Charlie and Christine Bell

 

We have been involved in the ministry since graduating from Baptist Bible College in 1987 as missions majors. We completed our internship at two different churches called Hallmark Baptist. One is located in Austin, Texas and the other in Fort Worth, Texas. After Charlie completed a master’s degree at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and we both fulfilled our internship requirements, we headed off to Argentina with our two daughters Mary and Diana as missionaries.

 

Serving under veteran missionaries Richard and Lynda Todd, we studied the Spanish language and learned about ministry in a foreign country. We later moved to the city of Rosario, Argentina where we pastored la iglesia Templo Bautista. We also  trained national leaders alongside veteran missionaries Jim and Marie Strickland for about six years. God then brought us back home to the States in 2000.

 

Charlie started into a doctorate program at Southwestern and served on staff at Hallmark Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. Mike Haley.  God changed our direction once again and led Charlie to teach at Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri.He taught missions and theology for almost five years and then began pastoring West Division Street Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri. He also served a two year term as the Missouri State Chairman for the Baptist Bible Fellowship.

 

We served alongside each other for almost seven years at West Division until we again felt the tugging of God to return to mission work. All along I finished a master’s degree in education and have been teaching high school Spanish for the last eleven years.

 

Our new direction is quite radical but not unrealistic. Our desire is to bring the love and message of Jesus to the burgeoning Hispanic communities in the southwestern United States.  God has been preparing us all along the way for this ministry opportunity. We will be starting with Texas and branching out as God leads. As independent missionaries sent out from Alliance Baptist Church in Keller, TX, we will be launching our first Spanish bilingual church. We are thankful that our pastor Terry Kizer and Alliance have a vision for this ministry!

 

Charlie is completing his doctorate at Southwestern to help us complete this goal. I will continue to teach Spanish until God supplies enough ministry support for me to work alongside my husband full time. We are excited about our new direction in ministry through Vida Hispana. Vida Hispana is a resource tool for us to communicate our message, ministry goals and progress to those who want to be a part of this expanding ministry.

There is a great need to reach the Spanish speaking people in Texas where they make up almost twenty five percent  of the state’s population. As stated in Luke 10:2

 

“Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest"

 

Carlos y Cristina Bell

 

Hemos estado involucrados en el ministerio desde nuestra graduación de Baptist Bible College, en 1987, como estudiantes de

misiones. Luego, hicimos nuestras practicas en dos iglesias llamadas Hallmark Baptist. Una está ubicada en Austin, TX y la otra en Fort Worth,

TX. Después de que Carlos cumplió su maestría de Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary y completamos nuestros requisitos, fuimos a Argentina con nuestras hijas Mary y Diana.

 

Trabajamos bajo en ministerio de los misioneros veteranos Richard y Lynda Todd, estudiamos el español y aprendimos como ministrar en un país extranjero. Luego nos mudamos a la ciudad de Rosario, Argentina donde juntos pastoreamos y educamos líderes nacionales con Jim y Marie Strickland durante seis años.  Dios nos trajo de vuelta a los Estados Unidos en 2000.

 

Carlos empezó un doctorado de Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary y trabajo en la iglesia de Hallmark Baptist bajo el liderazgo de pastor Mike Haley. Dios cambió nuestra dirección otra vez y nos guió a Baptist Bible College en Springfield, Missouri donde Carlos trabajó como profesor de misiones y teología durante cinco años. Luego, él empezó de pastorear West Division Street Baptist church in Springfield, Missouri. Carlos también sirvió como líder del concilio del estado de Missouri.

​

Trabajamos juntos en West Division Street Baptist Church casi siete años hasta que sentimos otra vez el llamado de Dios de regresar a la obra misionera. Mientras tanto, Cristina cumplió una maestría en educación y enseñó en la secundaria.

 

Carlos está cumpliendo un doctorado de Southwestern para ayudarnos a alcanzar esta meta. Yo continuaré enseñando español hasta que Dios nos de el apoyo suficiente para trabajar al lado de mi esposo tiempo completo en el ministerio.  Estamos animados por nuestra nueva dirección por medio de Vida Hispana. Vida Hispana es una herramienta para comunicar nuestro mensaje, metas y progresión a todos que quieran ser parte de este ministerio tan grande.

 

Hay una gran necesidad de alcanzar la gente en Texas donde el veinticinco por ciento de la población es hispanohablante.

​

La Biblia dice en Lucas 10:2… ¨La mies a la verdad es mucha…

Y les decía, La mies a  la verdad es mucha, mas los obreros pocos; por tanto, rogad el Señor de la mies que envié obreros a su mies.