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Psalms 91:14 “ Because he loves me,” says the
Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.”
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The road was washed out, rocks in the river had to
be removed, and the bus had problems. But the Lord rescued our group from
disaster. For two days our group was somewhere on the mountain without a cell phone signal to let us know where and how they were. By Sunday morning we had waited 18 hours for news but nothing came. Two church leaders decided to go up the mountain to find them. One group spent the night half way down the mountain in the home of a believer, just like Bible days when the Christians opened their homes to those spreading the Gospel. They were able to get a signal to notify us but the last group (five men including Juan) found a bus that would take them back up to the mountain village to get our equipment, that is when communication with them was lost.
They were lost, but finally found. Everyone was ok, but the guys had to dig out rocks from under the bus where it was the stuck in the river. When the bus was fixed and the road opened, they continued on, but the rains were causing mudslides on the way down the mountain. Thank the Lord for His protection for these faithful young Bolivian men.
This is a typical house in the mountain village. Last year we delivered a baby in a house like this. The mother and baby would have died of complications if God hadn't had us there with a doctor and nurse from our church to assist the delivery.
The mother is smiling, the baby isn't too happy but very healthy. We know this happy lady has received two blessings this past year, a healthy baby and the Good News. The village is open to a church being planted and God is preparing a way to send help to them through our church here to get the church grounded. Bolivians reaching their own people, and we are blessed to be a part.
Our vets, (Jonathon, pastor's son, and Pablo, pastor's son-in-law), stomped around in the mud vaccinating animals. A typical scene, animals living close to the houses. When the group was stranded for an extra day the people of the village offered to kill a sheep to feed the group.
One of the highlights is seeing the kids' smiles, and the contrast of before and after. They get a shampoo with lice medicine, manicures, pedicures, bows and berets for the girls. Then new sandals, and clothes we have collected from church members and from going door to door in the nicer parts of the city. See what you think about the contrast, before and after.
The message we take is the Best Gift because it is forever. The first evening of meetings the people didn't want to stop singing, They stayed out in the cold weather with the lighting from our generator well into the night, and learned and sung children's songs with the motions. When we handed out New Testaments you could see the kids and people reading and talking about what they heard and read. God did a work in hearts and lives. We know the Word will never return void. Our work is not in vain.
Is it worth it to leave our comfort zone, or help financially, or be a prayer warrior, to reach people in areas where no one wants to go to take the message of Jesus? The testimonies of all who went to minister or had a part in one way or another, would say yes. And the people who heard the message are eternally grateful. Many started the new year with a new life, an eternal life.
A new sweater, hot chocolate and bread, it doesn't take a lot to meet the needs of children who have next to nothing. This year again the bread was gobbled up by all, and the hunger for the Bread of Life was evident by the participation in the meetings.
The new year brings the challenge of establishing a church for this village. We already have the people in place to help and the village asking for us to come and teach them. This is an open door for the furtherance of the Gospel.
Philippians 1:12 "But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,"
If you wonder what God is doing when you go through hard things, trust that He is working things that happen for the furtherance of the gospel and He has a plan for you. The people on this mountain helped our group. God used these precious mountain people to meet their needs when no one else could. He always has a plan, the best plan. My next blog will tell an amazing story of how God stopped our group in a place half way down the mountain where He has a plan for us. It's a new year, with new opportunities, for the furtherance of the gospel.