Helping Hands Blog

Chances are you are unfamiliar with the Biobío Region in Southern Chile. It is so named because of the mighty Biobío River which, for over 350 years, served as a natural impassable border known as “La Frontera” (The Borderline) which kept the Inca Empire and then Spanish Empire from entering its borders. Interestingly, between 1715 and 1820, thousands of miners and ranchers from Biobío helped build the California cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles. The Biobío

We have a wonderful children’s Bible lessons creator who lives in Chile. Her name is Pamela Henriquez Galarce. She has graciously sent us lessons she has written through the years working with children. We just received a new series of lessons titled La Paz (Peace). These will teach children about God’s peace, Jesus who is the prince of peace, seeds of peace against seeds of conflict, and the power of peace and how our words have power to bring peace or how our words can br

I have an office in my home with a nice window to our quiet street. From my window I can see beautiful trees and landscaping from other houses as well as a small park a block away. People are constantly walking on sidewalks, there are lots of young children running around, and every summer, a slow moving ice-cream truck playing tunes attracting children and/or a missionary looking out the window from the office at his home. One of my favorite “window looking” experiences, how

Summer is on its way which means, if you were living in Cali, Colombia, it would be time to have a refreshing icy beverage called a “Cholado.” It is made with crushed ice, a mixture of chopped fruit (banana, apple, kiwi, papaya, pineapple, or mango), sweetened condensed milk, and fruit syrup. People say it is “fruit salad meets slurpee.” You’re supposed to eat the fruit with a spoon, and by the time you’re done, the ice will have melted and blended with the syrup and milk cre

Pastor Carlos Mercado in Minnesota was our national missionary of the month in March. To our joyful surprise, he is continuing with training his leaders. There were 14 who finished the first course in Diaconía and now 18 will study Administración . He is intent to train the leaders as they move out this year to establish their Spanish church and not be supported by the American church. He knows it is daunting and is asking for prayer as they press forward. What a joy to s

L ike this month’s Missionary of the Month, we should all live in “ La Esperanza ” which means, “hope.” Not only is “La Esperanza” a city in Peru, but it is a beautiful reminder of the way we are to live. 1 Peter 1:3 tells us, “…according to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” So let’s go to “ La Esperanza ” and in this case, meet Pastor Luis Mendoza. He serves as an associate pastor in t

As we watch events around the world, Cuba is much on our hearts and minds. It seems the majority of Cubans here in Miami are cheering for Cuba to be free and desperate for change. It is overwhelming for an entire country to be without electricity, gas, food and even water. Ed’s March letter, highlighting excerpts from a letter written by Les’s brother Paul, is very sobering to read. I hope you have had a chance to read it. https://www.logoiministry.org/post/there-is-a-river-w

I have mentioned how much I miss the special times I spent with my dad at LOGOI’s office. I am very aware of the blessing God gave me to have my own personal Bible teacher and theologian in the office next door. He’d smile as I entered his office (often with a nice Cuban coffee) and off we’d go on my own personal seminary class. Like my grandfather, Elmer Thompson, whom I think only sinned once or twice his entire life (I’m joking…sort of), my dad seemed to me to be on that

Are missionaries from overseas coming to America? Absolutely, and in large numbers. Based on data from religious research organizations such as World Christian Database, there are between 38,000 and 46,000 “reverse mission” missionaries with a large percentage serving immigrant communities in the United States in 2025. Most are coming from Brazil, South Korea, and Nigeria, but more and more are coming from South and Central America. Meet Carlos Mercado a LOGOI national missio

M y Uncle Paul (my dad’s youngest brother) has been a lifelong missionary. Like my father, he was born and raised in Cuba and dearly loves his Cuban brothers and sisters. In February of this year, he traveled to Cuba to try to help and encourage them in these days of trouble and turmoil playing out on the world stage. The following are excerpts of a letter he sent regarding his experience: “I felt something eerie when I landed in Havana. It was hard to identify, but something

