Blended and Blessed® for the Spanish Community
by Jayna Richardson
Families around the world face many of the same challenges—managing finances, resolving conflict, and reconciling styles of parenting, to name a few. Stepfamilies must navigate these issues and additional difficulties within complex stepfamily relationships, a daunting task that leaves many stepfamilies feeling desperate for help and hope. That’s where Blended and Blessed® comes in—a one-day event to inspire and encourage stepfamilies and those who minister to them. And this year, for the first time, Spanish speakers were able to take part in this important event thanks to a Spanish livestream.
Church and home sites from 47 states and 19 countries joined together online on April 24 to hear from several experts, including FamilyLife Blended® Director Ron Deal and FamilyLife President David Robbins, as they unpacked strategies crucial to healthy stepfamilies. It was a day of fun, humor, music, and powerful teaching. Although the exact number of viewers is difficult to estimate, potentially about 4,000 or more people tuned in, and around 10-12% of the audience were Spanish speakers.
Four translators translated the messages into Spanish in real time throughout the day, and the response from the Spanish community was very positive. Spanish attendees gave an overall event rating of 9.17 out of 10. Here are some of their comments (translated into English):
“Infinite thanks to Ron Deal and his team for thinking of us and bringing us this event in our language; thank you very much for all the teachings and especially for the people who live the theme.” (This year’s theme was Walk in Love.)
“The final call to be an impact in the city is one of the greatest challenges of recent times. May God give us His grace and vision to look at opportunities to make an impact.”
“We as a couple were impacted by the challenge of staying connected, having a lifelong commitment, and taking care of ourselves as a couple.”
“We loved all the topics covered, especially the closing of David and Meg, where they emphasized how the testimony of each couple can be used by God to powerfully impact the world around us and thus attract others to the feet of Christ.”
“It was great growth and food for us. We are sure that God will use us to take what we have learned to others.”
Attendees were encouraged by the messages that acknowledged that while stepfamilies do face unique challenges, they also have the potential to develop thriving marriages and families that can impact others with the power of the gospel. We pray this message spreads throughout the US, Latin America, and across the globe.
(Editor’s note: If you are a ministry leader and would like to learn more about ministering to blended families, please consider joining us for the 2021 Summit on Stepfamily Ministry, October 14-15. Find out more at https://www.summitonstepfamilies.com/.)
