FROM PRAYER TO WORKERS

The history of missions is often told through bold journeys and distant frontiers. Yet for the Prayer League (WMPL), mission history has always begun in a quieter place — prayer.

For generations, Prayer League workers and prayer partners have trusted that when God’s people listen first, He raises workers for His harvest. That pattern continues today in Latin America, where long-standing relationships and years of prayer are bearing visible fruit.

Long before the Seminario Luterano de Teología (SLT) existed, Prayer League workers were walking alongside churches in Bolivia and other parts of Latin America — sharing the Gospel, equipping disciples, planting churches, and strengthening local leaders.

My wife Anne and I had the privilege of serving as global workers with the Prayer League for fourteen years in Bolivia. Today, we continue partnering on a part-time basis with the online Seminary, walking alongside regional leaders and students. But the story does not begin with us. Faithful workers preceded us, laying foundations of trust, prayer, and Gospel proclamation.

Over time, relationships deepened among Lutheran congregations across Bolivia and neighboring countries. Pastors and church leaders expressed a growing desire for theological formation that was faithful to Scripture and accessible within their own context.

The Seminary did not emerge from institutional expansion. It grew out of prayerful listening — to God first, and then to His people. The SLT exists because churches prayed for deeper formation, and because the Prayer League remained committed to long-term, relational partnership.

Today, the online Seminary serves students in Bolivia, Mexico, Ecuador and Peru, connecting them to sound theological training without removing them from their communities.

One recent example of this unfolding mission history is found in Apolo, Bolivia. [See arrow on map for location of Apolo in western Bolivia, north of La Paz and near the border with Peru.]

Beder Apana Hanco now serves as co-pastor at Iglesia Luterana Rey de Reyes (King of Kings Lutheran Church). After completing his first two years of training through the Seminary, his Lutheran district formally recognized his theological formation and authorized his installation. He continues studying while serving and being mentored.

Beder Apana Hanco, co-pastor of King of Kings Lutheran Church

In Beder’s own words:

“Through this Seminary, many of the brothers and sisters here in the community of Apolo have been able to come to know our Lord Jesus Christ—who He is—and through His Word, we have come to know Him more and more.”

 Beder speaks with gratitude — not about a position, but about God’s work. He thanks the Lord for the Seminary and for the professors who faithfully teach the Word of God, so that believers may continue evangelizing in regions and communities where many still do not know Christ.

 For him personally, the Seminary has been transformational:

“Through this Seminary, I am now serving as a leader in my church, as a pastor and one more servant in the work of our Lord Almighty God.”

This is Prayer League mission history continuing: leaders raised from within their own communities, formed by the Word, and sustained through prayer.

In the rural jungle community of Huaratumo, Bolivia (southeast of Apolo), believers prayed for years for access to theological education. Without internet connectivity, participation in online classes was impossible. Still, they prayed — not for comfort, but for the opportunity to study God’s Word more deeply.

In December 2025, that prayer was answered. An antenna was installed on a nearby mountain, providing sufficient connectivity for students to participate in Seminary classes designed specifically for their context.

Mission history sometimes includes ships and long journeys. Sometimes it includes an antenna on a mountain.

In Guayaquil, Ecuador, one Seminary student, Bacilio Martillo, began teaching what he was learning to a small group in his local church before even completing his training. The Apostle Paul’s instruction in 2 Timothy 2:2 — to entrust the Gospel to faithful people who will teach others — is being lived out in simple, faithful ways. [See map for location of Guayaquil in western Ecuador, near the Gulf of Guayaquil.]

Disciples are not only being formed, they are forming others.

Prayer is also shaping vision beyond established congregations. Partner churches are growing in awareness of nearby Unreached People Groups. In the Lutheran district of Apolo, believers are building relationships with Quechua speaking communities like Curiza, where a “Person of Peace” has opened doors. In Suturi, they are praying and waiting for God to prepare hearts.

Rather than forcing expansion, these churches are learning to move at the pace of prayer — listening first, stepping forward when God opens the way.

Jesus told His disciples, “…pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2, ESV). The Prayer League has held to that pattern for decades: pray first, listen carefully, and trust God to raise workers.

In Latin America today, we are witnessing that same pattern unfold. Prayer shapes vision. The Word forms leaders. The Church is strengthened from within. And workers are sent — often from the very communities where the Gospel has taken root.