ABOUT THE FOUNDERS

Lee & Carol Short were married in Birmingham, Alabama. They had no idea the Lord would lead them to pioneer a ministry serving the Body of Christ throughout the Spanish-speaking world. 

                              
Time and again Lee saw the remnants of churches established by missionaries dissolve due to lack of sound instruction and Biblical teaching. Pastors had little more training than their congregation, which often continued to cling to old beliefs of praying to the dead, and other bondages. They did not know how to grow in their new found faith.


How could one man who barely spoke Spanish meet this tremendous need? As Lee pondered the problem, he thought of video. In many rural communities he visited, even houses with no running water and dirt floors had TVs and VCRs. With a video institute on tape, every village could have its own quality Bible institute! Pastors who could not leave their homes and families for formal training could now study at home, and church leaders could be raised up to minister to the local people.

They set out to use some of the finest, most respected, Spanish-speaking preachers, evangelists, and teachers to appear on their videos. This gave added authority and credibility to the program. Vida Internacional currently has approximately 120 hours of video complete with manuals covering a broad range of fundamental doctrine. 

Here's just one example on how God use this ministry in miraculous ways to further His Kingdom in Latin-speaking countries.. They  visited Iquitos, Peru and provided Jose Arimborgo with the Vida video library. Through the use of those bible training tapes, in just six months, Jose planted 66 new churches by training leaders and equipping them to go into their own villages and start churches. He then opened a new school in Tamisacko, Peru using Vida's tapes. Native Indian students who speak Spanish as well as their native tongue, come to this school to be trained during the week, then go back to their villages to teach their tribes over the weekend. You can see by this account the impact just one set of Vida bible training tapes can make.

 Also, they  would greatly appreciate your prayers for the success and safety as they continue to bring the Good News and build His Kingdom throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

 

ABOUT THE LATIN-AMERICAN DIRECTORS

Jorge & Lorena Gamboa were married in San Jose Costa Rica.

They were called by God in 1994 to leave their native country, families, home and jobs in order to dedicate their lives to the Lord.  They started serving as worship and youth leaders at Lakeside Assembly of God  in Spring , Texas, with their  three children: Daniel, Catalina and Alejandra.  

In 1998 they started their full-time ministry as overseas evangelists preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and have been  in more than 50 countries around the world since then.

They both are ordained ministers, worship leaders, teachers and writers as well. They are well known in different countries of Latin America and United States where their books, manuals and teaching materials are being used as special evangelism tools.  They studied and graduated from the University of Costa Rica, Christ for the Nations (Cristo al Mundo) and have different studies in Greek, Spanish, Special Education, music and orchestra. 

In 2000, they founded FREE IN CHRIST MINISTRIES INTL ,a bilingual 501(c)(3) Evangelistic and Family-oriented Ministry dedicated to the restoration of broken families and brokenhearted lives through the Word of God all around the world. 

Their vision is preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ to all creatures, and empowering disciples in order to continue the Work of God. 

Part of their mission is to encourage families to embrace the Gospel through evangelization and Training.