On July 30, e3 Partners’ digital media ministry I Am Second launched the new I Am Second Español website! It features I Am Second content all in Spanish, including nine all-Spanish White Chair Films and Spanish subtitles on 190+ films in English.
I recently sat down with e3’s executive vice president of Hispanic Global Mobilization, Claudia Adame, and e3’s Church Partnership Coordinator for Hispanic Global Mobilization, Rosita Blanco. They gave me some insight into the story behind I Am Second Español and how they hope it will impact the Hispanic community for Jesus.
Where did the idea for launching I Am Second in Spanish come from?
Claudia Adame:
I Am Second Español starts with e3 Partners Español. e3 Partners Español is the Hispanic expression of the vision, mission, and strategy of e3. We have been focusing a lot on church planting led by Hispanics for Hispanics and other people groups. So as e3 Partners has embraced I Am Second as a digital presence to be able to inspire people to share their story, to glorify God, and to Live Second, then the next strategic step for e3 Partners Español was clearly I Am Second Español.
Rosita Blanco:
Now that we’ve been in the field, we’ve noticed that people are very familiar with I Am Second within the Hispanic community. Having those nine videos about Hispanic people in Spanish has helped people to want to know more about I Am Second within the Hispanic community. The bilingual Hispanic community has been enjoying the English part also. They have been using it as a discipleship tool in a Bible class setting.
The Hispanic community has also been using I Am Second to evangelize. I have a friend who went to share the Gospel with strippers. I created a QR code of the Annie Lobert video and sent it to her cell phone, and it was the only way she could give some type of Christian material to these ladies. They couldn’t receive papers or something more evident for their bosses to find. They watched the video, and I know the Lord is continuing His work in them. It’s a beautiful tool for the Gospel.
What do you believe will be the impact of I Am Second Español?
Claudia:
With the variety of the films we have both in Spanish and the English videos that can be enjoyed in Spanish with closed captions, it gives Hispanic believers an opportunity to say, “Maybe I’m not struggling specifically with what you are, but let me tell you about this particular person and how the Lord helped them overcome a very similar circumstance.” If I’m sharing this, it opens up my toolbox of testimonies of transformed lives. I can say, “I haven’t lived it all, but I know people who have, and let me show you straight from them the testimony of how they did have hope and what their life is like now.” I think that’s really important as we look at the diversity of needs in our community both English and Spanish.
I Am Second Español is also a way to have a sense of belonging for Hispanic believers. I Am Second has created a movement, a sense of belonging and a community, especially with Live Second. I believe the world around us – every single culture you can imagine – is somehow struggling with that. Being able to say, especially for youth, that you belong to this movement. For them to discover that they have a place with common vision, common heart, where they’re accepted not because we’re perfect but because we all have the cause of following Christ, struggling together and taking every day one step at a time to be transformed and be accepted by others who are on the same journey of transformation. That’s what has inspired the movement of I Am Second, and we believe I Am Second Español will do the same thing. Primarily because it is something that glorifies God and helps people know who He is more specifically as opposed to what they may have heard from others that is a wrong concept of God. The reality is that God still changes lives. It will bring hope, it will bring that sense of belonging and movement, and I believe it will also move them into wanting to be a part of a community that studies God’s Word. Eventually, they will look around and say, “There are so many people around me who don’t know God … how can I share Him with them?”
We believe it’s going to help minister to people, help them understand they can belong to a movement that the Lord is leading, and to help them understand that our identity as ambassadors is to take what we know and share that with others. It’s a very logical and simple tool, but beyond that, it’s an inspiration to be more of who Christ called us to be and to share that opportunity with others.
Rosita:
This is a wonderful tool and a wonderful opportunity to reach the youth. That is a target that is very important for us, first of all because the youth is the group of people that falls in love more with the way we do what we do. Also, because they are bilingual, they are going to be an instrument for us to promote I Am Second Español with the non-bilingual family and friends they have. I think this is going to explode in a beautiful way, not only for people to know that we exist and this is a ministry that is working for the Great Commission, but also as a tool for them to get involved in many ways: praying, being a part of Made to Multiply, and the community part of I Am Second. I think it will be a good resource for us to reach the youth.
