When I hear or use the term “DAI Latin America” I hesitate. It sounds more like the name of a corporate branch than describing an exciting new arena of ministry that DAI has been called to. But it really is remarkable what God is doing and how he’s lead DAI to work in Latin America.

Over the past few years, DAI has received periodic questions as to if/when we would begin doing something in the region. Jane Overstreet, our President, received several inquiries from organizations that had benefited from DAI’s ministry in other regions. There was just that sense that in God’s timing, something would happen. In my own life, while working with HCJB Global in Ecuador in 2006, God used a Scripture passage on the life of Jacob to start a process that ultimately lead me to DAI and being asked to initiate and direct the work in the Latin America.

To my surprise, when I first started traveling and meeting with people in the region, the response was lukewarm! Not because there was a lack of interest or need for the type of training DAI offers, but because DAI was virtually an unknown quantity in the region. Whether in business or ministry, decisions in Latin America are made primarily around relationships, not content. That’s not to say that content doesn’t matter, but the value of the content is always understood in the context of the trust one has in the messenger. Belonging definitely comes before believing for most in this culture.

So the first year was primarily a process: building relationships, repeated visits, discovering mutual friends and helping people connect the dots to build trust and credibility. Today that picture is changing drastically. The response to the introductory workshops held in Brazil and Argentina was tremendous. Here are a few things participants said afterwards:

“What God has done through these three short days for us is nothing short of miraculous and I want you to know it.”

“Everything you covered was so important, the way it was organized, the principles, the themes you covered. As leaders we often believe that we know it all, I realized that there is so much we need to learn. Personally, I hope that we are able to have more of these workshops.”

“What was of greatest value to my ministry was the integration – showing the many facets of leadership and suggesting a revision of outdated concepts and practices.”

“It was a unique opportunity, because I had never had attended a seminar focusing on Christian leadership that linked it to Biblical passages.”

These events led to subsequent workshops in Peru and Ecuador, now followed by invitations for follow up training and invitations to Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica and Cuba. The calendar is filling up fast!

David Johnson is Senior Consultant, Latin America for Development Associates International.