Three Continents, One Mission
By Kimberly Thigpen
Jorge drove the streets of Spain, looking for the address of the church. This turn. This stop. Finally, he arrived at… a Catholic church building? He checked his GPS. It said he had arrived at his destination. What was happening? How did he end up here?
Jorge Vecchiarelli grew up in Argentina, where at age 13, he received Christ as Savior. He went on to attend seminary, where he met, as he says, “The most beautiful woman in Argentina.” He and Olga were married and finished seminary study together.
Jorge and Olga’s original ministry expanded throughout Latin America. They also took trips to Spain, where they saw incredible need in Spain’s post-Christian culture. In time, they felt God’s call to leave their home country to become missionaries there.
Back in seminary days, they had been friends with another Jorge (Ovando) and his wife. Over the years, Jorge V. had heard of Source of Light through his longtime friend Jorge O., who had become Director of SLM Argentina. Jorge O. suggested using SLM materials in the new work in Spain. It was, Jorge V. says, “an answer to prayer, because we really need something like Source of Light in Spain.”
There are entire cities without even one church, particularly in the north where they serve. The average number in the churches that are there is 20 or 30 people.
Jorge and Olga’s goal is evangelism and discipleship. They are distributing literature and also working with churches to distribute in other locations. The regions of the area are quite independent, proud of their individual cultures. Local leaders are needed to share the materials within their own cultures, erasing that additional “foreign” barrier in a land already one of the hardest to reach in the world. Jorge seeks to find leaders in each of these regions who will distribute materials and start churches, shepherding them into an eventual fellowship that breaches regional boundaries.
Jorge’s favorite parts of ministry are preaching and teaching/training. When asked what is difficult about working there, he says, “Each place has its difficult side and its opportune sides! But I think that the most difficult thing is to place ourselves in the thoughts of people, respecting and understanding their worldview, and from there strategically starting a friendship relationship that will eventually cause these people to meet Jesus.”
He asks prayer for his children and grandchildren, for wisdom and ability for the ministry in Spain, and for provision, including the funds needed for a ministry car.
The Vecchiarellis are blessed with the addition of Paulina, their 28-yearold daughter, who has joined them in Spain in the work. Paulina, also currently raising support, has skills in social media and online marketing, equipping her to share the Gospel over the Internet and help with the church website. Her outgoing personality is a great benefit to their work with the youth.
Paulina is already a youth leader and discipling one young woman. Another significant contribution is her involvement with SLM’s Advanced Studies program in Spanish online. Advanced Studies already has courses in use in Latin America. Lord willing, online lessons in Spanish will also spread through Spain and beyond.
Jorge and Olga seek to go personally to the small churches in the area and share about SLM lessons. That was why he accepted a missionary’s invitation, followed the GPS, and ended up at a Catholic church.
Jorge called the missionary to explain he must have made a mistake, but the missionary said, “Wait! Don’t be afraid! Don’t leave!”
They discovered the Catholic church had been abandoned for over 45 years, one of many abandoned church buildings. The mayor of the area had told the missionary to ask the bishop, and maybe the bishop would give him the building. He did!
The missionary has painted and renovated it, and it is now a Baptist church where, Lord willing, SLM materials will be used and many saved and discipled.
As it turned out, in many ways, Jorge had arrived at just the right place for God’s work.
Mexico Director, Rosa Gomez, accepted Christ at age eight, after a Sunday school lesson from the book of Revelation had her wondering if her name would be in the Book of Life. Rosa has long been connected with Source of Light. For many years, she has distributed lessons provided by SLM Mexico. “I like to be able to help people who are interested in learning more about God,” Rosa says, “and I also like to learn from each of these different cultures, since at the moment we are focusing on the city as well as the rural locations.”
It may seem strange to be a “foreign” missionary within one’s own country, but Rosa is, traveling long distances and witnessing in cultures very different from her own. “The difficult thing can be the access to some places in the rural localities, since some of them are long distances of three to four hours and there is almost no transportation to those places.” But it is worth it to experience what she states is her favorite part, “when I read some news that someone has given their life to Christ through the use of the courses, as well as when they give their thanks for the Source of Light lessons.”
Distributing lessons is Rosa’s sole ministry. Now 32 years old, single, she has been serving the Lord for seven years “by the grace of God.”
Rosa hopes in the future to be able to bless others’ ministries financially, as she has been blessed. She tells of a time when, studying at seminary, she needed a certain amount to pay the rest of her monthly tuition. “I had no money and neither did my parents. During the morning that was the due date to make the payment I was worried, and I was asking God if He could touch someone’s heart to make me a loan.” A Christian brother came to tell her the amount was paid. “I asked him if someone had told him something and he said, ‘God put in my heart to help you this day.’” For Rosa, “it is worth walking with God.” She asks prayer “that God will always be present in my life and give me wisdom and direction.”
Like Rosa, Carlos Aranguren has also served the Lord since age 25. Carlos and his family are Colombian but have served in Argentina since 2014. Carlos says that, since his conversion at age 14, “I had a fervent desire to know and serve God and to live for His glory.”
Carlos knew SLM missionary Graciela Guerrero, and she introduced him to Jorge Ovando, the same Jorge who introduced SLM to the Vecchiarellis. “The same day,” Carlos says, “he asked me to consider praying about the idea of replacing him.”
Now age 55, and a pastor, the decision to take on the directorship of SLM Argentina was a big one, but Carlos said he is “convinced SLM materials are going to be a strategic way to feed the flock of God.”
Carlos and his wife, Constanza, have three daughters, two of which are planning to be married this spring. He desires prayer “for our faithfulness to the Lord; for wisdom from God to administer our time, and for our daughters’ decisions.”
With 30 years of ministry experience, Carlos is well-equipped for his new position as Director of SLM Argentina. Along with experience, however, is the value of his love for God and His Word. He says, “I believe the Word of God must move us to make decisions about how, where, and when to serve Him. There is a passage from the book of Acts that touches my heart to serve with Source of Light in Argentina: “. . .Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me?” (Acts 8:30–31). The answer that Philip received, from an Ethiopian reading Esaias the prophet, has spoken to my heart about the need to provide, to believers and churches, aids to study and understand the Word of God. Most of the time, a person just reading cannot understand; help is necessary. I consider the Bible courses of Source of Light as a powerful help for God’s people studying the Scriptures. The Lord has guided us to be a part of this task; it is an incomparable privilege.”
