June 2024 Update
Sometimes as we read prayer letters, we are looking for big things. We want to see a lot of people in the church, many souls saved or other "big" things. While we cannot show you that this month, we can show you a big God at work. A big God that cares about even the small things.
Just like in the states, Bolivians celebrate Mother’s Day in May. Each of our church plants took this opportunity to reach out to their community and encourage others to come to the church for this special occasion. Despite the colder than normal temperatures during these winter months, it seems they did reach a good number of people. And for this we are thankful. Though we have not heard of anyone being saved, we know that the seed of the gospel was planted. Now we must continue to water the seed planted as we watch for God to give the increase.
While on the road here in the states we have been updating our supporting churches and presenting the necessity of replacing our ministry vehicle. While we know this is an expensive venture, we are thankful for those who have already come along side and invested in this need. Our home church started it off with the first gift. Since then, other churches have gotten involved, and we are currently up to $15,500. To be honest, we feel overwhelmed by the $50,000 goal but it has been encouraging to watch God rally others behind the ministry in Bolivia.
Truly, we are saving the best news for last. Over the last few months, our son Daniel has been asking a lot of questions about salvation. We felt he had been ready for a while, but we’ve been cautious not to push him into something that might not be real. Since being stateside, he has raised his hand multiple times during the invitations about needing to be saved. On May 26th, he told his mom he was ready, and he needed to be saved. As she started showing him scripture about being saved it was like a lightbulb turned on. He said, "so it is like we learned in Sunday School when Jesus was on the water. Peter just needed to trust Him and keep his eyes on Him." Daniel did make a profession of faith right then, and that’s when Jessica noticed that our daughter Ellie was crying. She asked why and Ellie said she needed to be saved too! It was a wonderful evening in our home! Since that day, we have talked to each of them about their salvation. Daniel can give us a clear explanation (for an 8-year-old) of being saved. Ellie has struggled a bit more to clearly articulate what we would like to hear. We believe that this could just stem from her autism. Though we have questioned her and tried to see if maybe she was just following her brother's lead, she has been unmovable and is convinced in her salvation. Please help us pray for both of them but especially Ellie. As we pray for them, may we also rejoice for them! Since they were born, I have had in my mind the story of Billy Sunday. It is said that on his deathbed he stated that as he was busy winning thousands to Christ, he lost his own 2 sons. I have always feared being in Bolivia and maybe seeing thousands saved but losing our own two children. That burden has now been lifted and now we must ensure they grow in knowledge of the Lord. My prayer now is not for salvation but for growth.
So, while we don't have "big" things to present to you this month, we are excited and encouraged in the "small" things. There may not have been a large number of visitors for Mother’s Day, but new people were reached. We may not have the full goal for the vehicle, but God is providing. We haven't seen thousands saved this month, but we are overjoyed for the two very precious-to-us souls that were. We are reminded that just because it doesn't look big to us doesn't mean God isn't doing something marvelous. May we trust Him and always keep our eyes on Him!
