Guillermo Orlando Mendez

Vicitacion: Sabado, 17 de Marzo del 2018  Iglesia  Bautista Evangelica, de la 4049 W de la 28 Th St. de 2:00 Pm. A 6:00 Pm.  Culto de 6:00 Pm. A 9:00 Pm.

Pastor Dr. Guillermo Mendez went to be with the Lord on March 9, 2018 surrounded by his family.

Guillermo Orlando Mendez was born July 13, 1936, in San Jose, Costa Rica, the son of the late Jose and Nely Mendez. On February 2, 1962 he married Loida Eunice Chacon Fernandez.

After high school, Guillermo traveled to Bogota, Colombia to study medicine. He joined the Red Cross and eventually became a specialist in Search and recovery. He also trained as a HAM Radio operator. He returned to Costa Rica and studied for the ministry in San Jose. He began his ministry traveling throughout Latin America as a medical missionary and as an evangelist. He pastored his first church in Paquera, Costa Rica where he opened a clinic and treated people free of charge. His evangelistic campaigns took him to Namdaime, Nicaragua where he was offered a medical position in a hospital. He moved to Nicaragua where he became an assistant pastor of a church. He opened a clinic in his home and traveled the countryside on horseback providing medicine and evangelizing. During his time in Nicaragua he became the director of the hospital Luis H.Debayle.He also started an ambulance service at the hospital. While in Nicaragua he studied psychology at the Jose Estrada Institute where he worked as a professor after he graduated. He traveled to the United States on an evangelistic tour where he would be traveling to many churches over several months. During this time he was offered the position as pastor of Tremont Temple Baptist Church in Boston, Mass. After about a year he had moved his family from Nicaragua to Boston. From there he became the pastor of a small church in Saginaw, MI. He then started the Belen Bible Institute where he trained numerous people and helped them enter the ministry. Under his ministry, the church grew and they bought a large building which had a day care center attached to it and room for the institute. He then came to Chicago where he served as pastor, Missions Director, Counselor to pastors, Association Director, and held multiple other titles. He served as senior pastor of the Iglesia Bautista El Redentor until his passing. Throughout his life he traveled the world on numerous medical missionary crusades always taking bible students, pastors, doctors, and laymen with him. He served with the Red Cross always ready to travel to provide medical and spiritual assistance to victims or natural disasters in Mexico and all of Latin America. He organized tours to the Holy Land for many years. He traveled all over Europe, to China and S. Korea and even on an African safari hunting lions. He claimed he shot and missed on purpose because he didn’t want to kill animals. He kept up with his HAM Radio Operator’s license for many years. Throughout his ministry in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and the US, he has had many radio ministries. He was the guest speaker multiple times on the Iglesia Bautista de Cortland’s television program.

Guillermo was survived by his wife Loida; Children, Bill (Ali) Mendez, Mary (Armando) Soto, Sarita (Alfredo) Ortiz, David (Amaury) Mendez, Priscilla (Richard) Balderas, Daniel Mendez, and Victor (Laura) Garcia; Sister Rose Mary Mendez, and Nephew Daniel Vasquez.

Guillermo was grandfather to 32 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.

Guillermo was preceded in death by his mother Nely Leon de Mendez, daughter in law Sarah Mendez, grandson Jacob Vazquez, and granddaughter Emily Mendez.

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