Paraguay was settled by the Spanish in 1537, and it was shortly after colonized by them, which of course brought in Catholic missionaries to convert the indigenous people to Catholicism. They remained under Spanish rule until 1811 when they finally became an independent country; but, with their independence came many different government systems from dictatorships, revolutions, coups, brutal military rule, and many costly wars which continued until the 35-year- long dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner which was not overthrown until 1989.

When I think of this and all the wars that they had, I wonder how many people died during these periods without knowing Christ as their Savior? How many of these people are in Hell today because they never heard the true Gospel of Christ?

Last February, I had the opportunity to travel to Paraguay with some of my missionary friends and while I was there, I was able to see the need that this country has firsthand. I can remember going out for dinner and seeing scores of people in the capital city. I remember going on a walk around the city and seeing a huge Catholic cathedral. It was a beautiful building but right next to it was a park that had been taken over by protesters and squatters who wanted the government to take care of them. They were living in shacks made from cardboard, plywood, and tarps. I can remember thinking to myself that these people have no hope. They are living in the shadow of a church, but that church has no truth to offer them. They are living in terrible conditions here on earth, but oh, what they will face when they die and wake up in hell because no one ever told them the truth of the gospel.

Paraguay needs you to first and foremost pray for the missionaries that are already there. I personally only know of four in the country which means each missionary needs to reach approximately 1,756,250 people. Think about that, especially, when you consider that the average person only meets/encounters around 80,000 people in their lifetime. How will this country ever be reached? By people like you who surrender their lives to serve as God’s Ambassadors to this needy country.