Adventist Bikers in Argentina Are Missionaries at 12,500-Foot International Border

Lay-led motorcycle group also attends national camporee to highlight ministry potential.

March 18, 2024 | Brasilia, Brazil | Alexis Villar, South American Division, and Adventist Review

Under their motto “Every Ride a Mission,” 18 members of the Adventist Motorcycle Ministry (AMM) in Argentina participated in the 10th Top of the World International Motorcycle Gathering in Uspallata, Mendoza, February 10-11.

The Seventh-day Adventist motorcycle group distributed healthy snacks and inspirational literature as they connected with fellow bikers who made it to the Christ the Redeemer of the Andes monument on the 12,572-foot (3,832-meter) border pass between Argentina and Chile. “Our goal was to show Jesus in that gathering,” ministry leaders said.

That goal informed everything the group did at the gathering in the Andes Mountains. It included offering a free breakfast to motorcyclists before they rode to the high-altitude pass. “Together with the food, we gave each participant a book. We distributed 3,000 Adventist books,” an AMM member said. The group also offered refreshments and books to the motorcyclists who rode up from the Chilean side of the mountain.

“We felt like Gideon’s 300 soldiers,” an AMM member said. “There were 18 of us to serve more than 3,000 bikers, but with God’s help, we took care of everyone.”

AMM Argentina members said that a Bible story came to their minds, the multiplication of the loaves and fish by Jesus. “Thanks to [Adventist health food company] Granix, we had cookies to share, but we also distributed plums, peaches, and melons,” the ministry members shared. “Generous donors gave us the fruit for free, which shows how God intervenes when we seek Him with all our hearts.”

AMM at the Pathfinder Camporee

A few days after the mountain initiative, AMM members attended Argentina’s Pathfinder Camporee in nearby Rivadavia, February 14-18. “We were given the opportunity of introducing and sharing the work of AMM there,” ministry members shared.

The gathering that brought together around 8,000 Pathfinders from across the country was the epicenter of a moving ceremony, AMM participants said. Ismael, a member of AMM and father of a Pathfinder Club member, decided to give his life to God through baptism. It was a surprise, even to his family.

AMM leaders shared that Ismael’s conversion had begun months earlier. During a 2023 motorcycling event in Mendoza, AMM Argentina coordinator Néstor Espíndola went to visit Ismael at his home. “It was then that we began to develop a relationship, which led to Bible studies, and eventually to Ismael’s decision to be rebaptized after being away from church for some time,” Espíndola said.

Ismael was baptized by Pablo Geronazzo, Argentina Union Conference evangelism director. During the event, Geronazzo was also invested as a new member of AMM Argentina.

About Adventist Motorcycle Ministry

The idea for a “ministry on wheels” was born in October 2008 in the minds of Miguel Jesús Domínguez and five Adventist pastors in Florida, United States, who, along with 60 other people, launched the initiative. That group of Hispanics decided that it would not be just a regular motorcycle club but a ministry, to make the kingdom of God known to other motorcyclists and win people for heaven.

Juan Santos Siendo, president of AMM USA at the time, was in charge of the expansion of the ministry covering the American territory and reaching other countries such as Australia, Canada, Hungary, India, Nepal, and Puerto Rico, and some African countries. In South America, there are official AMM clubs in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru.

In August 2015, Espíndola launched the ministry in Argentina through a Facebook page. A month later, he participated in a solidarity caravan for Children’s Day in Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. In December 2015, Espíndola was officially invested as AMM Argentina coordinator.

As part of a ministry that already includes 105 registered members and seven branches throughout Argentina, Espíndola points out that for him, the ministry is a continuation of Pathfinder Club. “I was part of a Pathfinder club for 35 years, and now that I’m older, I can join this motorcycle club to continue preaching the good news to others,” he said.

“AMM Argentina is a group of motorcyclists who love serving God and who use their resources to go riding with a purpose,” Espíndola said. “It’s all about obeying Jesus’ commands of making disciples.”

The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Spanish-language news site.