Who Am I And What Is The Purpose Of This Website?

Where My Story Begins

I was born in 1980 in San José, Costa Rica, and grew up in a Catholic family. Although religion was part of my upbringing, I was given the freedom to decide for myself what I believed.

In 2000, my life changed in a very special way when I met the love of my life, Jackeline—better known to everyone as Jacky. I moved to Panama, and we were married that same year. In 2001, God blessed us with our only son, Jonathan.

Jacky had grown up in a Christian home; I had not. The first time I attended a worship service of the church of Christ was because of her. I appreciated what I saw and heard, but at that point in my life, I was not yet ready to understand what it meant for me personally. I attended a few more times, but there was still no sense of urgency on my part.

What made a lasting impression was not pressure, but example. Peter wrote about the influence a faithful wife can have upon her husband through her conduct (1 Peter 3:1–2), and I saw that in Jacky. Neither she nor my in-laws pressured me to be baptized. They simply lived their faith before me and allowed me to see what it meant to be a Christian.

Becoming a Christian

Years later, I came to understand something that changed the direction of my life: no one—not even the people I love most—could obey the gospel for me. Salvation is found in Christ, and I needed to respond personally to what He had done for me.

On February 13, 2011, I was baptized into Christ for the remission of my sins, trusting in what God has revealed in His Word (Acts 2:37–47). I had the special privilege of being baptized by my father-in-law, Tomás Haughton, whose Christian example had already been part of my journey toward the faith. I remain deeply grateful for the patient example of those who helped me see the truth without attempting to force me into a decision. That day was not the end of a journey. In many ways, it was the beginning.

As a new Christian, I developed a sincere desire to learn. Peter’s description of newborn Christians longing for the pure milk of the Word (1 Peter 2:2) became very real to me. The more I studied, the more I realized how much I still needed to learn.

Before long, an opportunity arose in our congregation to teach the children. Jacky was asked to help but was quite shy at the time, so I volunteered to work alongside her. I thought I would simply help her while learning more myself. I could not have known where that small opportunity would eventually lead.

We later became involved in encouraging young Christians. We met young brethren from other congregations and began hosting devotionals in our home. Eventually, I was invited to speak at a youth camp.

Somewhere along that path, teaching God’s Word stopped being simply something I was willing to do and became something I deeply desired to do. Jeremiah’s description of God’s Word as a fire within him (Jeremiah 20:9) began to mean something very personal to me.

Preparing to Preach

That desire eventually led me to apply to the Memphis School of Preaching. I was accepted one day after my birthday—an answer for which I remain thankful.

In August 2014, Jacky, Jonathan, and I arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, with only $200 in our pockets and much to learn. Those years taught us lessons that went far beyond the classroom. Again and again, we experienced God’s providential care through faithful brethren who encouraged us, supported us, and welcomed us into their lives.

I completed the two-year Biblical Studies program at Memphis School of Preaching in 2016 and remained for an additional year of training in World Missions, completing that program in 2017.

Yet some of the greatest blessings of those years cannot be listed on a diploma. We came to know faithful Christians who loved the Lord and His church and who were willing to labor for the spread of the gospel.

Many friendships and opportunities to work together grew from those relationships, and several continue to this day.

Returning to Panama

After completing our training in Memphis, we returned to Panama and continued serving there. We had opportunities to work with two congregations before helping establish a congregation in the community of Las Villas, in Arraiján.

It was a privilege to return to the country where I had become a Christian and put into practice much of what we had learned during our years of preparation.

During that same period, the Lord began opening opportunities to serve beyond our local work. Because Spanish is my first language and I had received training and experience working in English, brethren began asking me to help translate and adapt biblical materials for Spanish-speaking audiences.

Over time, I was blessed to contribute to materials associated with works such as Apologetics Press, Christian Courier, House to House/Heart to Heart, Gospel Broadcasting Network, The Light Network, and others. I also had opportunities to translate evangelistic materials such as Bobby Bates’ Back to the Bible and Does It Matter?, as well as Rob Whitacre’s Believe the Bible. At other times, I was able to assist as an interpreter in mission and teaching settings.

None of this was part of a plan to build a ministry of my own. I was simply grateful that the abilities and training God had allowed me to develop could be useful to brethren who wanted to make sound biblical material available in Spanish.

Those opportunities also allowed me to meet and work with faithful Christians from different places. Friendships developed, brethren became familiar with my work, and some were kind enough to recommend me when other needs arose.

I could not have known it at the time, but those relationships would soon help open a door that would significantly shape the next chapter of our work.

