The Rev. Álvaro Rodrigo Godínez Jiménez is a United Methodist missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries, serving as a faith community builder with the Methodist Church of Mexico, Mexico Conference National Office. This placement is in the state of Michoacan, which has a largely excluded population, rife with violence, injustice, abuse and poverty. The conference is prioritizing the development of a congregation in Michoacan’s capital city, Morelia. A clergy member of the Evangelical Methodist Church of La Fortuna, San Carlos, Alvaro earned master’s degree in Religious Sciences with an emphasis on family orientation, Bachelor of Theology degree from the Methodist Theological Seminary of Costa Rica, as well as a bachelor’s in educational media and a license in psychological education. Two years after his conversion at age 14, Alvaro began serving in local church music ministry. “I learned to play various instruments,” he aid. “Since then, I have been actively involved in serving God in different ways.” Alvaro’s faith journey has been filled with God’s grace, mercy and love, he said. “I have had the opportunity to serve God as a pastor for many years, which has filled me with great satisfaction,” he noted. Alvaro recognizes that God called him to serve. “That is what I want to do,” she said. Called to the ministry at age 21, Alvaro initially resisted. “At first,” he said, “I did not like the idea of ??being a pastor, but God led me to the point of not being able to reject the call and confirmed the call by means that left no room for doubt.” Alvaro officially began pastoral ministry at 23 years of age in a small community called Sonafluca. “We could see the support of God,” he recalled, “with a great growth of the church.” He said his seminary studies enriched his ministerial experience. Even in times of doubt and uncertainty, Alvaro said, “God always took care of me. All these difficulties have helped me to forge my character, to be a person more sensitive to the needs of others. I have learned more closely about what it is to live for faith. “Feeling the presence of God like never before, my relationship with God has been strengthened, and my desire to serve God is even more intense.” Reading and studying the Bible nurture Alvaro. “God has also put people in my path who have been of great inspiration,” he said. In seminary, he explained, “my desire was to prepare myself to serve better.” He continued, “Today I enjoy good physical, spiritual and mental health, as well as greater experience and better tools to fulfill the mission that God has entrusted to me and a deep desire to work in the cause of the kingdom of God. “For more than 20 years,” Alvaro said, “I have been involved in serving God. In recent years, I have felt the burden of transmitting the accumulated experiences and knowledge acquired to as many people as possible. “I applied for missionary service with this in mind. I firmly believe that God has opened this door to be one more hand that works in the extension of the kingdom of God and the edification of God’s church.”

The Rev. Eliad Dias dos Santos is a United Methodist missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries, serving in ministry to the poor through the Methodist Church in Italy. In recent years, Italy has experienced an economic crisis that has increased the number of people living in poverty. As unemployment rises, more families seek support from groups that offer free meals or damaged food packaging. The intention of this ministry is to carry out existing projects of the Methodist Church in Rome related to migration and poverty, sharing God’s love with the homeless and other marginalized people. As a child, Eliad dreamed of becoming a radio announcer. She was ready to sign up for college radio and TV classes, but God led her in another direction. Introduced to the book “Theology of Captivity and Liberation,” Eliad decided to study theology and become a pastor. She holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in theology and history from the Methodist University of São Bernardo do Campo in São Paulo. Ordained in 1990, Eliad served as a pastor in churches in the city of São Paulo. In 2019, she returned as a pastor to the church in which she grew up – the Methodist Church of Light, in São Paulo. She participated in international training on conflict resolution, mediation and human rights protection in Wuppertal, Germany. “I got to know a distant reality,” she said, “of people who lived in rooms, in a big house, whole families, shared a single bathroom in the house, and lived unworthily. “But it was working with women prostitutes at the Luz station,” she recalled, “that I really converted. I promised God that I would work for people the church doesn’t normally take in: prostitutes, street people, transgender people.” Eliad added, “Since then, I have worked together with people who believe that Jesus continues to walk with his people and with the excluded. As Christians, we are the presence of God in these people’s lives, not only helping them materially, but [also] mainly fighting for a more just and fraternal world, because God’s will always has been for us.” Before starting her missionary assignment in Italy, Eliad coordinated a project for migrant women and children. “I am so grateful to God for all the opportunities offered,” she said. Describing her mission call, Eliad said, “I don’t worry about what might happen a few years from now. God, who ruled the world before I was born, will take care of me equally even when I die. My part is to improve the present moment and collaborate for a better future for all people. “I don’t settle for this century, but I try to transform it – as a Methodist, as a woman, as a black woman. I believe the mission of the Methodist people is to be light and salt in this world.” She eagerly awaits her mission. “I’m going to a country I’ve never seen,” said Eliad. “I know I have huge challenges ahead, but trust in God is much greater. I am blessed and believe that many blessings await us.”