Youth is obviously a main target for I Am Second Español; who else are you hoping to reach with this website?
Rosita:
We have some targets that are clear for us. Definitely the youth because we also want to have more youth involved in Creados Para Multiplicar. Then it will be the pastors and church leaders that can use I Am Second as a discipleship tool. Then it will be friends and families that are not bilingual. The last one is the whole Hispanic community of both Christians and non-Christians.
What I Am Second films – English and Spanish – have had the most impact on you personally?
Rosita:
The story of Brian Welch, the guitarist from Korn, impacted me deeply. I wish all the young people who follow that type of music would watch his video. It is so inspiring; the drugs, the family crisis, being young and suddenly being a parent … all that stuff that comes with a crazy life. But from that video you can see how God is also in that environment. He also cares about those people that seem very lost.
In the Hispanic videos, I like that we have them about things like immigration, people who have been coming to this country with nothing and God has been using them in a beautiful way or people who have lived here their whole lives but they are Latinos and how they have struggled also.
What I love about I Am Second is that you can find videos about very famous people and just regular people like you and me. Every testimony is rich, and everyone can relate to one or another.
Claudia:
Currently, my favorite is the Lauren Akins film. Like every other I Am Second film, it’s genuine and it’s raw, as in: “This is who I am; here are my struggles.” I think for believers and pre-believers, it’s important for us to know that God does not call us to be perfect. He calls us to be dependent on Him for the ups and downs of life. This is still not our world; there’s pain, there’s temptation, there’s struggles. And just the reality of our frailty. It doesn’t exclude us from being faithful to God. He understands it and loves us unconditionally. The reason that film is really moving to me is that it talks specifically to believers to say it’s OK not to be OK all the time. God still loves me. He will help me through this. It’s good to be honest about what I’m going through so I don’t have to go through it by myself: honest with the Lord, honest with my family, knowing the healing can happen in community. I don’t have to figure it all out by myself.
I think for pre-believers it’s also an important film because it shows we’re providing an opportunity for you to come to know Christ not so you become a different person but so you can become a better person. Better in knowing who you are and living that abundant life that God promises, which is not abundance in resources or abundant like everything is rosy … but abundance in that we have His presence every single moment of our existence, and He is always there. So I think, to me, that’s the impact of that film: God’s unconditional love. The fact that when we are thinking about becoming followers of Christ, we’re not being called to perfection. We’re called to relationship.
The Hispanic video that stands out to me most is Myrka Dellanos. Sometimes people in the public eye want to maintain an image of perfection, and for her to be secure enough in the Lord and in her identity in Christ to say, “Yes, this happened to me and my job is in public life, but I am a person and I have struggles and no matter what our role is in this world, people will disappoint you but God won’t. God’s love is steady.” Her courage stands out, to be able to live beyond that crisis in her life and to always seek hope because she knew the Lord.
What are you most excited about for the future of I Am Second Español?
Claudia:
Ultimately, besides all the benefits of I Am Second Español, I really believe it will get the word out about e3 Partners Español, which serves Hispanic churches, Hispanic ministries, and Hispanic believers. We come alongside them and help equip the body of Christ on how simple it is to share your story and God’s story. We also show them the opportunity we have once someone comes to know Christ to be able to disciple them and form communities so we can learn God’s Word together, love, encourage and support one another, and move forward in our journey with Christ.
The other thing we’re hoping from this launch is that more Hispanic churches and ministries – and English churches with Hispanic ministries – would become aware that we are here to serve, and we would love to be able to be a part of the vision God has called them to fulfill, which is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.
Rosita:
I love that I Am Second Español is the first step for people to deny themselves and finally say to God, “You be the priority in my life. And then I’ll go out and do what I haven’t so far, which is to share the Gospel.” I hope the message will be evident and inspiring for everybody, and from that I hope we will get more collaborations with more Hispanic churches. I am also excited for the next collection of films we will be working on; we are already thinking about potential people and how they would impact this community with their testimony. The best is yet to come!