An Unexpected Door

One of those doors opened in 2019, when World Video Bible School (WVBS) contacted me following recommendations from brethren with whom I had been blessed to work. They asked whether I would be willing to translate and present biblical video material in Spanish.

I had known about WVBS since our years in Memphis and had long appreciated its commitment to making sound Bible teaching freely available.

I had even prayed for an opportunity to serve through a ministry of that nature. I did not know how or when such an opportunity might come, so receiving that invitation was both humbling and deeply encouraging.

Those initial recordings eventually became part of Buscando la Verdad, through which Spanish-speaking audiences can access evangelistic and biblical video resources. But that first opportunity soon led to something we had not anticipated.

Following those recordings, conversations began about translating the materials used by World Video Bible School and developing a Bible school specifically for Spanish-speaking students.

During one conversation, Charles “Chuck” Horner, one of WVBS’s longtime instructors and founders, learned what we were preparing to do. He told me that he had been praying for something like this for 33 years—the same number of years WVBS had been operating at the time.

I have never forgotten that conversation. It reminded me that what was being placed before us was much larger than one person. It represented years of prayers, labor, resources, and a desire shared by brethren long before I became involved.

The project began taking shape in 2020, and in 2021 the first course was made available through Escuela Bíblica en Línea. I have since been blessed to serve as its Director and an instructor, working alongside WVBS and faithful brethren to develop biblical courses and resources in Spanish.

What began with a few translated videos has continued to grow into opportunities to teach books of the Bible, develop courses, prepare evangelistic and educational resources, and make sound biblical teaching freely available to students, Christians, congregations, and those searching for the truth throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

I am deeply grateful to be a small part of that work.

Where We Are Today

Jacky and I are currently serving in Texas as part of our missionary work with World Video Bible School. Being closer to WVBS has allowed us to work more effectively in the development of Spanish-language resources, particularly the recording and production of courses and other biblical materials intended to serve the Spanish-speaking world.

The Lord has also continued to provide opportunities to preach and teach in different places. One for which I am especially thankful is Polishing the Pulpit (PTP). I was first invited to speak at PTP in English, and later, through conversations with its directors, a door opened for sessions to be offered in Spanish. Today, I am grateful to help coordinate those sessions and identify faithful brethren who can join in the teaching.

It is a blessing to see that opportunity extend beyond any one speaker and provide a place where others can use their abilities to strengthen the church.

Jacky continues to serve faithfully alongside me while also using her own opportunities to teach and encourage other women.

Jonathan, after working with us for a time, is now pursuing his own path of preparation and service to the Lord. We are thankful for the time we were able to work together and even more thankful to see him continuing to grow and prepare for his own service.

As I look at where we are today, I do not see a path that we carefully planned for ourselves. I see doors that God has allowed to open, brethren who have trusted and encouraged us, and opportunities to serve that we never could have anticipated.

For all of them, I am grateful.

Why This Website Exists

Why share all of this?

Because perhaps some part of my story resembles yours. Our circumstances may be different, but ultimately we all face the same need: to know God, to understand His will, and to respond faithfully to the invitation of Christ (Matthew 11:28–30).

That is the purpose of this website. The articles, lessons, videos, and other resources shared here are intended to encourage you to open your Bible and examine for yourself what God has revealed. Some may help you find answers to questions about the gospel; others may encourage you to grow in knowledge, faithfulness, and service. My desire is simply to point you beyond the teacher to the Word being taught (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

If I can help you study the Scriptures, please feel free to contact me. I would be glad to help in any way I can.

After everything you have just read, I still know of no better way to describe who I am—or what I hope always to remain—than the name given to the disciples in Antioch (Acts 11:26):

Just a Christian.

To God be the glory for every opportunity to serve.

In brotherly love,
Marlon Retana

Escuela Bíblica en Línea

Hundreds of millions of people around the world communicate in Spanish, representing a vast mission field for the gospel. Escuela Bíblica en Línea (Spanish Bible School) seeks to serve this Spanish-speaking world by making free, in-depth Bible instruction available to those who desire to know God’s Word, while also providing resources that can help strengthen and equip the church. We thank the Lord for this great opportunity and invite you to be part of it.

Are You Searching for the Truth?

The videos below are just a small sample of the thousands of FREE, faith-building, Bible-based videos available through World Video Bible School.

These videos and more are also available in Spanish through Buscando la Verdad.

What must I do to be saved? The answer to this question has implications both now and for eternity.

Have you ever wondered if the true church still exists today? Does it really matter to which church I belong? If the true church does exist, how can I find it?

Where do we go when we die? What happens to us after we breathe our last breath? These are questions that everyone has pondered.