by Mark Reeves
Synopsis: Brother Reeves' labors in Latin American countries serve as an example for succeeding generations of evangelists.
As I write this, I'm under pressure to get the manuscript to the publisher before leaving on a preaching trip to Guatemala. On the one hand, I will make the trip, Lord willing, because I was invited by brethren there. On the other hand, it's just as accurate that I'm making the trip because of my father. It is his name, Bill H. Reeves, that brings me the invitation. It is his many years of pioneering work in Latin America, along with fellow laborers like Wayne Partain, on whose coattails I now ride. "I'm not traveling as much as before," Dad would respond in his later years to an invitation, "but check with my son, Mark, and see if he can come."
I would probably not be preaching in Spanish were it not for Dad's influence. Attending Spanish-speaking services as a middle and high school student in Texas where Dad was preaching certainly prepped the ear for the language. Two years of high school Spanish laid a grammatical foundation. However, I had been preaching for some years in English with no thought of Spanish when the crucial moment arrived—an invitation from Dad to make my first trip with him out of the country. We headed down to Costa Rica, I stumbled through a couple of sermons during the week, and upon returning home, I was hooked. The hunger and thirst of an audience willing to sit for hours listening to gospel preaching were indelibly impressed upon my memory. I knew I would have to answer future calls to preach in Latin America. Maybe you should too! If so, consider some things it would involve.
I was tempted to begin these suggestions by saying, "Learn the language." Then it occurred to me that I was overlooking what is most important in any evangelism: the truth of the gospel (Gal. 2:5; cf. Col. 1:5)!
Some might be attracted to foreign evangelism under the mistaken notion that they will be subjected to less scrutiny by knowledgeable, discerning brethren. For others, a foreign field appears to be a hidden-away place to promote their opinions with a willing audience. Needless to say, these will end up doing more harm than good.
Please, before evangelizing at home or abroad, know the truth of the gospel and be sure to "accurately handle the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). Speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) for lost souls, not for the glory of men.
Dad pronounced Spanish well, and he knew the grammar. Native Spanish-speakers often said Dad spoke it better than did they. As a result, folks paid close attention when Dad taught and preached. His Spanish was as serious as his Bible study, and hearers took him seriously. There was no "gringo" accent to distract from the lofty message proclaimed.
Many good men can accomplish much in foreign evangelism by working through translators. We commend them. Still, by preaching to an audience in their native language, Dad was able to preempt the loss of attention that naturally occurs in translation, not to mention the doubling of time for any given speech.
Consider another reason for not having to rely on a translator. Dad once told the story of happening upon an Anglo brother preaching in a foreign country with a translator. The brother was preaching the truth on baptism all right, but the translator, unbeknownst to the preacher, was interjecting his own evangelical interpretation! Dad and Wayne looked at each other and couldn't believe their ears!
Don't be fooled. It will take extra effort, long hours, and patience to learn a foreign language well, but you can do it, and it's worth it! Mostly it will require you to use it, and use it often, even when you might feel embarrassed about making mistakes—they're the best way to learn! Writing in a foreign language will also help immensely, especially when you have your work reviewed by a native speaker for corrections. There's also no substitute for reading the Bible in the foreign language, out loud, and often! It will improve your pronunciation and build your vocabulary.
Well-intentioned brethren with knowledge of the truth might end up doing more harm than good out of a failure to learn the culture of the foreign field where they plan to preach. Their sermons are wonderful, but outside the pulpit, they bring their "gringo" ways to a people who are already suspicious of the intrusive approaches of Americans. Barriers go up, and the work of the gospel is hindered.
Dad learned the Hispanic culture. He didn't just preach from the pulpit; he taught in their homes and their places of work. He ate their menudo and tortillas, wore their guayabera shirts, laughed at their jokes, and knew the idiosyncrasies of their thought patterns. Dad would often poke fun at himself or his own Anglo culture, thereby removing distrust and endearing himself to his listeners. He followed the apostle Paul's example to "become all things to all men, so that I may, by all means, save some" (1 Cor. 9:22).
Oh, the stories Dad could tell about getting sick overseas: the vomiting, diarrhea, and worse. Dad said his best friend, Wayne, used to start "popping" the Pepto tablets as soon as he got on the plane. It was just a "given," a part of the trip—you knew you were going to get sick.
They never stayed in fancy hotels. Mostly they lodged in the homes of brethren by invitation. It wasn't as convenient, sharing crowded bedrooms and bathrooms (if there happened to be one indoors), but such arrangements meant another teaching opportunity with the host family.
Preaching overseas means long hours and arduous work. One Christian remembers Dad's work in Chile: "He started at six in the morning teaching Bible classes to the brethren before they left for work. In the afternoons: classes in homes, to be followed later on by the gospel meeting at night. That kind of thing happened every day." Be ready to make these kinds of sacrifices, and many more!
Get ready to experience the joy of such hard labor. You'll never find a more attentive and appreciative audience than that among brethren in a foreign country where opportunities for gospel preaching are fewer. Paul referred to Thessalonian Christians as his "glory and joy" (1 Thess. 2:19-20; cf. Phil. 4:1). You'll feel the same way evangelizing in a foreign field.
Dad's invitation for me to make my first preaching trip out of the country was something He did with many young men. At gospel meetings, at lectureships, visiting other congregations, Dad would take a young man aside and encourage him to learn Spanish and carry the gospel to Spanish-speaking countries. He just wanted to "plant the seed" in some young man's heart.
Weeks before his passing, Dad, while connected to oxygen, was speaking in his room to a young man enrolled to begin studies at Florida College later that year in the fall. "Learn Spanish," he told him. "You'll find my material Interrogantes y Respuestas to be helpful in answering Bible questions that come up. Apply yourself to your studies. Then you go and preach the gospel in Spanish," was the gist of his conversation. He would say the same thing to you, young man, who might be reading this. Someone from your generation will need to carry the gospel to a lost world. Consider taking it to Spanish-speaking countries. It's your turn now—go out there and do it!
Author Bio: Mark has worked with the Studebaker Road Church of Christ in Long Beach, CA for twenty-one years. He and his wife, Carmen, have two children. His website is sanaspalabras.com. He can be reached at markhreeves@gmail.com.
