May 2024 Prayer Letter
One of the blessings of being in the ministry is that you never get bored. It seems as if there is always something that needs to be done. Then, as we start preparing for furlough, it gets even busier, but it is great to be used of the Lord in His work.
In our last letter, we mentioned the small struggling church we had been helping during the last few weeks before flying back to the states. One of our main goals was to encourage this young pastor and the members of the church. We wanted them to see that they could reach their community more effectively than what had been done throughout the last few years. In the short time we were with them, we organized several evangelistic activities. On our first Sunday, there were only 12 people in attendance, including children. Each Sunday thereafter seemed to attract more and more people. Our last event with them was for their anniversary. We made a big deal out of it to make a significant push in the community. As we were out inviting the neighbors, we found that many didn't even know the church existed. This is not ideal for a church celebrating 16 years! On the day of the anniversary, there were over 70 people in attendance, about four times the number they had last year! In addition to all these people receiving a clear gospel presentation, the reaction of the church members afterwards was a tremendous blessing to see. The following Wednesday night, during the prayer request time, I heard every person mention reaching out to those who came or attempting to engage with their community better! Mission accomplished! This was our desire from the beginning, and they are all seeing it! Please continue to pray for them to maintain that vision in the future.
Before leaving Bolivia, we spent several days shipping scripture. We sent over 500 boxes around the country reaching 6 of the 9 states of Bolivia and into Peru. Believe it or not, the 40' container we received in February is almost empty, with less than 300 boxes left. It was good to get this accomplished before our furlough because otherwise it would all sit in the container unused while we are gone.
We are now back in the states for our furlough, where we plan to visit as many churches as possible to provide ministry updates. Our furloughs are always focused on the ministry and its future goals. This furlough will be no exception. However, this time we will focus less on the needs of our current church plant and more on replacing a tool we use daily to do much of the heavy lifting in the ministry. Last August, our truck was rear-ended by a drunk driver while we were at church. Thanks to those who were visiting at the time, we were able to get it fixed and it “looks” good. However, since August, our truck has been in the shop 2-3 times every month for some kind of mechanical issue. This has had a negative impact on our ministry. For instance, our indigenous church is 3 hours from where we live, in the middle of the jungle. There are no mechanics, supplies, or even fuel in case of a breakdown. With the issues the truck has had, there have been multiple times I couldn’t get there as needed. Our truck has hauled a lot of church people, supplies, and Bibles, but we believe it is time to replace it. We had already been saving for a replacement, but these monthly repairs are eating away at that savings. Would you help us pray about this need? For one that can haul supplies over rough terrain to remote areas, we are finding prices of $45K - $50K for used vehicles that are about 4 years old. We believe that replacing our truck with one that will be more reliable would allow us to continue full steam ahead in the ministry.
We have had more churches reach out to us about coming to give an update. If we have not been in contact with you and you would like us to come, please let us know. Almost all of our Sundays are booked, but we still have some midweek services available. Please allow us one more opportunity to thank you for your help and support over the years. The ministry in Bolivia would not be possible without your prayers and support.
