Venezuela (1992)
In 1992 Stephen McDowell was invited to speak at two conferences sponsored by a number of national Christian organizations on igniting the flame of Godly reformation, one in Caracas and one in Maracaibo. Organizers translated into Spanish and printed 1000 copies of Principles for the Reformation of Nations (an earlier version of Liberating the Nations) for use as a tool for those attending the conferences to train others. Hundreds of people attended these multi-day conferences, and they in turn greatly impacted many others.

In 1993 a Frenchman working on his doctoral dissertation on the influence of evangelicalism on government and society in Latin American visited us in Charlottesville. He told us that while in Venezuela doing research he had come across numerous people and groups who were using the Spanish edition of our book. This significant impact on so many people is one reason he came to interview us and learn more about our work.

In 1996 Mark met with Cesar Espanol in Charlottesville who returned to his country and oversaw the publication and wrote a chapter on the history of liberty in Latin America which was included in a Spanish edition of our book Liberando las Naciones. It was printed in Venezuela in 1998. Our representative, Cesar Espanol, saw this as an invaluable tool for equipping Christians in Venezuela with the principles necessary to bring Godly reform to their nation.

Stephen returned to Venezuela in the early 2000’s to teach a seminar and at various churches.

Brazil (1991, 1994, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018)
Stephen spoke in Brazilia in 1991 and then returned in July 1994 to both Brazilia and Sao Paulo. Fabio Batista in Brazilia organized a series of seminars and talks at which Stephen McDowell spoke. About 100 people, many in training for the ministry, attended an in-depth two day seminar on “Liberating the Nations” that was held in the national capital. McDowell also conducted a seminar in Sao Paulo and spoke at various churches in both cities.

Fabio Batista of Brazilia had attended a Providence Foundation training course while in school in the United States. Upon returning to his home as our representative in Brazil, he established an organization in 1994 to facilitate Godly reform. He and his team put out a newsletter, organized classes, and presented many talks and seminars. Fabio appeared on national television and spoke to a state meeting of the Four Square Church attended by 600 pastors.

In 2007 our book Liberating the Nations was translated into Portuguese and 5000 copies were printed and distributed at a large transformation conference.

In March 2011, Stephen spent about 10 days in Brazil teaching in seven cities in the three southernmost states. His main purpose was to teach at the newly formed Transformation Institute. Rodrigo Tapia started “Instituto Transforma” with the long-term vision of raising up a new generation of leaders for the nation. His intensive year-long training program, followed by a year of practical application, will equip leaders in a biblical worldview so as to transform every spheres of life in Brazil. He has a similar vision to what we do at the Providence Foundation, with a desire to partner with us. Stephen’s sessions were filmed and are being used in the Institute.

Peru (2008)
In the summer of 2000 a missions team from Morning Star International ministries visited Peru and used some of our materials and a slide presentation to train the city leaders of Taraporto. A member of the team, Daniel Strand, wrote: “We are so thankful for the material you sent to us! We were able to translate the “Liberating the Nations” presentation into Spanish. We made a presentation for the Mayor and her government department heads for the city of Taraporto, Peru. We had about 25 at that meeting, and after the presentation they asked so many questions on how to change their government, they stayed for another hour of question and answer!.” Another team member met with the Dean of the only university in that region and gave him a copy of the Spanish version of Liberating the Nations.

In 2008 Stephen traveled to Peru, where he taught church and government leaders in Lima and at a pastor’s school in Iquitos. A couple of our books were published in the country for use in the school for biblical economics.

Columbia (2008)
A multi-day School of Transformation was conducted for leaders in church and state in Hector Pardo’s church in Bogota. Hector is a leading Pastor in the nation. Since he became a Christian around 1960, the Christian population in Columbia has risen from 15,000 to 8 million (about 20% of the population). Hector’s desire is to continue to train the rapidly growing Christian populace in Biblical transformational principles.

Stephen returned to Colombia in 2015 to help launch the Transformation Institute of Colombia, which will provide ongoing training in Biblical worldview. While there he also spoke at churches and was interviewed for a number of radio and television programs. [See first section above for more on our work in Colombia.]

Bolivia
In 1990, Pedro Moreno, having studied under Mark and Stephen in Charlottesville for a few years and then returned to La Paz, began working for the government there and organized the first national Protestant Prayer Breakfast at which he and the President of Bolivia spoke. Moreno opened an office for PF and started an ongoing study group. Hundreds of pastors and government officials, including the President and numerous national leaders, attended the prayer breakfast. Zarco’s desire to train Christian government leaders, as well as all Bolivians, in a Biblical worldview led him to travel to the United States to meet with us and discuss working together. When Zarco heard Stephen McDowell speak at a training course in the fall of 1999 and read some of our books, he discovered the materials he needed to help him in training others. He started a class for about 15 politicians teaching them the material in Liberating the Nations and Watchmen on the Walls. Soon after that pastor and former Congressman Orlando Zarco was named the Providence Foundation representative for Bolivia. Zarco has been working for many years to bring Godly reformation to his nation.

In the summer of 2017 Stephen spent three days in Cochabamba, Bolivia, teaching biblical principles of societal transformation to pastors, government officials, educators, and business leaders. Those in attendance included a man and wife who founded and run a Christian school in La Paz. The wife, Cecilia, recently wrote us:

“I would like you to know, that I shared your teachings with my teachers and students. The study of the law of God, of the Ten Commandments, opened my eyes to integral salvation and the essential subjects in a Christian education, we are also deepening this study with other authors. We are implanting these teachings very slowly but consistently in our Christian School, with my husband Oscar teaching the students in class and I teaching the teachers.

Now, we are starting a school of Christian leaders, where we will plan to teach biblical worldview, reasoning and fallacies, basic theology, history, and biblical designs. It is aimed at pastors and young Christian professionals. If you could help us it would be wonderful.

We are watching from Bolivia to your country, very happy of the changes that are happening, and with the hope that in Bolivia we can also see the hand of God one day and we can return to the biblical designs, which we know start with changed hearts.

I am sending you this letter to thank you and to tell you that the seeds that you planted here in Bolivia gave good results. Thank you, many congratulations and blessings from Bolivia.”