The Circle of Silence
December-2021 |
The Circle of Silence is a mostly mountainous area of about 99,460 square miles in Central Mexico, where more than 23 million people live in rural towns and villages with almost no gospel witness – the highest concentration of unreached people in Spanish-speaking Latin America. Locals tend to amalgamate animistic practices with the rituals of Roman Catholicism and fewer than one in 100 people knows Jesus.
Donald and Becky Kamese learned about the Circle of Silence after they moved to South America in 2014 and two years later founded Vida Impact Missions, which helps plant Christ-centred churches in a part of Central Mexico. Donald says,”Our goal is to see this area transformed through the gospel and bring a positive change in its underprivileged communities.”
After two years of planning, back in the UK, Donald and the team are set to open a Bible training centre Predica Vida (Preach Life) in January 2022, which will equip local leaders who want to spread the gospel in the Circle of Silence and beyond. “Only one in ten church ministers in Mexico has any Bible training, so our focus is on training them to faithfully teach the Scriptures and mentoring them as they go out and take the gospel to the unreached areas,” Donald says. “We’ve been given the free use of a large ‘rancho’ with dormitories and facilities already built, where we can open a residential centre.”
David and Maribel Easton are due to join the Kameses later next year to support the work of Predica Vida. “Since 2013, after several visits to Mexico, the Lord planted a seed of burden for Mexico heavy on our hearts,” David explains. They saw the lack of faithful Bible teaching; the need of reaching the lost with the gospel, and the warning against false teachers who have infiltrated the churches.
One of the locals closely involved with Predica Vida is C., a former tequila factory owner who became a Christian about 10 years ago. He renounced all activity associated with his past life. “He paid off his business associates; closed the tequila factory; and began to focus on a more ethical business,” Donald says. “We met him through a missionary friend who suggested we might be able to use the old ranch for gospel-related activities.
‘Since then, Vida has used the ranch several times for retreats, respite, and Bible conferences. In early 2019, we shared our vision with C and he joined the team to help plan and advise the best way to take care of the business side of operating the ranch. He agreed to cover initial costs for the first five years, during which time we will work to make the ranch self-sustaining. It has the capacity for up to 100 and the students will probably come from the theological college and mission school we’re in contact with and we’ll also promote the programme in conferences and when we’re invited to speak in churches.”
“Although we should have plenty of candidates, our focus will be to train the few, who in turn, will be able to train many more and help turn the Circle of Silence into a Circle of Proclamation of the transforming power of Jesus Christ.”