Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category
The Lord Answers Prayer
Comments(0)This past Sunday the 27th of July the Lord did amazing things in the church. Our morning service went ok a little down in attendance. Then in the afternoon we had our discipleship meeting at 5:00 p.m. before the evening service. We talked with those present about setting goals in the church to reach by the end of the year. I shared with them a passage from I Cor.3:6 that talks about the planting and watering that we do but at the end it is God that gives the increase. We were making some plans for the planting and the watering part but I challenged them that we must beg God to give us the increase. That afternoon we prayed that God would give us a special service and a good attendance and that He would do something that had never been done. As church started there were about 20 or so that had arrived. By the time the service was over we had 73 in attendance and a girl visiting for the first time that we had invited almost a year ago while out in town. She was attending church on the other side of town and was looking one closer to where she lives. We praise the Lord for answering prayer and doing a miracle. That was the highest attendance that we have had on a normal Sunday night.
Reach them before it’s to late
Comments(1)I am very grateful to the Lord for the desire of many of our people to reach out to those in need especially those who are lost. I have written in the past about several ladies in our church that go and visit the hospitals in our area. This past week they were able to go to the ICU unit where there were many women with very serious illnesses. Many of the women there have cancer and have no hope of recovery with only days or weeks to live. As those from our church went around and shared the Bible with them there were twelve of the ladies that trusted Christ. Whereas before, they faced the end of their lives with no hope now they have the assurance of an eternity free from sickness and pain. We praise the Lord that they were able to hear the truth before it was too late. The question is how many more are lost with no hope and no one has told them.
1st Annual Youth Conference
Comments(1)Well tonight was the last night of our 1st annual youth conference here at the church. Our theme was a “New Generation”. Our desire is to see a new generation of young people that would dedicate their lives and impact this world with the gospel like never before. It was a privilege to have visiting us for the conference Bro Tony and Mrs. Stacey Howeth. Bro. Tony is the deputation director for Macedonia World Baptist Missions and they have been great friends of ours several years. Not only do we value their friendship but also their love for God and how He is using them. From the first night the Lord has moved in a great way and our attendance was from around 100 the first night to almost 130 on the last night. We also met upstairs after the service with the leaders so that they could ask questions. The response was amazing. What started as something just for a few our leaders turned into more than 50 people asking questions for more than a hour until after 10:00pm. This was one of our most special services that we have had in our church with many of our young people along with young people from other churches making decisions to give their lives to serve Him. It was a great privilege to have the Howeths with us and we are thankful for all that the Lord did in the conference. Please pray for the Howeths and all the young people that made decisions during this time.
They’ve Got Talent
It is wonderful to see people with a desire to serve the Lord and it is always encouraging when people step up with a desire to discover and use the talents the He gives them. One of the areas in our church that this has been most evident is the music ministry. For some time now we have had as many as 8 or 10 that have been helping, learning and participating with the music. During several of the conferences that we have had they have prepared several special songs on their own. For our family conference we had 10 that played a variety of instruments from the guitar to pan pipes, which are bamboo tubes of varying sizes tied together to makes the different notes. Some of those that help are now even teaching others how to play some of the instruments. While not all are cut out for music each of us have a specific place to fill in the body of Christ. Each of us, have abilities and talents that can be used to serve in the church. The last Saturday of this past month we had a talent night to let some of those that don’t always get to participate use the abilities that the Lord has given them. Some sang while others played instruments and some put together skits that shared the gospel. I was really surprised to see the excitement and participation even from many family members that came to support their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. We had close to a hundred that were there, many of which were visiting the church for the first time. Not only did they hear some great and some not so great music, but also they heard the gospel, which could change their lives.
Just a day in the Park
Well this past Saturday we had an activity for the young people of the church. Everyone met at a beautiful park that is about 30 minutes outside of the city. There are areas for having a picnic and cooking out and the main attraction that is a pretty hefty hike (especially at over nine thousand feet altitude) to a breathtaking waterfall. We started off with a small service where we had a song and then two short messages. Afterwards everyone ate what they brought for a picnic. We then hiked up the mountain where there is an amazing view of the city and from there is a treacherous trail that leads to the waterfall. In several places the trail is about two feet wide with a several hundred feet drop. Unfortunately we don’t OSHA safety regulations here. It was a great time of learning and fellowship. We praise the Lord we had over 40 young people that participated.
