Karen Loper, Hispanic Language Strategist, Serving In Nebraska
By Carolyn Gibbs
As opportunity comes about, Karen Loper tries to be available. She mainly helps her husband, Larry, who is the Hispanic Church Planter Catalyst for Eastern Nebraska Baptist Association and for Northeast Baptist Association for KNCSB. “ We take our turn at church with cleaning and lawn, but as far as ministry in our Church, we’re gone almost every Sunday,” Loper said. She said their passion is to see churches planted here in Nebraska that can reproduce other planted churches. “ That is our emphasis, plus Salvation by Grace and following Jesus command to go into all the world,” she said. “The bottom line is, I go with Larry and minister to the women as opportunity is given.”
Loper does some counseling with the pastor’s wives, also. She said they sometimes have no place to go. She supports what Larry does, but she also understands the unique problems a pastor’s wife faces. “ Sometimes the world doesn’t understand the situations these women face. The world thinks they’ve reached perfection and have all the answers,” Loper said. “ That’s a misconceived idea. These servants are human.”
Loper actually started in ministry 30 years ago when a missionary came to their church. He proclaimed a need for people to go. The Lopers were challenged. She said most people wait for a special call, when really we’ve already been called. “ Larry began to evaluate his life and asked God, ‘ What do you have for me?’ We decided to go in the direction of missions and if God wanted him to stop, God would stop him,” she said. God said go and the Lopers were led to Mexico for 24 years. When they came back, John Mark Hansen, DOM for NEBA started talking to them and approached Larry about being a part time Hispanic Catalyst. “We decided we’d stay with missions and also looked at being part time on the Pastoral Support Team that helps missionaries home on furlough that are struggling,” Loper said. The Mission Board didn’t think doing both was a good idea, so they had to choose. “ After praying, we made the choice to start Hispanic works.” Now seeing people coming to the Lord and seeing their lives changing blesses Loper. “ I see pastors growing. The Hispanic Churches were very segmented. There were just a few,” she said. “ Larry net worked with those churches and now we see them reaching out to each other. “ Recently a Hispanic celebration was a shared service between an Omaha pastor and a South Sioux City pastor,” Loper said.
Loper keeps busy over and above helping her husband, and her proficiency in Spanish comprises additional ministries. She teaches English as a Second Language at Northeastern Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska. She had one student tell her she had dreamed about Loper. “ She said, I dreamed you weren’t teaching me, you were teaching me the Bible. I felt like maybe she was a baby believer and now she’s serving the Lord. That’s exciting,” Loper said. She also translates for the hospital in Norfolk. “ God gives me a lot of opportunities there, by just being available for people,” she said. “ It keeps me busy. I’m often called by others who need a translator apart from the hospital. That’s an open door of opportunity.” Loper is the ESL Director for ENBA and NEBA, and works with churches to implement ESL as a ministry in Evangelism.
Her passion is to see churches wake up and see the opportunity in their communities and be active in it. “ ESL is a wonderful tool and cheap. All that’s needed is $10 and people who are willing to give their time a couple of hours a week,” she said. “ That would be my heart for a next step where I could be a part of that awakening of Churches.” Loper said it’s something they can do, because all they have to do is speak English. They don’t need a degree or to speak another language. If a church is challenged, Loper will train them in a 16-hour course. It prepares them to organize an ESL work, maintain it, and spread it as an evangelistic tool. She explained there are several levels. The goal is to reach first generation Hispanics, who are just coming out of Mexico. Second generation are their children who learn English quickly in school. Third generation, she said are almost more American that Americans. First generation has a felt need, because they can’t communicate, go to school, handle medical situations, or be a part of their children’s activities. Church members can give two or four hours a week to reach out to these people and teach them English through God’s word. “ They won’t come to a church normally, but they will send their kids to VBS. If you have an English class alongside VBS, they’ll come. They aren’t intimidated by that as much. It’s a felt need,” Loper said.
Loper has done some Bible studies in her home for Hispanic women, but she said she’s not a gifted teacher. She believes her gift is helps. She’s the one who invites and welcomes them, while a friend does the teaching. She thrives on team work. She also does counseling. “ Life gives you all kinds of experiences to show people God answers their needs and they can go to Him,” she said. “ Sometimes that need is met through an understanding heart.”
Sometimes she looks back on her life and thinks you may have done it differently. “ When Larry began talking missions, I was dragging my feet. I thought about leaving our children’s friends, and our families. Larry said, No, this is what God wants,” Loper said.
“ I look back now and that whole realm of our kids’ friends became drugs, sex, and suicides, and I think for whatever reason God chose to pick us up, out of that place to a place of safety, was about obedience,” she said. “ I’m so grateful.”