June 2022 Update
Good Day from the Murray Family,
God has been good! This is the best way I know to start our letter this month. When we remember His faithfulness in the good times and in the hard times, we must come to the conclusion that He is and has always been better to us than we deserve.
We are watching our 2nd church grow spiritually. As we turned over this church last year, Pastor Rogelio had dreams for the future, but the people had a hard time seeing these dreams as possible. I encouraged Rogelio to slowly grow their faith and I have been encouraged myself to watch him do this. When we helped build initially, we only finished what must be accomplished with the building but left some projects incomplete that would require them to become involved. Our goal was to teach the locals to continue progressing and growing without us. They first put up some small awnings for the children’s classes. Now, they are completing some parts of the flooring in the building. It is a joy to see them invest in the Lord’s work without any outside assistance. I love watching their faith begin to grow as God provides for them. Up until last year, they always relied on help from our family, but now they are watching God provide for them personally. This will increase their faith in Him!
Our new church is also seeing growth. In the photos that Brother Arturo sends me on a regular basis it seems there are always a few more faces. Arturo and his family are truly dedicated to this church. They are constantly working and holding other activities, and it seems to be effective. We can hardly wait to get back alongside of them when we return in August!
Speaking of our return, we have already started packing. I know this sounds strange to most but to other missionaries, it is considered normal. Remember, we are only allowed to travel with 8 suitcases. We are supposed to fit everything we will need for the next 2 years into those 8 suitcases. It takes time to pack, rearrange, figure out what must go versus what is less important. It takes time to sort through it all. We would ask for your prayers over this financially. We have gathered almost all our personal needs but still have a few more costly items for the ministry we hope to purchase before returning. Also, it normally costs us over $1,000 in luggage fees at the airport. Though we are only allowed 8 bags, we always try to pack them to the max and the airlines charge for that extra weight. The Lord has always supplied for this need in the past but, naturally speaking, the closer we get to the date, the more we begin to think about them.
To finish, we have some very exciting news! There is another family on deputation with the intent of coming to Bolivia specifically to be a help to us in the ministry! We met the Blackburn family several years ago. God bonded our families, and they quickly became as a part of our family. God has burdened them to come to work with us and help us as we continue to start new churches. It is humbling to know that God would partner others alongside of us. I can’t wait to see what He has in store for this family and for the ministry in Bolivia! I believe God is preparing to do something great and I want to be a part of it! Please pray for the Blackburn family as they begin their deputation journey.
The workings of God are always evident. His help in moving our previous church towards maturity and blessing our current church with growth, to preparing new missionaries to work with us in the future. He has always been faithful to our family and there is no reason we should doubt Him now. Thank you for allowing Him to use you to help us be in Bolivia.
