The Harvest is here in Bolivia

Bringing Jesus to the Villages

Since our last newsletter we have visited three villages in the Altiplano following the leadership of our Pastor Angel Condori and bringing along our newly formed drama team. It is always a challenge to reach the village and our first trip was no exception. We rented a van and driver and loaded it with nineteen people, cookies, toys and bible books bought with donations made to Lovely Feet.

Ron and Rhonda with the kids of Esquillana

Finally a village - Esquillana
With the Children of EsquillanaThe village of Esquillana (es-key-ana) is extremely remote, many miles off the main highway, through dirt roads, rocks and creeks. After more than 30 minutes off-road, our driver worried about weight and so, all the men unloaded and began to walk with a promise that the driver would return for us. The ladies went on to the village and began to minister in song with nearly 200 children, some who had walked for four hours to meet us. The men walked about 6 miles before the van came into sight, but the van would not take us on to the village because it had already blown a tire and would not risk another blowout because he had no more spares. So we traveled back to the highway and ran into a rain storm that was washing out the roads. We found a small store selling used tires but the mud was so thick in front that the van got stuck. We left two of our team with the van to make sure that eventually the bus driver would come to the village for us and then convinced a taxi driver to take four of us on to the village.

After nearly two and a half hours of waiting the women joined hands to pray while the village people watched. At that very moment we arrived. Rhonda narrated the story of creation, the fall and the promise of redemption while our team acted it out. All those present joined in prayer to receive Jesus as their Savior. We were well received; we passed out gifts and children’s bible books and received a meal of chunos, tuntas and papas.

Pastor Angel at the new church being built

A new Christian village
Last year Steven Reed, a missionary from Florida, with Pastor Condori led our team to a remote village where a woman proclaimed that they were the forgotten people and asked why we would come from the other side of the world to visit them. After we told her and the village that it was because we came with the message that God loved them and provided Jesus as their savior, the village prayed to receive Jesus as their Savior. Since that time, Pastor Juan, an Aymara, continued to follow up with them and minister to them. Recently, the village began to construct their own small church to hold service for 17 families who have continued to follow the way of Jesus. After Christmas, Steve Reed returned to La Paz for a short visit and we traveled to the village to pray over the new construction. They have raised up two pastors, neither of which have a Bible in their own language, to lead them. They told us stories of God’s blessings. The village has always been poor, planting only potatoes and quinoa, but within the last year decided to plant onions and lettuce. The onions are huge and the best tasting onions we had ever had. The village has received and attributed this bounty as the blessing of God that is leading them into a more prosperous season.

The people of Sullcavi-Chaquiri praying to know Jesus more

The first village of the New Year- Sullcavi-Chaquiri
We returned again to the road on the 2nd of January with a growing team of 23 people to minister and encourage a small village called Sullcavi-Chaquiri (suy-cavi-cha-ker-ee) that had previously planted a church, Roca de Sion (Rock of Zion). We were armed with some new books for children. This time we had books in Aymara, their primary language. They were sold to us at an extreme discount by the Bible Society of Bolivia who were as thrilled for us to take them to the children as we were. Though Aymara is the primary language of the village, they have almost no material to teach the children to read. Therefore, they are able to use these Bible stories for instruction…in the public schools. Even before leaving the village I found children sitting in the dirt reading their stories.

We did our usual presentations and teachings and afterward had prayer with some of the adults. One woman came for prayer who spoke only Aymara and we understood through our Pastor that she was losing her eyesight. Her husband brought her to us. Several of us anointed her with oil and prayed and she proclaimed that she could see. We began praying for many and many of the people proclaimed their healings.

Deb and Yama - called to the Aymara

THE HARVEST IS HERE
It is clear that there is a great harvest in Bolivia. Every week there are new salvations in our little church in the city of La Paz and we are encouraged with the work in El Alto and the ministry to the villages is growing. We are also meeting other missionaries who are coming and hearing the call of God to the Aymara people. At the same time there are challenges, the government is demanding more of the churches, more taxes and lists of names of people who are going to their churches. They even want names of those who are fasting! The consequences are severe for those churches that do not comply. For example if proper financial records are not kept and the required tax sent to the government, the president of the congregation will be arrested and sent to jail. The regulations are not restricted to evangelical churches but also apply to the Catholic churches as well. The Government expects that these new regulations will cause many churches to close their doors.

Rhonda and I are already finding ourselves in demand. I have been asked to speak at a wedding this Saturday, preach at a Church of the Nazarene Thursday, and we will minister at the church for economic orphans on the 24th. This is in addition to our bible studies every week, obligations at our church, Rey de Reyes (King of Kings), work we are beginning at Vida Abundante (Abundant Life) in El Alto and new ventures at Jehova es Me Guerro (Jehovah is my Warrior) also in El Alto.

