April 2020 Update
Hello from Bolivia,
What a change a month can bring! I know each person reading this is in agreement that this last month has been an interesting one. How something so small, that we can’t even see, has changed the whole world. While it has changed our circumstances, it has not changed our calling to go reach the world. What an opportunity we now have that was not as readily available just one month ago.
In Bolivia, we are in full quarantine due to COVID 19. Unless you work in the food or general medicine field you are not allowed to leave the house at all. Only once a week can people between 18-65 years old go out to buy groceries. They are regulating this according to our government IDs. We are not allowed to drive at all. We must walk to the grocery store and carry home enough supplies to last us for the next week, but we must do so between the hours of 8AM and 12PM. Due to these restrictions, everyone is at the grocery store at the exact same time. The lines have been extending several blocks down the street. Ours wrapped 6 times around the parking lot before it went down the street. If you are caught out on a day that you are not allowed, you are fined $150 and possibly put in jail for up to 8 hours. Needless to say, we are staying at home as much as possible. This quarantine started on March 16th and is currently set to last through at least April 15th.
During the quarantine we are not allowed to have church services. However, we are still trying to care for our people. Thanks to Change The World Relief Org. and our home church, we are able to help provide food for people, 50-60 families thus far. We are starting with the families in our churches and taking any opportunity we can to get the food to them.
Thank you for helping us pray for the McKinney family as they were trying to get into Bolivia. It was an adventure to get them to their new home. The quarantines started the exact same day they arrived in Santa Cruz. We ended up spending 8 hours at the airport to make sure we could see them in and help them get to their house. On the way to their house, we used some special taxis that had permission to drive. However, for some reason, the police were not happy about their driving and started taking their permissions and towing their cars. Thankfully, this did not happen to our taxis. For the first 2-3 days, the quarantine was not so strict. This allowed us to help the McKinneys purchase many of their appliances and a few other items for their home. They are borrowing some of our beds and furniture until we can get back out to finish their shopping. Sadly, because they do not have a Bolivian ID yet, they are not allowed to go buy groceries. Jessica and I have been walking and getting groceries for both of our families on our designated days. We believe this rule will change soon and they will be able to go get groceries for themselves.
Through all of this, something positive is happening. I have seen our neighborhood come together to help each other. We have assembled a group who are sharing resources with each other. In our neighborhood there are cooks, doctors, people with connections to meat and vegetables and more that have made themselves available if help is needed. Just today, we had a truck show up with a big load of fruit and vegetables. It was not exactly legal according to the quarantine, but the people are doing their best to try to help each other. There are many who can’t walk to the store and they need help too. It has been good to see our neighborhood come together and help one another.
I do want to take a moment to ask you to not forget your missionaries. I have already heard of missionaries whose support has dropped by half or more. Ours was normal last month but our mission board has warned us to be prepared for a decrease in support. We know God can, and always has supplied our needs. He has always been faithful to us. I know many of you are suffering too. Some of you may not be able to do as you once did. I just want to remind you that your missionaries rely on you. Most of us in foreign fields are not allowed to take a local job for supplementing income. We would lose our residency and be kicked out if we did so.
God has been good to us. None of us can deny that! Let’s do our best to let the world see Him through us during this difficult time. Let them see the love of God during what may be the most difficult time through which this generation has ever lived. You might be the one He uses for another soul to be born into His family.
