Amid seemingly hopeless situations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the world, God has called Lutheran Hour Ministries to proclaim the message of hope to those impacted in their health, financial, emotional, and spiritual life. In Latin America, we launched a digital content platform in Spanish this spring, called Lugar De Fe, with materials focused and directed specifically to help suffering people at this time of the pandemic.
As a dynamic platform, Lugar De Fe is focusing on pandemic issues first, and soon it will offer all LHM Spanish materials according to thematic seasons, as well as digital materials and programs from the ministry centers in the region. This is being coordinated by the director of Vivenciar.net, which is another LHM platform in Latin America focused on digital interactions.
The difference between the two platforms is related to the spiritual posture of the intended audience. Vivenciar.net focuses on the first part of the Spiritual Conversation Curve (Gaining a Hearing for the Gospel) and Lugar De Fe is meant to focus on individuals covered in the second and third parts of the Curve (Giving Good News and Guide Toward Faith). For more information about the Spiritual Conversation Curve, visit lhm.org/curve.
The Lugar De Fe platform is filled with a variety of materials and content that are offered for download, like e-books, videos, webinar content, podcasts, and more. When launching the platform, we used local digital promotion on social media in Guatemala and Chile and mass media radio spots in Uruguay to generate traffic to the platform, but now it reaches all Latin American countries, and Spanish speaking people in the world.
Lugar De Fe is intended for a wide audience and is promoted on Google and social media. With a mobile app being developed, we will be able to offer more content and reach more people. To access and download some of the contents, the visitors are asked to provide basic information, such as their name and email or cell phone number, which opens the door for engagement toward a referral to a Christian church. In just the first few months following its launch, Lugar De Fe generated around 65,000 new users and close to 100,000 page visualizations from most countries throughout Latin America.
Mario from Guatemala lost his job during the COVID-19 pandemic. His anxiety caused him to have many sleepless nights. He saw a Facebook post about the e-book, The Anxiety Doesn't Let You Enjoy the Present, and sent a message to the LHM-Guatemala staff. His message said he thanked God for the book and knew it was exactly what he needed at that time. He shared that it has been a light during a dark time in his life and he prayed with the staff member. "Praying with them brought me peace, understanding that God is always in control of my life, and knowledge that I can trust Him. Thank you for helping me overcome my anxiety and feel better," says Mario.
We are thankful for the opportunities to encourage individuals like Mario and reach more individuals with the hopeful Gospel message.