Finally, we are also ministering at the Prison every Sunday we are in town. At this prison, when a man commits a crime, the whole family must go to jail. It is said that there are 300 children in this prison. We have been trying to get in, but yet have not been able. So, our ministry is to the nearly 100 people who are outside the prison waiting in line for the opportunity to visit family. They have appreciated our words and the cookies that we bring and have asked us to try and get inside to talk with their family members. It is expected that this month we will go inside and distribute our children’s books to those children inside.




$5 makes a difference!!!
With $5 we could buy 70 children’s Bible story books in the Aymara language for children in the village! With $5 we could buy 11 children’s Bible story books in Spanish! With $5 we can buy 7 entire Bibles in Spanish for new believers. Every time we go to the village it costs about $100 for the bus for an entire day for 20 people…that is extremely cheap! But we cannot go if we cannot make budget. Our bare bones budget is $1,500 per month. That keeps us here surviving and pays for many of the books, gifts and transportation! It does not pay for everything! Our pastor and our church pay what they can as well. Our pastor does not take a salary. We do not have a car, we do not have health insurance, and we do not have heat in our home! This is bare bones! Is there a reason you cannot give $5, $10, or even $25 a month. We count on God using you to keep this ministry going. If you are not giving, please pray about this. $5 makes a difference!

Thanks to all who gave generously to the Christmas in Bolivia project. We were able to purchase Bible books for the children IN AYMARA.

Ron and Rhonda with friends in Rio Bajo

2010 Lovely Feet Ministry Plan

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Below is our plan for ministry for 2010. While it is obviously a tentative plan, some of these projects have already begun. This is an abbreviated plan. We would be happy to send you the full plan by request to Rhonda@lovelyfeet.org



The Villages
Going to the remote villages of the Altiplano are a priority of the ministry in Bolivia. The Aymara villages do not know of the salvation of Jesus. While there is much difficulty in getting to the villages, the trip and the expense of the trip is well worth it. The cost is about $250US each trip. We hope to receive invitations to stay for up to week for more extensive discipleship and leadership training. We also hope to provide Proclaimers™ ($100US) and/or Bibles in Aymara ($18US) to each village.
Status: In Progress

El Alto
El Alto is a city about an hour away that is about 1% Christian. The city is almost entirely populated by Aymara who have left their villages for a variety of reasons. It is large, dusty, poor, and filled with drugs, alcohol and paganism. There are small fortresses, tiny churches that are beaten down and need encouragement We plan to develop a youth drama team in one of the churches. Also we hope to show movies once a month starting with the Jesus Film™ and introduce “Partner Churches” with the USA. We will also begin teaching conversational English as a form of service and outreach.
Status: In Development

The Prison
In our blog you will see the ministry we are doing at the San Pedro prison. This is an inexpensive outreach that is already underway. We have been very blessed. We plan to visit the prison each week with encouraging messages as well as start a ministry to the children there.
Status: In Development

Rey de Reyes
Rey de Reyes is our home church. Our pastor is Pastor Angel Condori. He is our sponsor here in Bolivia and our mentor in the villages. The congregation has a regular attendance of about 30 people. We will continue to serve this body with in-reach and out-reach projects and help Pastor Angel and the leadership develop a 1,3 and 5 year plan for the church. We will also begin teaching conversational English as a form of service and outreach.
Status: In Progress

Pastor’s and Leader’s conference
We have begun planning to bring a team into La Paz in September 2010. We have been communicating with those who can minister. Of those, Pastor Larry Cockerham is considering bringing a message on unifying the churches and Pastor Andrés Miranda has agreed to introduce cell groups and teachings for new young pastors.
Status: In Development.

Youth drama workshop
In March or April of we hope to have a youth drama workshop in El Alto, inviting other churches we are connected to as well, in order to help churches work together and train the youth for ministry. We have invited New Life Drama Company in the United States to send a team for this workshop.
Status: In Development

Drama productions
Three productions in development are; Christian adaptation of A Christmas Carol , Jekyll and Hyde (Rom 7:17-25) and Don Quixote in spanish. We have development expenses to consider such as lights, for which we have a homemade design and the need of sound and a generator to present the plays in the streets at plazas. We hope to bring our actors with us to other churches again serving to unify.
Status: In Development

Host home
We are extending invitations to churches and ministers to serve with us in Bolivia. Our home is available to help hold down costs. We are looking for the needs in the villages to see about the possibility of a medical missions team. We were pleased to have two brothers stay with us the first week we moved in.
Status: In Progress


God be with you all. Thanks for your prayers and support in 2009....and your continued prayers and support in 2010.


Love,
Ron, Rhonda and Sam