Vida en Familia (FamilyLife in Latin America) held a celebration in March to give thanks to God for 25 years of ministry. This was an opportunity for those involved with Vida en Familia to look back on all that God has done over the years and to look forward to what God may do in the years to come. The celebration encompassed three separate events: a summit for leaders, a 25th anniversary celebration dinner, and an I Still Do® marriage cruise.
Latin America 25th anniversary dinner
The summit was an opportunity to encourage and rejoice with the leaders present, as well as a time to invite them to take up the vision for the future expansion of Vida en Familia. Everyone was filled with joy and expectation as the mantle was clearly placed on the shoulders of the new Regional Directors. Those who were not named as Regional Directors at this summit were also challenged to grow their vision and begin stepping into the role of developing new leadership around them. One of the highlights was the strategy laid out by Hugo Guerrero, the Director of our Panama Distribution Center for Latin America, for expanding the availability of FamilyLife resources throughout the region. The Native Attire Dinner was a time of celebration for everyone.

The 25th Anniversary Dinner was a time of celebration and vision with 94 attendees. Dr. Leonel and Miriam Motta shared the Latin America native attire nighthistory of FamilyLife Latin America, from its birth in 1992 until the appointing of five Regional Directors in 2017. They also presented the Nuestro Recorrido booklet (Our Journey), with three key couples giving their testimonies. Dennis Rainey gave the keynote address (with Roger Dye translating), concluding with “four strong suggestions” for Vida en Familia: (1) pray for God’s favor and for harvesters; (2) know what the Bible teaches about the major issues of marriage and family; (3) train the next generation of leaders; and (4) build a first-class digital content center for Spanish-speaking, next-generation families. Dr. and Mrs. Motta introduced the five Regional Directors during the torch-passing ceremony, and Dennis Rainey presented each with a commemorative Stepping Up pen (specially engraved in Spanish for the occasion). Dennis honored the Mottas and presented them with a plaque, which will have a duplicate on display at FamilyLife headquarters. Gail Carranza translated the event into English for those who did not speak Spanish.

The Te Vuelvo a Decir “¡Si!” (I Still Do) cruise was a time of joy and celebration, both as couples and as a unified group of leaders dreaming and brainstorming about the future ministry of FamilyLife Latin America. The 22 couples rejoiced in the love of the Lord, the renewed declaration of their marital love and commitment, their love and camaraderie for the group, and their sense of mutual care and commitment with FamilyLife.

Join us in giving thanks to God for 25 years of FamilyLife ministry in Latin America!