Carlos Mercado - Eden Prairie, Minnesota

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 missionary from Peru serving as the Spanish pastor at Grace Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. “I have been in the USA for more than 19 years,” Carlos reports. “I am a graduate of the Seminario Bíblico Alianza de Peru and I have been a pastor for 37 years. Carlos explains his Spanish congregation is roughly 140 from babies to grown-ups and represents thirteen different countries. “I’m very excited to say we are finishing our relationship as a Spanish ministry under an American congregation and forming an independent church.”

Carlos told us he is training 14 leaders who are helping to form the new church. “I have always liked the LOGOI Bible ‘FLET’ courses. I want our leaders to have formal training and LOGOI’s on-the-job Bible training is the method that best suits our people. Many are very simple and have not had formal training and other methods are difficult for them. LOGOI is an answer to prayer for helping train and equip the leaders of my church.”

“I come from a Catholic background,” Carlos explains, “and at age 20 there were many problems at home. Sadly, my parents fought all the time and my father had problems with alcohol. I looked for peace and quiet in the streets and tried just about everything in my youth, but could not find answers to my questions or the internal anguish in my life. Then God put a person in my life who told me about God’s love. He read from the Bible about the resurrection of Jesus and this made a great impression on me. I soon understood God was not dead, or distant, but alive. I soon gave my life to Christ and knew my calling was to serve him until the end of my days.”

“In 2005 I went on vacation to America. A friend living in Minnesota got in touch with me so I went to visit. While there I was challenged to serve Latinos in Minnesota. It wasn’t easy to leave everything in my country. I had to pray that God would convince my wife and children—I have five—that this decision came from Him. God did this and we accepted the challenge.”

Would you take a moment right now and pray for Carlos? In particular, he asks for prayer for himself and his wife as they begin the process of establishing their Spanish church. He understands there are mental and physical challenges and asks for prayer to avoid becoming discouraged. He also asks for prayer regarding the training of leaders and for the much-needed finances to become an independent congregation. And while you’re at it, thank the Lord for the many thousands of other “reverse missions” missionaries serving the Lord right here in our backyard.

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