12 years ago, Policarpo Villamil completely surrendered his life to serve God after accepting Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He is determined that neither rain nor sickness will keep him from the church he planted called Misión Cristiana la Vid Verdadera (Christian Mission of the True Vine) in San José, Colombia.

“Ever since God healed me from chronic arthritis, I have not stopped thanking Him,” Policarpo shares. He grew spiritually and continued to serve the Lord. However, it was not until a few years ago that Policarpo felt the nudge to receive training to be more effective in reaching others with the gospel. He also realized he needed material.

Through the training he received from Multiplication Network Ministries (MNM), Policarpo got both—training and a treasure trove of materials for discipling, sharing the gospel, and raising up new leaders. He is conscious of the importance of preparing leaders and so he makes sure that everyone who has graciously opened the doors of their home to host a Bible study is prepared to teach and receive others with love. “To lead a group is not an easy task because the groups need to reflect the love, humility, and good teaching,” he shares.

In addition to being a church planter, Policarpo is a businessman and travels every week. He has become very well known in every town he visits because of his testimony as a Christian—people always ask him to come to their homes to pray for them. Policarpo accepts without hesitation. It is an opening to share the gospel with others.

“Before, I used to go through the towns not knowing anything about the people or the problems that were present there, but I learned that I must get to know the people and their surroundings so I can get to share the Word of God, and that has changed my way of working,” Policarpo shares. He adds, “I thank God because I have received a lot of knowledge through MNM’s training and we have been prepared in a special way to plant churches and initiate small groups.”