How a Love Story Became a Church Plant
For years, Chuquibambilla was home for Mariela. It’s where she went to church, where people took the time to disciple her, and where she really learned what it meant to live out her faith.
Then she met Benjamin.
At the time, it just looked like a sweet, ordinary love story. Benjamin was from San Jerónimo, so when they got married, Mariela packed up her life and moved to his hometown. Like any newlyweds, they were just excited to start a life together.
They had no idea what God was actually setting in motion.
The faith that had been poured into Mariela back home didn't stay behind in Chuquibambilla—it moved with her. Today, she and Benjamin are actually planting a church right there in San Jerónimo. The same Gospel that changed Mariela’s life is now reaching families all over the community. People are coming to faith, getting discipled, and a brand-new local church is taking root.
It’s such a beautiful picture of how spiritual multiplication works. Someone took a chance and invested in Mariela. Mariela brought that faith into her marriage. And God used that marriage to open up a whole new community to the Gospel. Now, she and Benjamin are turning around and doing the exact same thing for others.
When our team was working alongside them during a recent medical outreach in San Jerónimo, it was just a powerful reminder: God multiplies things in ways we rarely anticipate. Sometimes it happens through a mission trip, sometimes through a church plant, and sometimes He just uses something as simple and everyday as two people falling in love and starting a life together. It makes me wonder about the everyday parts of our own lives—and what big things God might be quietly setting in motion right where we are.
With more than 25 years connected to GO InterNational, Larry Montgomery brings both experience and pastoral heart to his role as Director of Team Ministries. Since his first GO trip in 1998, Larry has led teams across the globe, serving indigenous pastors and helping churches multiply disciples. On staff since 2016, he now provides leadership and oversight for all of GO’s ministries, both international and domestic. Anchored by the call of 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 to “be strong and do the work,” Larry guides teams with a steady commitment to Christ and the Great Commission.
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