5/17-5/25 Thanks for your prayers.

It was an impromptu ministry trip that got put together just 2 days before it all happened.

All the forms of transportation I took over that week went well, Praise God; train, bus, jeep, van, motorcycle, tractor (no kidding)  and small air plane.

All forms of housing: hotel with missionary ladies,  back guest house, one room house with Bolivian girls under a mosquito net, 2 nights in my tent under a tree chickens and roosters called HOME, AND Bella's house.

5/17 I took the train to San Jose, where I met some missionary friends and stayed in a hotel.

5/18 Outside the town of San Jose east of Santa Cruz 5 hours, we spent the day in an Ayore Indian village, helping a missionary well-drilling team. We interacted with the people some. I was able to talk with the  Bolivian school teacher who comes in to teach every day. Late in the afternoon another missionary and I were able to give a short Bible lesson to the few children and sing to them, as they colored a hand-out we gave them. It was a moment of beauty in their dark and dirty lives. The Ayore people are still very primitive in their practices and customs. The are a very hard people group. Missionaries have been trying to reach them for MANY years, with projects and other initiatives, but real change is slim-to-none. Pray for the Ayore people:  that God would soften their hearts and they would respond to his love.

5/19 I traveled  alone on a bus east to Robore. I had lunch with a Pastor and his wife whom I had met the previous year. Immediately afterward,  I became violently ill. I threw up many times. I do not know what caused it. Later that day I traveled up to Santiago de Chiquitos in a little van, where I got sick again. But later I felt better, Praise God,  that it left me quickly. I was still able to have a good visit with Katherine Whittacker, a North American who lives with her family in Santiago where they have a small dairy farm. I met her in 2007. It was good to visit her, as I wanted to encourage her and her family. Pray for their family, schooling for their kids, and the evangelical church in Santiago. It has had a sad fall, as their single pastor got a teenager pregnant, then left town. The church is not only hurting from that, but the believers do not trust each other and are very divided.  Harsh and divisive things have been said, and many are not going to church at all. It really is a mess. Pray for a mature pastor and wife to be called to Santiago.

5/20 I was able to meet with other key believers, Pray for Elena Manacho, that she would forgive.
For Isabel and Jose that they would forgive others and continue to be involved in the church. Pray for Roxanne who is directing the music with her husband. They are faithfully leading, but some folks told me they don't go to church because of how the music is.... AUH! The devil is living and active, there was so much discord among the believers as I went to them and listened individually. Pray for unity, and peace in Santiago. They all begged me to stay. I listened to them, prayed with them, and ask you to join with me in prayer for them. I will always visit them, but only God knows if I will ever live there.

5/21 Friday I went back down to Robore, I spent the evening with Natile and Anna, sisters from Santa Corazon.  At age 16 Natile was leading the church in Santa Corazon. But with time and distraction, went down the wrong path for a while, and has been through some VERY hard things. Pray for restoration for her. She wants to seek God again, and be found in him. She has a heart for missions, and wants to be a missionary. She is 21 now and considering getting married. Pray for her life. That evening I spent with her and her younger sister I showed them the LOVELY book El Cordaro, that Joanna Siebert from Hope Community Church sent me. It captured their attention, and that of their 2 teenage male cousins who were over. The book has bright clear pictures and a description of GOD, CREATION, THE FALL, SIN, SALVATION, REDEMPTION, and Reunion with God! It is clear and lovely. The book is meant for kids, but held the attention of 4 teens/young adults who later I learned are not all Christians! Praise God. Pray for them.

5/22 I flew to Santa Corazon. It was a joyful time with those believers. They were celebrating their church anniversary; it was the first time they celebrated it. They had not had a pastor in years. I had been there before, and it was sweet to see familiar faces. The children are bubbly and bright. The girls are talkative. And the youth are smart. In the anniversary service the church youth performed a drama, it was clear and poignant that we should not just be "Sunday Christians". The young pastor and his wife are energetic and lovely. They are Bolivian Baptist missionaries, sent by the Baptist convention. Pray for Pastor Eric and his wife Jessica. Their congregation has MANY children and youth, and a hand full of adults. The town has a generator that runs for 2 hours every night. Pastor Eric has great speakers and great praise music until the service starts then he plays guitar and sings with the congregation and the children sing strong. It is SUCH a joy to hear. And to see them attentive in the service. They belted out the songs, JESUS IS PROCLAIMED AND IT IS SO SWEET TO HEAR. Eric and Jessica have suffered being out there - it was a larger town than San Fernando but is still isolated. The town phone broke and Eric and Jessica were without pay from their mission for while, and Jessica got sick... They went by land to Robore in the rainy season (a half an hour flight) that took them four days.

