LOVELY FEET MESSENGER
Newsletter October 5
ON THE ROAD TO A VILLAGE
We are very excited as we are on our way on the 17th of October to a very remote isolated Aymara village on the other side of the Andeans Mountains to bring the gospel of our God to those who have not heard. This is a large village consisting of 300 children. Pastor Angel, an Aymaran man, has opened these doors to this village. We will be teaching the children through drama, stories and puppets about creation and salvation. We have a small team of 4 young people from our church, Rhonda, Sam and myself. Pastor Angel will minister to the adults with his wife, Marisol.
We are bringing with us 300 small illustrated children’s books that we have purchased from the International Bible Society. There are five different illustrated stories that we hope the children will read and pass around to each other. This is an opportunity to change a generation of Aymara children, to set them free from bondage to Satan and Pachamama whom they serve out of fear. While there are regional differences in worship many believe that if they don’t sacrifice to Pachamama that she will exact her own sacrifice in blood.
While we don’t know what we will find in the village and we don’t know how we will be received we are going believing that God will set these people free from bondage and free to understanding that God is good and that he loves them. Please consider fasting for us this day, believing with us that chains will be broken and the love and light of God released and that God’s miraculous hand will move through the village. Watch for our film that we will be posting shortly after we return.
We have many needs for this trip. You can help us by donating on our website www.lovelyfeet.org. If you want to specifically designate your gift, send us an email and let us know. You can send your message directly to me at ron@lovelyfeet.org.
300 illustrated books $150
Toys for children $200
Transportation to/from $150
Snacks/cookies and food $200
300 New testaments $ covered
A great desire is to bring the Jesus film in the Aymara language to the villages. Most of these people have never seen movies let alone seeing it in their own language. This film could be so powerful for all these people. However, we have several obstacles that I am hoping you can help us with. We have a DVD player but the projector will cost us $700. I have found the projector here in La Paz. I have not priced any speakers but I do not expect them to cost more than $100. The biggest problem is a power source. I’m working on that. I can get a small generator but I would prefer a large battery. I found one in the states but they will not ship it here. Please keep this in prayer.
ON THE ROAD EACH MONTH
Our future plans include visiting at least one village each month. Of course there is a significant expense to that. Not every village is as large as the one we are visiting this month, but there will be continuing costs. Please consider partnering with us each month to help us with these costs and the costs of living here. We need you!
VICTORIES
Our house is sold, Praise God. Thank you all for praying for us. We are able to pay off almost all of our debts that we had in the US. Some of you may have thought we were crazy to leave our jobs and the US when we still had debts. But God said to us “the clock is ticking” in January. We heard 7 times that we were not waiting on God but that God was waiting on us and we left in faith. I’m not saying that our faith was not repeatedly challenged but we took our steps. We did not take any salary from this ministry and still have not. God simply supplied our needs and sold the house before we had to make one payment while we were in Bolivia…exactly 4 days before. SET aside all obstacles that so easily beset us! Our debt was the first of our obstacles, but God removed it. To those who are saying to yourselves that you can’t work for the church or take a missionary journey until you have so much money…stop focusing on the obstacle and seek God alone.
FAVOR AND FRIENDS
We have found much favor here in Bolivia. WE live in a boardinghouse where our hosts have basically adopted the three of us. As I am writing this I am recovering from an attack of sickness of fever and flu. Rene, the owner of our home, came into my room through the night checking on me and bringing me medicine and tea. They have become our sincere friends. We also live with three other girls, one from Japan, one from Holland and one from England. The people who live here rotate but all have been genuinely interested in the Lord and what we are doing here. We are praying for them and find it interesting that we would have the opportunity to witness to people from all parts of the world.
Our housekeeper at the boardinghouse is Aymara. Flora is one of three Christians from her village, the Isla del Sol. She never owned a Bible in her own language. I am happy to say that Lovely Feet bought her an Aymara Bible and we gave her copies of the Jesus film in her own language. Aymara people are very unemotional but Flora just about jumped up and down.
I would be lost without my neighbor and friend Abdul. Abdul has spent hours with me each week helping me through immigration. It would literally be impossible to make it without him. This has taken 20 to 40 hours of his time each week. As if that is not enough he has had us over to bar-b-que twice as well. And yet, Abdul is not a Christian. We openly talk about Jesus and about faith but he confesses to be an Atheist. He says that faith is difficult. As I love my new friend, keep him in prayer.
Our church is a small gathering, but each and every week new people appear with testimony of transformations. Rhonda has gotten the chance to play her guitar and lead in worship. Her guitar was purchased through a gift from a friend in the states.
CULTURAL UPDATE
The darkness is thick here in La Paz. We continue to learn about the devil’s strongholds and I want to keep you updated. We recently learned about the “Elephant Cemetery”. Legend has it that in Africa elephants go off to a solitary location to die when they think their life has run its course. Here in La Paz the homeless or down and out go to a secret location (it is illegal) and pay for a bucket of strong drink and a room. They are locked in this room to drink themselves to death. It is said that it can take a day or a week. Their body is then thrown into the foundation of a large building as a blood sacrifice to satisfy Pachamama. It is said that some workers will not work on the building unless there has been a sacrifice because Pachamama will exact her sacrifice on the construction worker if she does not have it another way.
SAVE THE DATE
Prayer and Fasting for October 17 as we go to the village. We will update you with photos and film.
WE LOVE YOU AND ARE PRAYING FOR YOU. Ron, Rhonda and Sam.
Check out our website at www.lovelyfeet.org
