Operation Bolivia

The Lord has truly given us a great Christmas this year in our family and church. This past Sunday the 23rd of December we had our Christmas activities. We planned a special program for the morning and the night service. In the morning the children of the church presented part of the Christmas story showing how just like Joseph and Mary couldn’t find a place for Jesus to be born many don’t have room for Him today in their lives. The Lord blessed us with 126 in attendance with close to 10 first time visitors. At night the teenagers of the church presented their program and then afterwards we had hot chocolate and fruit cake, both of which are big traditions here. We had over 80 in attendance and 4 people that trusted Christ as Savior.
Then on Christmas day we were able to celebrate as a family and have a wonderful time together. That night we invited several of the young people from the church for a get together where we ate, played games and had each person share something that the Lord had done in their lives. We praise the Lord for His wonderful blessings and hope that each of you have a blessed Christmas and New Year.

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We praise the Lord that the construction of the church in Cobija is coming along well. This past week they were putting the rafters up so that the roof could be finished. At that time they will begin to have services in the building. They are also hoping to be able to have two classrooms underneath for the children. Their hope is that in the future they can continue to add on as the church grows. We would like to once again thank everyone who had a part in helping in this project. Without you allowing the Lord to use you we would not have been able to accomplish our goal. Below are some of the latest photos of the construction work.

Being away from family and friends during the holidays can be a little difficult at times. Even the difference in the seasons can make it hard to think of it as Christmas. We praise the Lord that recently we have been able to have some of our family here to celebrate Christmas with us. My mom and Beth’s mom and brother were here for 9 days to visit and of course see the grandchildren. On Wednesday we exchanged gifts and played games while listing to Christmas music. Although it is about 85 degrees outside, it has been wonderful sharing this very special time. We just have to imagine that it is cold!

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When we started our construction project in Cobija in August we weren’t sure what the Lord would do. Our desire was to have an established church that can take the gospel to the people of Bolivia in Cobija. First the Lord blessed providing the money to purchase a piece of land right beside the building where the church was meeting. This was a true blessing so that they would not have to relocate which in the past has caused the loss of members. At that time we started the construction trusting that the Lord would provide the funds necessary to build a church building. The other day I received a call from Pastor Lorenzo saying that they were unable to continue with the construction because all the money had been used. The following day I heard from two churches that were going to help and I was able to send money to continue. When we received our statement this month we had a total of 3 churches and 1 individual that had given towards the project. With these latest offerings that puts us over the mark and we have “reached our goal” and will be able to complete the main part of the construction. From here the church itself will be able to continue little by little building class rooms and other projects. This has truly been a great victory and time that the Lord has used to strengthen our faith. From the pastor and church in Cobija and us, we want to thank each and every one that has prayed and had a part in making this possible. Only eternity will reveal the fruits of your sacrifice.

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