Missions to South & Central America
BELIZE
Ray & Michele Call
Ray is an ordained minister in the PCA and serves in pastoral ministry, evangelism, and church planting/revitalization in Belize. Ray and Michele have a passion to see God establish confessionally Reformed churches in Latin America that will render biblical worship to the Triune God and be beacons of light to a world that needs Christ. The Call family has been serving with MTW since 2006, working for a number of years along the U.S./Mexico border and later in Uruguay in partnership with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Currently Ray works in partnership with the Presbyterian Church in Belize, a denomination committed to the Word of God and with reaching people in Belize with the message of Jesus Christ.
Ray and Michele grew up in Southern California. Ray studied philosophy at California State University, Long Beach and Michele holds a degree in biblical studies from Biola. After serving with Cru in college ministry at Fresno State, they left for Covenant Seminary where Ray graduated with an M.Div. in 2006. While in St. Louis, they ministered to Hispanic international students and God called them into cross-cultural church-planting ministry. Ray and Michele have eight children.
Visit the Calls at: https://www.mtw.org/missionaries/details/ray-and-michele-call
BRAZIL
Francisco & Soraia Cardoso
Francisco Cardoso is a pastor in the IPB (Igreja Presbiteriana do Brasil) and part of Mission to Brazil, which is a ministry that is committed to planting reformed and Presbyterian churches in the northeastern region of Brazil, specifically Recife. After attending Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, he returned to Recife to plant a church, the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Recife. This church has been serving as a biblical model for the planting of daughter churches in Limoeiro and Iputinga. There is a great need for a Reformed understanding of the Gospel in the northeastern region as this region is predominantly Roman Catholic, which condones paganism, is the poorest area in Brazil and has a population of 49 million (over 3.5 million in Recife). It is estimated that only one percent of the population is evangelical. The church in Recife is currently praying for the ability to purchase land to build a church building, which is one of their greatest needs.
Francisco is married to Soraia and they have four children: Bernardo, Clara, Catarina, and Aurora.
HAITI
OCTAVIUS & MARIE DELFILS
Pastor Octavius Delfils, a graduate of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, is currently building a Reformed and Presbyterian ministry in Haiti. He has help from the Orthodox Presbyterian Church’s missionary Ben Hopp, and Word and Deed missionary, Randy Lodder, with the Christian Adoration Centre. Pastor Delfils meets each Lord’s Day in the Delmas section of Port-au-Prince. He labors to teach Bible studies to his congregation. The church has an ongoing effort to bring people into contact with the preaching of the Word of God. One goal is not only to establish a Reformed and Presbyterian church in Haiti, but to establish a seminary in Port-au-Prince. Both of these efforts are important so that men will have a place to learn the Scriptures as well as a church where they can be involved and have an opportunity to learn the work of the church.
The Delfils have two children: Carlens and Farah.
HONDURAS
Aaron & Rachel Halbert
Aaron was born in Honduras and lived there until he was 10. Rachel grew up in Mississippi. They met in 2004 and quickly realized they both had a passion for missions. Aaron had a desire to return to Honduras. Rachel served on several mission trips to Haiti, during which she realized the great need for Gods Word to be preached worldwide. In 2006 they married and moved to Honduras to teach in a bilingual school outside of Tegucigalpa. While there they became even more aware of the need for churches that teach the transforming power of the gospel (Romans 10:17). Aaron and Rachel moved back to Mississippi where Aaron received a M.Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) - Jackson. Aaron served at Second Presbyterian in Yazoo City as the youth director and intern. Rachel taught at the local Christian school, and then later left the classroom to be a full-time mom. The Halberts are now starting a new team in the capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa.
Aaron and Rachel have five children: Catherine, Ford, and the triplets: Ryley, Anne Waverly, and Whitley.
PERU
CAJAMARCA
Alonzo & Esther Ramirez
Dr. Alonzo Ramirez is from the north Peruvian city of Piura and is ordained in the Inglesia Evangelica Presbiteriana del Peru (IEPP). Alonzo currently lives and works in Cajamarca. Alonzo earned a degree in theology from the Free Church College in Edinburgh (1989‐1992). Later, while at RTSJackson, he received a Th.M. in Old Testament (1998) and a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies (2001).
Upon completing his studies at RTS he went back to Cajamarca to begin Peru Mission, which is a strategic facilitator of urban church planting and Christian community development in Peru. In addition, he is a pastor at Second Presbyterian Church in Cajamarca; he directs and teaches in a seminary; oversees the university ministry at the Universidad Nacional de Cajamarca; and serves as editor and translator of various publications. Esther, his wife, teaches religion classes at a public school in Cajamarca and directs the children's Sunday School at Second Presbyterian Church. Alonzo & Esther have two adult children.
Visit them at Peru Mission on the web at: www.perumission.org
Trujillo
JOSE & YESSENIA BARIGGA
José Daniel Barriga is now working at Wichanzao Presbyterian Church in the district of La Esperanza, north of Trujillo, as an ordained pastor since March 2018. He has been in charge of the pastoral work since early 2016.José serves as President of the Presbytery of Cajamarca, and served as Secretary for two years when he was a Ruling Elder. In 2012, he was ordained as a Teaching Elder.
He is studying at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary to earn his master of divinity degree so he can be better equipped for the work of the Presbyterian Church in Peru. José plans to return to Peru after his studies and help plant new congregations in Chiclayo (800,000 inhabitants), Chimbote (450,000 inhabitants), Huaraz (190,000 inhabitants) and Tumbes (170,000 inhabitants) where there is neither a Presbyterian or Reformed Church.
CAJAMARCA
Luis & Emilia Mendoza
Luis Mendoza, who is an ordained elder from Second Presbyterian Church with the IEPP (Inglesia Evangelica Presbiteriana del Peru), has been going into the mountains around Cajamarca, Peru since 2006 to teach and preach to two rural groups. Second Presbyterian is a particular church that grew out of the church planting efforts of Peru Mission. Luis works under Alonzo Ramirez of Peru Missions. Even though this ministry is a strategic facilitator of urban church planting and Christian community development in Peru that plant mission churches, train Christian leaders, and develop transformational institutions, Luis Mendoza is willing to travel to the remote parts of Cajamarca on foot to reach the people in the hills. For further information on Peru Missions, which is renewing Peru through the power of the gospel, visit them at Peru Mission on the web at: www.perumission.org
