarnational character. May God use this faithful servant in powerful ways for His glory and honor,” said Mozley.