Hello senders! We have had a wonderful first day in Mineros! We arrived safely this morning after having an adventurous trip to the airport in Cochabamba due to road blocks. God was with us the whole time! James and Pastor Jaime were great navigators, praise God! We were warmly greeted by Pastor Esteban and had a safe drive to Mineros. We shared lunch together with Esteban and Evelyn and then rested before going to a village nearby to host an outreach to children with the Compassion team. What a Spirit - led outreach filled with laughter and the love of Jesus! I was able to meet my Compassion child and what an honor that was. We will deliver the gifts sent by other oslc sponsors tomorrow and Friday. The training session at the church tonight was Christ-centered. It is encouraging to see the people of this precious church wanting to grow.
We don't have regular access to internet in Mineros. James is kindly letting me use his cell phone to type this to you now. We will not be able to post many photos from here but we will try to write a daily update. We love you and thank you for your ongoing prayers.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Monday, July 27, 2015
Pastors and wives breakfast on Monday Morning
Over 20 pastors and their wives from the UCE Denomination came to a Monday morning breakfast hosted by our team. The theme was 'Resting in Jesus.'
Dr. Peggy Hothem teaching pastors and their wives about the important of Sabbath rest. The pastors were encouraged to make time for rest each week for the sake of their marriage, children and ministry. Rest is only found in Jesus!
Pastor Jensen sharing with the pastors and their wives about the need for rest in the Lord.
'Answered prayers' by Kerry
Good morning
from a sunny & warm Cochabamba!
It has been a
busy & Spirit filled time with the congregation at Florida Norte these past
few days, and it is a true gift to be here once again. I’ll admit that I was
nervous I had over committed myself when I felt the Lord calling me to both
Jackson, MS and Bolivia this summer with only two days in between the trips. I
figured two days would give me enough time to get some sleep, do laundry and
repack my clothes into my suitcase, and get some grocery shopping done. Well I got two out of the three tasks done, but just couldn't make it to the grocery store. As I got on the plane
Wednesday morning headed for Bolivia, I was exhausted. I had no idea how I was
going to rally for another 10 days away from home. I was also not prepared for
all that I was supposed to be sharing with the congregation at Florida Norte. I
began praying on the plane for strength, energy, peace, and preparedness that
could come only from the Lord—and He answered!! I very clearly heard him say
“Kerry where you are weak, I am strong and you may not have all the words to
share with Florida Norte yet, but I do.” It was difficult, but I had to fully
put my trust in that and let go of all my anxiety, stress and fear.
I have had
the opportunity to lead a devotional at the women’s group and share a message
during the young adult group. I am not sure I have ever felt the Lord’s
presence as strongly as I did speaking to the young adult group on Saturday
night. God is reminding me that when I fully trust & rely on Him, He is
going to do great things!
Thank you
for your prayers, and for being senders. God is good!
-Kerry
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Matthew preaching on 'growing in numbers' on Sunday morning. Jesus' love compels us to tell others about Him. The two primary Bible passages were 2 Corinthians 5: 14-21 and Colossians 4: 2-6. Our sisters and brothers in Christ were encouraged to make the most of every opportunity to talk about Jesus with others. We are Christ's ambassadors! Alleluia!
Photos from the Church Retreat on Saturday! Our theme was 'Disciples of Jesus Christ, growing in faith, love, service and numbers.'
God gave us a beautiful day at a retreat center near Pastor Jaime and Ruth's home.
Fun Drama about 'growing' in the Lord!
Friday, July 24, 2015
Church Building Progress
Armeenda, one of the older hermanas (sisters) at the Church with Matthew and Kerry. Praise God that He continues to sustain her life and that she often prays for the advance of His Gospel in Cochabamba and around the world! She is a woman of deep faith in Jesus, and she encourages all ages to grow in their love for Him.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
A Spirit-led first evening of growing together at Florida Norte Congregation in Cochabamba!
Please especially pray for:
*the women's ministry gathering tomorrow (Friday at 3:00 p.m.) Diane, Peggy and Kerry will lead a mini-retreat for the women of the church and any friends they will bring
*the Saturday church-wide retreat, that our teaching would be encouraging and Jesus-centered. Pray for a wonderful time of growing in love among the church members.
*the Saturday evening teens and young adult gathering. Kerry will be leading with help from the other team members.
*Jesus to be honored in all of our activities, teaching and encouragement
Grateful for your partnership in the Good News of Jesus Christ,
Mateo Beish
Thank you, senders!
Praise God for the kindness of His people!
The first photo above shows James San Martin holding a new laptop computer given to him by Guy and Wendy McAdam from OSLC. It was our joy to deliver this gift. James was so thankful!!
The second photo shows Ivan San Martin with Kerry. Ivan is holding a new soccer ball and wearing new soccer shoes given to him by Mark and Joanne Vermont. Ivan was very thankful and wore his new shoes to our church workshop tonight.
Thank you, senders, for all of the generous gifts that you sent with us, Those gifts are blessing Pastor Jaime San Martin, his wife Ruth and their children Brenda, James and Ivan!
Surprises
Surprises …
Yesterday,
was a day of “surprises”.
Surprise
number 1: Our 18 hour journey (11 hours
in the air) from the OSLC parking lot to the hotel in Santa Cruz went by quickly. We had TWO hot meals, one for each leg of the
journey. I can’t remember the last time
I had a real meal (with metal utensils no less!) on a plane. And the meals were good. Copa knows how to
treat its passengers! And the hotel we
stayed at was delightful. Each room was
essentially its own villa. Unfortunately,
we were only there long enough to sleep for a few hours and shower.
Surprise number
2: We were thoroughly examined prior to
leaving the airport. Unlike past trips,
every bag was carefully searched. Since
we had so many supplies, including hundreds of personal hygiene items, we had
some explaining to do. It looked like we
were bringing items into Bolivia to sell.
Even though there were a few tense moments, they allowed us to keep
everything. Praise God!
Surprise
number 3: Yes, I saved the best for
last. Once we passed through customs, we
entered the main terminal of the airport.
And who was there to greet us?
Pastor Esteban and Evelyn and three others from their congregation in
Mineros. This was unplanned and totally
unexpected. They drove 2 ½ hours to
welcome us to Bolivia. Imagine
that! They certainly have the gift of
hospitality! We can’t wait to see them
again next week.
As we
journeyed yesterday, a couple of things did not surprise us. One, we weren’t surprised to be covered in
prayer. I suspect some of you were
praying while we were going through customs.
We are grateful to God for your willingness to come before the throne of
grace on our behalf. Two, the Lord Jesus
Christ always provides. All of us
arrived safely. None of our bags were
lost. We entered Bolivia with thankful
hearts … thankful for the opportunity to partner with God’s people in
Cochabamba and Mineros … thankful for your willingness to send us.
In Living
Hope,
Pr. Jensen
Friday, July 3, 2015
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