This past week, here in Cochabamba, we had one of the largest religious celebrations that takes place in all of Bolivia. Over three hundred thousand people come to the city and many of them walk almost ten miles from the center of Cochabamba to the city of Quillacollo and a chapel where a small statue of the virgen Mary stays called the Virgen of Urkupiña. It is amazing to see the devotion and dedication that the people have and the sacrifice they make each year to walk such a large distance and often spend a large amount of money. Most people make the pilgrimage because they believe that they will receive many blessings from the Virgen if they do. When they arrive, the purchase miniature figures of what ever it is they are hoping to receive. The streets are lined with booths selling thousands of small paper houses, cars, money, food and pretty much anything else you can think of. They take these small paper figurines and leave them at the chapel where the Virgen is. I truly believe that it is not just a coincidence that these people often receive what they ask for, but that there is strong demonic power behind the whole activity. Other wise I don’t believe there would be that many people that come. As I watch them walk for hours, by the thousands, I can’t help but ask, “Where are they headed?” The sad truth is that they have no idea and just walk blindly hopping to have a better life. This motivates us even more to reach these people with the gospel so that they will know with out a doubt where they are headed in their lives, and in the future when they die. Here is a short video of an activity that we did years ago, as a church, to try and reach them with the gospel.