History
Planting the Seed of Women’s Seminar: La Piedad, Mexico (2007~2009)
In 2007, the Central team visited La Piedad, Mexico for a short-term summer mission trip through ANC. It was clear that God made the Central team see the needs of the city through his perspective. The people, dynamic markets, worship under the tin roof of the local community center, and even the showers in the middle of a hot day became unforgettable memories for all the team members.
The La Piedad mission team prayed together and identified themselves as “Hornets”, an homage to Joshua 24:12, where God sent hornets to help His people. After visiting La Piedad two years in a row, the team launched the Women’s Seminar. At first, the Central team envisioned WS ministry to remain as an annual short-term mission. However, the ministry came to serve countless times over the years in different cities throughout Latin America.
Growing in different cities (2010~ 2015)
Invitations for WS to come serve in different cities have continued to grow and the team has also continued to expand. In 2010, the Central team served the Women's Seminar branch in El Divino Salvador Bautista Iglesia (The Divine Savior Baptist Church) of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The church’s senior Pastor Jorge Guzman and his wife Estela Perez Espino offered to set up their own Women’s Seminar if the Central team would be willing to come and train their staff. In Spanish, this ministry is called the Seminario de Mujeres Ministry (SM). That was the beginning of the transfer and settlement of the WS ministry.
In an effort to successfully transfer and settle in the new WS branch, the Central team stretched its time and energy. The growth took place through a theological and organizational development as well as through each individual staff member’s deeper commitment to WS ministry. In 2015, the original text-book from 2009 was modified, and the stories of the WS ministry’s restoration processes were written as Dr. Kyongho S. Ko’s master degree writing project for the Intercultural Studies program at Fuller Theological Seminary (Fuller).
While serving cities in Latin America with ANC, WS received invitations from Asian missionaries through the global network of missional organizations and alumni from Fuller.
Transfer and Settlement focused Ministry
(2016~ Current)
For invitations from Asia, Hope Fam restructured itself as a non-profit organization and established WS ministry as its main ministry. Further, experienced long-term missionaries in many Asian cities have invited WS ministry to their own mission fields. The built-up trust and relationships between these missionaries in the Asian mission fields allowed the transfer of WS ministry to run more smoothly and more efficiently.
Mongolia, Russia, Philippines, and Indonesia are currently in the process of transfer training. Nepal, Thailand and Laos are next in line in the transfer training schedule. Under the devoted leadership of partners in Latin America, numerous WS extensions are in the transfer and settlement process.