Training the Next Generation:
Our goal as a ministry has always been to train people to serve the Lord. One of the keys to that is not only training them, but also training them to train others. As our ministry has grown, we have tried to focus more on providing training opportunities for those in ministry here, and those that are preparing for the ministry. For the second year now, this past month we had Bro. Bill Hill come and give that training opportunity. He has a ministry called Equipping Nationals Worldwide where he travels to different countries and teaches different modular courses. This year we started with Unit One where we learned important truths like “The Mission of the Church, and “The Sufficiency of the Scriptures”. Not only did we learn the doctrinal principles, but also how it should change our lives and ministries. We also learned about “Spiritual Growth” where we looked at how to help people grow by putting off the old habits and putting on the new biblical pattern. We had close to fourteen pastors and students that attended the classes each day. On Sunday we were able to visit several of the churches that we have here, where we learned about what biblical change looks like. It was truly a blessed time and we are very thankful to Bro. Bill and his sacrifice to come and help us train the next generation. Please pray for him and his ministry.
Celebrating Fathers:
Here in Bolivia we celebrate Father’s Day in March instead of June like in the US. It is probably not quite as big of a celebration here either because Mother’s Day always takes priority. For this reason we try and have something special just for Fathers and encourage them to be the spiritual leaders in their homes. This year we had two activities, starting on Saturday with a cookout for the men, special games and a message on characteristics of leadership from Nehemiah. It was a great time and we had a couple of visitors with us. Then on Sunday we recognized all the fathers and gave them a special gift and had Salteñas (meat filled pastry) for everyone there. On Sunday we also continued learning about leadership characteristics from the book of Nehemiah. One of the greatest needs here, just like in most other areas, is for leaders in the family that will lead them forward in their spiritual lives.
Learning to Reach:
For the past few months we have been having evangelism classes during our Sunday school for the teens and adults. Often we make comments like, “people just don’t evangelize any more” or “No one seems to share their faith”, but I think one of the main reasons is because people just don’t know how. We have been teaching on the biblical reasons that we evangelize, then on misconceptions about evangelizing and now we are teaching exactly what the gospel is. In the last lessons we are going to be learning actually how to share the gospel with someone. That includes how to initiate a conversation with someone, what verses to use and how to answer many of the excuses and doubts that people have. It is amazing to see how many of them are getting excited and already inviting others to church.
Prayer Requests:
1. Pray for our kid’s day celebration that we will have this month.
2. Pray for our English class graduation that we will be having this next month.
3. Pray for many who are inviting family and friends to the church.
4. Pray for those who are preparing for the ministry in our Bible College.