It is always a joy to hear from those using LOGOI’s Bible resources from around the world. When we hear from those going through very difficult times whose love for the Lord still shines through, it is that much more special. We are in touch, as best we can be, with those in dire situations in places like Venezuela and Cuba. It is a blessing to see that even in very difficult times, they continue pressing on wanting others to come to faith in Jesus. It is a sweet blessing tha

T hey were big and strong and looked so cool riding on the back of that strange looking truck. Like superheroes, they’d jump off and land with their feet running before the truck would stop. Then, they’d grab a big metal trash can filled with who-knows-what and fling the contents into the back of the truck as if it were light as a feather. Sometimes they’d grab a big heavy plastic black bag and toss it from 50 feet away (or maybe it was just five feet) into the back of the tr

"Due to safety risks in parts of this area,” the Tripadvisor notice began as I looked up Boconó , Venezuela, “travelers should review the latest guidance and information from government agencies.” I clicked on the notice which read, “WARNING: FCDO continues to advise against all travel to Venezuela.” As we introduce this month’s Missionary of the Month, I was once again reminded of LOGOI’s focus on equipping, helping, and encouraging national Spanish pastors — right where the

Venezuela continues to be in our prayers and we have been in touch with some of our Venezuelan pastors. One pastor wrote: “What is happening in Venezuela and what can Christians do? Brethren, let’s not waste this crisis! This is an opportunity to reflect the grace, hope, and love we have in Christ.” He goes on to talk about the difficulties in their country including inflation that has risen 1642% and how difficult it is to obtain the most basic need like food. It is hea

T he first new thing I get to celebrate is my 24th great-grandchild. Our new baby Thompson (from Ed’s line) is scheduled to arrive in the middle of this month and we can’t wait to meet Chase. New baby girl Madalyn Thompson (great-grandchild #23 ) arrived this past November and lives in Switzerland. What an amazing family God has given me all because I married Les with his 3 boys and then we added one more boy to round us off. Third Son Gregg and his wife, Beverly, have a new

"NOTE: Interestingly, last month we had selected Ali from Venezuela to be our Missionary of the Month for January. Please know that close to 1,000 Venezuelan pastors and teaching leaders subscribe to our Bible resource center. As you read this update, we ask you to join us in praying for peace." Venezuela is much in the news these days – often with discouraging reports. Most of us remember when Venezuela was one of the most prosperous countries in all of Latin America. They

Welcome to a new year full of possibilities and challenges. LOGOI ended 2025 on a high note with hundreds of new students enrolling for one of our Bible courses. We offered a free course of their choosing and were amazed at the response. You’ll be hearing more of that in the days ahead — including a new Spanish church planter in Nepal. We are already excited about what the Lord will accomplish as we continue providing national pastors and teaching leaders with our on-the-jo

E ach school year, my wife has to get her picture taken for the yearbook along with all the children . Teachers and administrators get a special photo postcard with the word “ Welcome ” splashed across it in big letters. I think she looks great in all of her postcards, but of course, she usually doesn’t like how her photo turned out. That means I have a nice collection of “ Welcome ” postcards. One of my favorites is propped up on my desk. I sit down in my chair, turn on the

We are enjoying a wonderful response to our LOGOI offer for free Bible courses of their choice. Pastors and teaching leaders are coming from all over the world to get their Bible course and it has been a full time job processing all the data. What a joy to see that these enrollees come from all walks of life including, teachers, medical doctors, counselors, carpenters, mothers at home, college students, and taxi drivers – the list goes on and on. As of this writing, over 375

U sually, when we meet someone new and the first thing they say is, “ I am not a missionary, I’m just a housewife… ” we know we’re in for a great surprise. So when we met “just a housewife,” Maria Alejandra Amado, we knew we’d found another treasure in God’s wonderful big family. Maria lives in Medellín, Colombia , known as the “City of Eternal Spring” for its pleasant climate. Medellín has made huge transformations from its violent past and is one of Latin America’s great su