He lifts them up
Most everyone has heard that everything rises and falls on leadership. That can be concerning many times especially when you live in another country. Bolivia has been a country that has had political difficulties from it’s beginning. That has been even more evident since the election of our current president Evo Morales. He has been influential in several of the coups that have taken place in the past and organized most of the nationwide strikes that took place before he was president. January of 2007 there was a major conflict between the loyalists of the president’s socialist party that came from the rural areas of our district and blocked all access in and out of our city. By the time it was over two people had lost their lives and more than 300 were injured. Now because the economic and political situation has worsened and the peoples dissatisfaction is rising there are talks of a revote for all major offices including the president. While this could have major consequences for us as missionaries, we are trusting the Lord because we know that He is the one that raises up and brings down those that are in government. Please pray that the Lord’s will be done and that the results of these elections may help us better take the gospel to Bolivia.
Special Visitors
We are always excited about having people come and visit us here in Bolivia. This past week we had our pastor and my dad and step mom visiting with us. They arrived on Friday morning and said that all their flights and travel went smoothly. On Saturday, they were able to go with us to our youth meeting and enjoyed seeing the activities and I translated for them during the preaching. On Sunday my pastor preached for Sunday school and in the morning and night services. We had a great attendance in the morning of more than 80 and we sang a special as a family in the night service. Our pastor also brought us several radio like boxes that are called Proclaimers. They are simple devices that work with solar power, batteries or plug in and have the Bible recorded on them in the national language. They can be used for Bible study and reaching many people in rural areas that can’
t read or write. We truly enjoyed having family here for a short stay and they were a great blessing to our ministry and us.
A day at the park.
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My pastor on the left my dad and step mom on the right with Cochabamba in the background.
Father’s Day
Father’s day is celebrated here in Bolivia on March the 19th but much like in the United States it doesn’t compare to the same day celebrated for moms. With our family conference coming up a week afterwards we didn’t make that big a deal of it. We told everyone to invite their fathers and that we had a special gift for each one. The Lord truly blessed and we had several fathers visiting for the first time. In total we had 105 in attendance and many that raised their hands wanting to be the father that the Lord wanted them to be.
Getting missionaries to the field
I can honestly say as a missionary that the help and instruction that we received before starting our deputation process was a lifesaver and allowed us to get on the field much faster than normal. By the Lord’s grace we were able to finish our deputation and raise the full amount necessary for our field in only a year and a half. We would have never been able to accomplish this without the help that we received. Much of that instruction has now been put into a book format so that others can benefit from it. If you as a pastor would like to be able to get this information into the hands of your missionaries or you know someone who is thinking about being a missionary or starting the deputation process I would highly recommend you get this book “The Deputation Manual”. If you would like more info you can go to www.bcwe.org and click on the deputation manual link. I know that it will be a help and lifesaver for you.
The Angels Rejoice but Satan’s not happy
The Bible tells us that there is joy in heaven for every sinner that repents. Recently in our church the Lord has given us some great victories. I have written in the past about Edwardo and his desire to see his family saved. Yesterday he called me to tell me that he went and spoke with his mom a very devout Catholic. He said for the first time she didn’t argue. After talking for a good while she prayed and trusted Christ as Savior. When we first started the church among the teenagers that came there was one guy that came but he was anti American and didn’t seem to like us much. He has come off and on since then and we have prayed for him a lot. Recently I noticed that he was coming and instead of joking during the invitation he would look around to see if anyone was raising their hands. This past Wednesday after church he told me that he had trusted Christ at home by himself and wanted a Bible to be able to read. This along with two people that were saved during camp has been truly a blessing in our church. Of course we know that this does not make Satan happy and we have had several under attack. We had one of our teenagers that out of the blue his mom told him they were going to Argentina and they left. One teenage girl that dedicated her life during the camp was told by her mom that she couldn’t go to church any more because she was changing to drastically. Also one of the young guys that who was formerly a Mormon was told by his parents that he could no longer go to our church and had to return to theirs. It is no coincidence that the Lord is working in lives of each of these in a great way. We would ask that you pray that we will continue to see sinners come into the fold and that the Lord will shelter all from the attacks of the enemy.
