Operation Bolivia

I have heard it said that the mark of a great church is not its seating capacity but its sending capacity. We know that mission’s is the heartbeat of God and that every Christian and church has the responsibility to be involved in missions. This month we had our first international mission’s conference in the church. We had from Peru and a family from Colombia visiting, with missionary Christian Chin preaching. Christian is a Peruvian missionary preparing to go to the field of China very soon. We had three days of great services starting on Friday with 73 in attendance. Then on Saturday we had an international banquet with many people bringing their favorite dish for the banquet. We had 113 with many returning to the church for the first time in a long time. On Sunday, we ended the services with a great attendance of more than 70 but most importantly were the decisions made. On Sunday night when the invitation was given all but a few people went to the altar and two trusted Christ as Savior. We also had three or four families visiting for the first time. Our goals with the conference were to be able to support one or two missionaries and that some would surrender to serve the Lord. Pray that in the coming weeks we will see these goals become a reality.

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It is a great responsibility that we have to take the gospel to a lost and dying world. As a church one of the main purposes of our existence is to fulfill that task and to equip others to do likewise. It is many times while seeing, hearing, or being around a missionary that the Lord can use them to influence others to give their lives. If you are looking for that opportunity for your church and young people to be around missionaries and influenced for missions the time has arrived. The 2007 Summit will be held in Pigeon Forge TN from December 27-29. There will be missionaries from all over the world and young people who are preparing to go to the mission field. We have been able to participate in this meeting in the past and can honestly say that it has changed our lives and the lives of many others for missions. For more info go to www.ogsummit.info.

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The work continues to go forward building the church in Cobija. The land purchase has now been finalized and the paper work is being done to start the construction. This is a time consuming process and of course money is always required. The planes are being drawn up, which is a requirement in the process and although the design will allow for the church to grow in the future the main construction, that we are trying to help the church accomplish, now will allow them to have a church building where they can have services. We praise the Lord that we have just received $1000 more toward the construction which brings the total to around $3500, which means we only need about $1000 more to get them well on their way to having their own church. We only need two more individuals or churches to give $500 and we can reach our goal. Please pray that the Lord will provide the last amount needed to finish this project. If the Lord would have you be one of the only two more needed send to Macedonia World Baptist Missions Bolivia land fund P.O. Box 519 Braselton GA 30517 or contact us at kwhite@grtw.org – 336-499-2585.

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This past month not only did we have our first baptismal service but we also had our first  anniversary of the church on the 9th of September. We had 92 in attendance that morning for our anniversary service with a special birthday cake that we all blew out at the end. Then we had 69 for the night service at which time we organized the church and had those who would become charter members sign the membership book. We had a special speaker Pastor Miguel Murillo who is the director of the Macedonia Baptist Seminary and pastor of the Hunter Baptist Church in Arequipa Peru assist in the service. We had around 35 or 40 that became charter meembers. The Lord has truly blessed us since we started a little over a year ago. We have seen our attendance grow to an average of between 50 and 60 and have seen many people saved. We also are working with some 15 people in discipleship and have about 6 or 8 guys that are helping as leaders in the church. Please pray that the Lord will raise up leaders to take the gospel to Bolivia.

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We praise the Lord for the decisions that people make to serve and follow Him. This past Sunday morning we had our first baptismal service in the church. We prepared our baptistery with a small swimming pool and decorated with flowers. We had spent two weeks meeting with those wanting to be baptized explaining the biblical basis and assuring that they understood. It was an exciting time as 22 people took this first step of obedience to the Lord. One of those was the father of one of the ladies in our church. The week before I had the opportunity to speak with him and he trusted Christ as his personal Savior. He is almost 80 years old and has terminal cancer. As he stood there in the baptistery with his family looking I understood that the tears in his eyes were from the joy of finally understanding the difference that Christ had made in their lives. Please pray for those that were baptized as many will face opposition from their friends and family.

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