Lutheran Hour Ministries' digital program for the Latin America region, Vivenciar.net, is a bi-lingual platform that reaches Hispanic and Portuguese speaking people in 65 countries worldwide. Based in Brazil, Vivenciar.net is directly connected with LHM ministry staff and volunteers in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay, Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and soon the United States.
Young adults are gravitating to the internet seeking help, including millions who are curious-or have doubts-about Christianity. The Vivenciar.net website serves as our hub for digital outreach throughout Latin America. Through Vivenciar, staff and volunteers establish online relationships with individuals and provide biblically based answers for their lives.
A group of trained volunteers in each country establish connections and interactions with individuals turning to the platform looking for help on issues including stress, loneliness, guilt, home violence, and depression, especially with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic impacting their lives.
"By sharing messages of hope with the millions of people immersed in an increasingly virtual world, we can provide answers and the peace that can only be found in Jesus Christ, the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life," says Rev. Nilo Figur, LHM's regional director for Latin America.
Individuals are brought to the website using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, Pinterest, Snapchat, and other online tools, as well as newspaper and radio advertisements. To date, almost one million people have visited the digital platform to read and download booklets, watch topical videos, or take a short online Bible course. Over 2,700 people have sought help through personal interactions with our trained volunteers.
Individuals go to the website at all hours of the day looking for comfort and hope. Rosa from Guatemala sent a message saying, "I know it is too late to write you, at 1:42 in the morning, but I cannot sleep, and I apologize for it. Stress and anxiety invaded my soul, taking my peace...help!" Through the use of a digital platform, volunteers are able to respond to messages as they come in, ensuring timely feedback for those seeking conversation.
Seeing the growing need for this digital resource, Vivenciar.net Director, Flavio Knopp, made an agreement with the local Lutheran university in Brazil to develop a custom webpage that would reach more individuals. The custom webpage is available through the university's chaplaincy program for thousands of students, faculty, staff, and their friends and families across the 15 campuses. The chaplaincy program was established to share the Gospel message on the campuses where over 95 percent of the students, faculty, and staff are non-Lutherans. Adding access to the Vivenciar.net special webpage encourages digital conversations for those who want and need to hear the Gospel.
"With this partnership, we want to better serve our academic communities, sharing the message of faith, hope, and love in Christ," says Pastor Maximiliano Silva, the university's Chief Chaplain.
As a way to establish a secure and confidential connection between the chaplains and their campus' communities, 18 chaplains serve as Vivenciar.net volunteers. They interact with connections made through the various campuses around the country which is a unique way to open the door for conversations that are not face to face.
We are thankful that even during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, God is opening doors for LHM to reach people with the Gospel anywhere and anytime, through digital resources.