Follow Up Interview With Oscar Galindo After EXLA Conference

L-R: EVP EINA Randy Thomas, Exec. Director EXLA Oscar Galindo

On September 23rd through 26th … I was blessed to attend the Exodus Latin America Conference.  I met up with a few old friends and made a lot of new friends!  I was thrilled to be there and share my testimony plus speak about finding Joy in the Journey.

At the same time, as I showed up to help, I shut up so I could listen and learn. And if you know me, you know I have a very high verbal quotient so to purposefully reign that in … well… not an easy thing to do.  But I wanted, needed to, in order to experience and learn.

It also helped that I don’t know Spanish.  By the way, Rosetta Stone is now on my Christmas list .

What follows is the result of an interview with Oscar Galindo, Executive Director of Exodus Latin America.  I have done very little editing to help with the translation and grammar.  English is not Oscar’s first language so while I did correct a couple of translation issues, I did not remove content or change the tone of the transcript.

So here we go!

Randy: How many people attended the EXLA 2009 Conference?  How many countries were represented?

Oscar: There were 200 attendees, and there were people from: Canada, USA, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Panamá, and Costa Rica. There were people who wanted to come from Cuba, El Salvador, and Peru, but unfortunately the Mexican government denied them the Visa (because our closeness to USA). So, that is one of the reasons the next conference will be held in Costa Rica, because it is easier for most of the people to get to Central America, and because Costa Rica does not require most of the Latin American countries a visa.

Randy: What are some of the highlights of the conferences?

Oscar: For many people attending to an EXLA conference is their first contact they have with such a ministry, so everything is amazing to them, because it is like finding a new world. People enjoy the amazing ministry, to be able to praise the Lord with other people who are on the same journey. But I think four things the attendees most enjoyed are friendship, sharing with others, the general sessions and the testimonies.

Randy: Any feedback from those in attendance?

Oscar: People say they changed their minds completely, the way they use to think before, and after the conference is quite different. They got a lot or answers to questions they have asked themselves for many years, and suddenly, while they are listening the teachings, it is like a light that comes to their life.

Randy: What is your vision for EXLA?

Oscar: It is frustrating when people write to ask for help and sadly there is no ministry, not only in their cities, but in their countries. So my vision is to see a ministry in every major city of Latin America, and that every church know that there is a Christian ministry with resources to the church to help more effectively to people struggling with homosexuality.

Randy: What are some of the strengths and resources EXLA provides?

Oscar: We provide information, teachings, counseling tools through: – Training conferences (we talk about the basis of homosexuality, roots, prevention, reorientation, how the church should be involved, sexual abuse, accountability, practical suggestions to help).

• Biannual conferences, like the one we had in Mexicali.
• We have a bookstore where we provide resources about homosexuality, help to parents and friends, resources for pastors, leaders and counselors, etc.
• We offer a virtual forum to help people where there is no ministry. It is a very active forum and people register for the forum all the time! It includes a virtual place to pray, and a testimonies section, plus a special place to EXLA’s leaders.

Randy: What challenges do you face? … in various parts of Latin America?

Oscar: There are places where churches  would like us to do a conference, or at least a training conference, but they do not have resources to pay for tickets, lodgings and meals. Unfortunately we do not have the resources to do that either. In some cases we would like to at least send them some books but we do not have the resources to be able to do so and that is very frustrating. It would be great to have the resources to be able to go to those places to teach them how to help people directly .  Especially for some of the countries where there is no ministry: Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panamá, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile. We also receive a lot of help requests from Hispanic people in the United States and from other countries.

Randy: What message would you like to send to your brothers and sisters in the United States and Canada? (I placed the emphasis on Oscar’s response below.)

Oscar: We would like to invite them to join us in the vision to reach those affected by homosexuality in Latin America. The size of our wings to fly over America Latina to spread the redemption message, depends very much on the people who joins us, to support us to make the dream become real.

Thank you Oscar!  I can’t wait till Costa Rica.  I am prayerful and hopeful to be able to attend.

I have shared often that when I first moved to Florida, seven years ago, my traveling dramatically increased. There came a point where I was terribly homesick and it was difficult to feel rooted in friendship and community here. The Lord told me then that wherever His people are and wherever we abide in His Spirit … I am home. Since then, I have traveled all across the United States, Canada and now London (last May) and Mexicali Mexico … and of course God proved faithful and true.

In Mexicali, I was home, once again!

Another issue that has stirred my heart as a result of this interview is thinking of all the countries that don’t have ministries and those that the Mexican government didn’t allow to come to the conference.  It’s hard enough for me to think of states here in the US that don’t have ministries but it’s painful to think of whole countries not having these resources.  Not only not having ministries or scarce resources, but not allowing someone to get to a ministry. That boggles my mind.

Please pray for Exodus Latin America and consider ways to support their ministry.

Hopefully I will see you in Costa Rica!

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To learn more about Exodus around the world, please visit Exodus Global Alliance.