By Ed & Barbara O’Brien
What do we do about the illegal immigration? One
must recognize immigration as an opportunity to
evangelize lost souls. We have spent 20 years on the
mission field of Mexico and now 22 years in the United
States planting Spanish-speaking churches. Quite often
we are asked, “Would you be willing to come to where
we live and start a Spanish church?” The need is great
and we must take advantage of every opportunity while
it is within our reach.

As with every opportunity, there are setbacks and
challenges that hinder the work. One of those is the
religious heritage of Hispanic people in the Catholic
Church. Because of their loyalty to family and religion,
it can be very difficult to see them break away from that
heritage. The second challenge we face is developing a
sense of trust between the Hispanic and an American
who speaks fluent Spanish. They do not know us and
do not know if we can be trusted not to turn them
over to immigration. If the area that we are in is not
a “Sanctuary Zone,” then it will take time to gain their
trust and confidence. The most difficult challenge is the
money factor. They have a dream and they are here to
make that dream come true. They will gladly work all
the hours that the Americano will give them in order to
save up as much as possible and as fast as possible, thus
leaving no time for church. This is perhaps the biggest
challenge that we face.

28 BIMI
Number 2, 2024
In every church plant we
have started, we have faced
difficulties and each and
every church has been
different in some ways.

Often we can see and feel in
our hearts the rejection and
relentless spiritual attacks