Chile: Writers Gain Strong Foundation

Omar Cisneros had been a skeptic from an anti-Christian background.  But now he serves in his first pastorate, shepherding a small Baptist church. Pastor Omar  dreams of writing his own story to reach skeptics. (See front row in photo below.)

In January he joined six other new writers for MAI’s creative writing workshop in Santiago, Chile, led by Peruvian author and publisher Patricia Adrianzén de Vergara (front left in photo). Participants included four pastors, an American missionary and two women working in children’s ministry.

“It was four days full of teaching, thinking, encouraging and sharing,” said David Rogers (back right) of Editorial Crece, the Baptist publishing house that organized the workshop. This year the publisher aims to produce seven to eight new titles for teens, young adults and family. Thus, the workshop focused on writing for youth and creating books from Biblical characters.

The seven writers dreamed, set writing goals and wrote, despite an inadequate AC unit on the stuffy third floor of a church. On several afternoons the fledgling writers moved to the basement parking garage to escape the heat.

Claudia Mondaca (front right in top photo) oversees her church’s children’s ministry. She hopes to write materials for special education children to benefit multiple churches.

The other young woman, Cinthya Veloso (front, 2nd from left in top photo), had recently completed a draft of her first Sunday School teacher’s manual for primary children. During the workshop she gained practical methods for enriching her writing.

Editorial Crece plans to build on the foundation laid by the workshop. David wants to organize a writer’s club and invite each writer to complete a publishable article or book manuscript. He hopes to meet with and encourage each one at least once in the next three months.

Please pray that amidst many ministry demands these seven new writers will complete their writing goals. Pray for MAI’s increased training efforts in Latin America in 2016, including a writer workshop in Mexico and a training conference for the region’s Christian publishers and editors.

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