Ciudad del Este (May2021)

There is a huge opportunity for a wide range of ministries in Ciudad del Este.

A wide diversity of people live in the city, living in a variety of ways, usually very close to one another. Engineers, small business owners, and workers push past each other in the streets. Tall buildings give way to trees, and back to more buildings.

Very few people have lived in the city for more than a generation. People have come from all over, including China, Lebanon, Brazil, and the Paraguayan countryside. You can shop at Mona Lisa or 来来, visit one of the largest mosques in the hemisphere, or walk across the open border to Brazil. There is a large and diverse international community in the city, but so far limited Christian outreach.

The Chilean Alliance has planted a church in CDE that reaches out to the international community. This church has, over several years, developed a relationship with a local unreached tribe living close by. The church helped them build a house as a model, and afterward helped them to build additional houses, bathrooms, showers, and wells for themselves. The tribe members and tribal leader have a great relationship with the church members, and are hearing stories from the Bible.

International workers from several Latin American countries are being trained in CDE to go to creative access countries. These workers will have access to countries that are less welcoming to Americans. The students have the opportunity in CDE to learn, and then go out the front door and practice evangelism with people from a group similar to the one they plan to move to, or learn orality and then go visit the tribe and practice their storytelling. We have the opportunity to help teach the students. The photo below was taken from the balcony of the training facility.

There is no shortage of obstacles, but also no shortage of opportunities for many types of meaningful work. We are excited about this exciting city!