5/23 It was lovely spending time with Jessica preparing for meals and cleaning up with her later in her make-shift dirt-floor kitchen. We got to know each other more. They will be my closest "ministry/missionary" friends. Santa Corazon is about 5 hours by land south of San Fernando. I talked to Eric and asked them to please try to visit me in San Fernando. I would appreciate his preaching and encouragement. I am not going to be the preacher in San Fernando, but an encouragement and support to the believers, as we pray and study the Bible together and as I facilitate a church leadership course for them. But I know Eric's male leadership and preaching will be appreciated by all. And I will visit Santa Corazon when I can. They are a joyful bunch.

5/24 Monday we flew to San Fernando (originally when I realized there was space on the flight from Robore to Santa Corazon, I thought that's all the flight included, but no...they were going on to San Fernando for a night and day). We had a church service by candle light with the small group of believers:  3 men, 4 women, 5 children, the missionary couple and their children who came with me, and Greg the missionary pilot. He spoke on God's Glory. God spoke to me that evening - God wants all the glory. Greg read passage after passage. It was clear, and a clear check on my motives. I always have to check my heart's motives:  am I stealing glory from God, for myself? That evening I spent in Bella's house (the church leader). We stayed up and talked for a while, until I could not stay awake (a week of travel had taken it's toll on me). But we had a lovely talk. I believe she is in her late 40's. She became a Christian at age 11, while at a missionary-run boarding school in the jungle.  She was baptised the following year. In 2004 her family moved from that small town called Rincon del Tigre (Corner of the Tiger) to San Fernando. Her husband bought 1000 hectors of land to farm. In 2007, because of a drunken dispute, he and his two oldest  sons were shot and killed. I can not imagine Bella's pain. But still she stays in that town with her youngest son and his wife. She is leading the church as best as she can, and teaches in the small government-run school. She is sweet and joyful, and more lively than I remember from a year ago. Pray for our friendship, well all of us - the believers from San Fernando, Jimena and I.  Bella tells me there is much idol worship in the catholic church in S.F, and witchcraft in town as well, and much drunkenness.

5/25 Tuesday Greg and others brought the things in from the plane that they brought for MY HOUSE!!!! MY BATHROOM AND KITCHEN SINK! IT WAS SO THRILLING TO SEE!!!!!! But there is still much construction to be done to enclose the kitchen, and to put in two more doors to make our house enclosed and safe, plus much screen has to be added. We passed by the school and there are many children.  They are much more standoffish than Santa Corazon children, but they are very curious. I met a group of women in the street and I introduced myself.  They were all smiles and glad I was coming to live in their town. I even got an invite to come over to one of their houses already. In the afternoon we came back to Santa Cruz, I was so tired.

Bueno, if you read all of that, thank you! Please pray for all and any of it.  God desires to hear us pray. These next two weeks will fly by! I do have ONE MILLION THINGS STILL TO DO. Today I met with Steve the SAM $ man. We need to meet again and talk about transferring funds. I need to talk with Dan about my ministry monthly goals and objectives. Today I went to the dentist for a cleaning and check up after a year, but need to go back to fill 3 cavities: boo! This evening I went to Cristo Viene girls home with my friend Mara, to see the little girls. Oh, I want to adopt them all! Tomorrow I will go meet with Dr. Placido Mercado, Missionary Doctor, about practical medical things I can know and do. Also tomorrow I think I will go pick up a foam mattress and gas tank and gas stove top burner. This evening is the Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center High School graduation. Auh, I had the graduating class as 7th GRADERS! That makes me feel old. I'm still in transition of my role:  I'm no longer part of the school but I knew the students so well. That feeling goes for my Santa Cruz church as well.  I have been traveling and speaking at different churches AND I'M ABOUT TO LEAVE THE CITY so I have not been as involved as I used to be, so it's a weird transition that way, too. This Saturday night I will speak at a different church about my call to missions as a child, and my call to San Fernando now.

There are more things I need to buy and meetings I need to have. Please pray that I would think clearly, and ALWAYS PUT GOD FIRST/ SEEK HIM FIRST! That he would calm and order my thoughts as I step into this new ministry.

Thank you SO MUCH for your prayers. I felt prayed-for this past week as I traveled. Even as I was sick I felt God with me.   As I was talking to one believer in Santiago on Friday who said she is surrendered to God's leading, I felt God speaking through me to encourage her to reach out to members of the church who have been hurt:  believers who have distanced themselves. Everything just clicked into place and God used me to speak into people's lives. I want to be a tool in God's hands. Pray that I would be sensitive to his Spirit, so I can be useful in his hands; moving with Him.

I'll put on more pictures when I can.

HEALTHY REMINDER:

Isaiah 40:28-31

"Do you not know? Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

Even youth grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength."