I would like you to meet sweet Jimena Aguilara

Jimena Aguilara

She is the 20 year old Bolivian young lady that God picked out to accompany me, and minister with me to the people of San Fernando, Bolivia from June until December, when she will come back to Santa Cruz, then Cristina will be able to come to San Fernando. 

 

This is Pastor Cesar, Bolivian Baptist pastor of a church called El Sembrador, on the north side of Santa Cruz. (Sembrador means "the one who plants") They are a VERY mission-minded church. Pastor Cesar actually has a long standing good relationship with South America Mission, with a shared desire to reach eastern Bolivia for Christ, and to encourage and strengthen the Christians there, with help from SAMAIR to get there.

And then you have sweet Jimena. After the four of us met this morning for our meeting, Jimena and I went to a market and bought more things for our kitchen and life in San Fernando. I've never bought a teapot or pots and pans before. It was exciting.

And lastly here is Dan Striebig. He is the Director of South America Mission in Bolivia. I have known him and his wife and little girls since I first came to Bolivia in August 2004. They actually lived across the street from the first house I lived in.  That was way before he was director of the mission. In the last few weeks I have met with him a few times to talk about details of life and ministry in San Fernando. Last week I had a long meeting with him and Greg, the SAMAIR pilot. Previously I had met Pastor Cesar and Jimena and talked about San Fernando, but today it was  nice to be official about how we will start ministry and life there. Pastor Cesar had many great ideas.  He sees Jimena as a helper to me.  Dan said he sees Jimena and I as equals. It was a lovely meeting. I spoke of my hopes for San Fernando, but all of us are open to what God wants to do there. Jimena is open, optimistic, and very winsome.

Things are coming along. Later this afternoon, while looking at green plastic bowls, and everything plastic you could want for a kitchen, I got a call from Greg. He had found a satellite radio. Apparently they are very hard to come by. It costs $1,300. And he found out the solar panel that he wants me to get is in the $800 range... then there were a few other figures. Well, I couldn't think very clearly then. Later back at the SAM office I talked to Dan, and then Sue Post in the SAM home office in the states to talk "budget", (one of my least favorite things to think about). But all LOOKS GOOD.  All is A "GO".  SAMAIR is going to make some big purchases for me, and "I" will pay them back:  Many of you have prayed and given so faithfully, that all the needed funds are sitting in a little pot in the States just waiting to be poured out for these needs for life in San Fernando.

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Tomorrow I am sharing in the 2 elementary chapels at Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center. Pray that God would use me, and speak through me.

Matthew 28:19-20

THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.