Training the Trainers... Focus Peru
By Rod and Sherry Boyd

A year ago we gave a progress report (see Training the Trainers, July 2011) on PROCEPA—a teacher training and certification program for professors in Bible schools in Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. At that time we had 1,489 professors enrolled in the program. We are happy to report that there are now 1,998! We’ve had three PROCEPA events since then. Last November we had 60 teachers attend a two-day national seminar in Managua, Nicaragua. In April we reported on the 401 that attended the international Educators Summit in San Jose, Costa Rica (see 2012 Educators Summit: Teaching with IMPACT, May 2012). And just last month we had 174 teachers attend a two-day national seminar in Lima, Peru! PERU We made the strategic decision several months ago to conduct the southern version of the 2012 International Educators Summit in Peru. That event is coming up September 10-13. Our goal is to have 350 leaders and teachers attend from the nine of the South American Spanish-speaking countries: Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina. We will be offering all 15 of the PROCEPA basic level workshops at the Peru Summit. We met with the National Executive Leaders and the Local Summit Committee the day before the PROCEPA seminar to continue the organization of the Summit. Conducting a Summit requires that the host country have a strong commitment and that a local committee work hard before and during the event. Since Peru is a new participant in the international education program, it was important to offer a national PROCEPA seminar before the international summit in September in order to give as many teachers as possible a head start. Professors are required to complete 10 of the 15 basic level workshops to earn their certification. Even though 170 of the 174 that attended the seminar last month were brand new to PROCEPA, by taking the six workshops offered they will now be able to complete their certification at the Educators Summit in September. PROCEPA CERTIFICATION The number of professors that achieved their certification grew from 14 the end of 2011 to 97 after the Summit in Costa Rica. We are expecting this number to double after the Summit in Peru in September. Why is certification so important? We have now conducted 12 International Summits since 1996. We ask participants to complete an evaluation of the event and to share their opinions on the needs in the Bible schools. In the every single event, teacher training always is the number one need! In addition, international recognition is very important in these countries. Each person who attends a PROCEPA workshop receives a certificate and a gold foil seal for each workshop they complete. We work very hard at each PROCEPA event to add new teachers to the PROCEPA database, enter their attendance after each workshop, print certificates for new teachers and apply the gold foil seals to their certificate (or put them in an envelope for those that already have their certificate. This is very time consuming, but very important. We have a ceremony at the end, calling out each name and personally handing them out one by one. We are looking forward to crossing the 2,000 mark at the Summit. But considering that there are more than 5,000 professors teaching in more than 1,000 Bible schools, seminaries, extension and training centers, our work is far from over. In addition, we will begin the first cycle of renovation workshops. In order to maintain certification, teachers must take six workshops every two years. The first cycle will be 2013-2014. Please join us in praying for the upcoming Summit in Lima, Peru, September 10-13. Pray that God will provide for all that want to attend. Pray for the 50 speakers and assistants that will be teaching 10 general sessions and 30 different workshops. Pray that God will honor our plans and that we will accomplish the Summit theme: Teach with IMPACT.