When B and his wife C took their first trip to Central Asia, It was like coming home.

“Everything felt familiar,” B marveled. “Even though we did not understand the language, our hearts connected deeply with the people, the culture, the music. Brothers and sisters there kept repeating, ‘Yes! Come!’”

It would be four years before they could return, and the waiting was hard. “We wanted so much to be going back!” B said. “But we also wondered—what exactly would we do?”

Growing up in Colombia, B’s passion for music led him to a professional career as an accomplished, secular recording artist with little time for anything other than rehearsals and road trips. His musical career took off at the same time as his wife’s professional career, and, in many ways, they were a success. 

“But there was also an emptiness,” he confessed. “There I was, performing in a concert one minute—the center of attention, surrounded by fans—and an instant later I was in a hotel room, alone, away from my wife and son. I realized that this was not the road I wanted to go down.”

“In Spanish, the word for ‘success’ is exito,” B explained. “It comes from the Latin exitus, meaning to exit, to finish, to leave something behind. This was what we wanted—to leave behind something meaningful, eternal, and to help others to do the same. But how to begin?”

They began with gratitude. 

“Everything was a gift from God,” C said. “We wanted to express our gratitude in tangible ways.” With that, the couple decided to serve a local MB church. Worship ministry seemed an obvious choice for B, and it was a joy for him to found musical groups that continue to this day. The couple were also invited to help with a new church plant, which resulted in a season of significant growth for them both, as they were stretched to serve outside of the familiar musical context. 

A few years later, they attended a mission seminar and met Einer Zuluaga, Multiply missionary among the indigenous people groups of Panama. Their first encounter was confusing. 

“When Einer met us,” B recalled, “he just blurted out, ‘You are the ones!” Amid laughter, Einer explained that he had lost his heart to the Muslim people on a chance layover in Central Asia. Since then, he had been praying for God to send other Colombian missionaries to this people group. B and C later had an opportunity to attend a gathering of the international MB family (ICOMB) in Paraguay, meeting other MB missionaries and global partners who affirmed this calling. 

“It was impossible to ignore the Lord’s leading!” B said. “Every encounter, every trip, every decision—they were like invitations from the Lord to leave behind everything that could represent security for us, and to place all our trust in him alone.” For B, that meant being willing to leave behind his music. Yet when they finally launched in 2023, B was amazed to arrive in Central Asia only to find that God wanted him to use his gift there, too. 

“In the homes of the people we met, there was always time for a song,” he said. “We saw God using music to communicate his heart—even without words. It became, for us, a powerful discipleship tool.”

He continued, “Music, love, a simple walk with Jesus–these are universal languages. They flow transversally through cultures, inside and outside the church, in homes, in coffee shops, on the street, in daily life.”

They began connecting with people looking to learn or improve their musical skills, using these opportunities to share their own testimonies and encourage others to explore or deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ. Together with one man he was discipling, B recorded a demo of their first worship song in Arabic. Now, they are close to releasing an album of songs written and produced in partnership with those in the local church.

“We are so grateful to be here,” B said. “Who knows for how long? Everything is uncertain; we could be deported at any moment. Will we one day look back, and say, ‘That was a success’? That depends on how one defines success. For us, it means helping others to hear God’s voice, helping their voices to be heard, and helping connect their hearts to Jesus.”

“May that be our exitus.”

PRAY

For B and C and their son to find workable strategies for a long-term visa in Central Asia. To listen to their first worship song in the local dialect, with lyrics written by a national believer, click here.