Mission trips and more mission trips

This is the high season for mission trips and we are loving it! We combine three vital forces all under the command of the Holy Spirit: First, a team from a U.S. church with a heart for Bolivia; second, bolivian students from our university ministry; and third, a local Bolivian pastor and a few followers who want to plant a church. The results are astounding!
This week we were in Cochabamba with Christ Fellowship from Miami, 15 university students from Santa Cruz, and Pastor Jorge and friends from Fraternidad Cristiana in Cochabamba. Pastor Jorge is in our T-Net training program and has gotten permission to set up portable tents every week in a plaza in a growing neighborhood of Cochabamba. We got to help set it up the first Sunday.
Here is the photo record:

Watching Wesley in Washington, DC

I had a great day enjoying Wesley in Washington, DC. First a one-year-old birthday party for a friend. about 15 one-year-olds were present. Then we went to National Community Church for the Saturday evening service.

Sarah and Dustin left me alone in charge for a while this evening. Wesley was supposed to eat oatmeal. Things went from Ok to worse (as you can see in the pictures). Sarah came home and Wesley got happy real quick.

Grandpa and Leah Rose

It works out pretty well that the world headquarters for Campus Crusade is only two hours away from world headquarters for my new granddaughter Leah Rose.

After a full day of meetings on Monday, I dashed up to Gainesville to meet Leah Rose Burgin, 2 months old. She is beautiful, inquisitive and cuddly!

Tomorrow I'll go back to Orlando for more meetings.

No easy answers

Still making the issue clear here in Bolivia. But it's tough.

Last night I spent some time talking with Juan Gabriel, a 21 year old university student. We were talking about the amazing love and grace of God. I shared with him that we need to understand that we are sinners to be able to appreciate and benefit from God's grace. I asked him if he believed he was a sinner - as I believe I am. He said yes, but then said, "My worst sin is my anger at God. It is a sin to be angry with God, isn't it?"

Juan Gabriel went on to share about his struggle with epilepsy, only partially controlled by medication. Two weeks ago he had a convulsion in class. Painful, embarrassing, disruptive, humiliating. I can only guess at his pain. He is angry that he should have to deal with this in his life. But he didn't question that God loved him, only that he felt bad about his anger.

David was angry (OK, frustrated?) with God in the Psalms 22: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer”

But he goes on to proclaim God’s dominion in the same Psalm:
“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.”

Pray for Juan Gabriel as he struggles with knowing God in His Goodness.

Making the issue clear

What is the Gospel? How can a person be saved?

For someone who has been an evangelical Christian for 38 years, the answer is pretty clear: Believe and be saved. OK, believe what, exactly?

The Word of God gives clear guidance on this issue, but it is a matter that is both "critical and progressive". That is, salvation has a clear beginning point and then a lifetime of growing in grace and understanding.

This week I met with two young men with very different perspectives. The first has a traditional Roman Catholic background. When I asked him if he was sure about going to heaven, he replied, "I hope so, unless there are some sins I am unaware of that will prevent me from entering heaven." His hope is built on his own goodness, rather than on Christ's all-sufficiency. That is a pretty common misunderstanding that people from all kinds of church backgrounds hold to.

The other young man I talked to yesterday had a background of Bible studies with Jehovah's Witnesses (he had since fallen away from them). He said, "The Jehovah's witnesses talk only about God. You Christians talk only about Jesus Christ." Wow. Where to begin.

I am learning that the place to begin is with humility and compassion. The Gospel really is Good News. I love this verse:

Mat 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

These young men both need rest. Pray for us that we would make the Good News clear to them.

Ron

Pastors in El Alto

Last week we went to El Alto in the highlands of Bolivia to visit pastors involved in our church planting project. The project includes training through T-Net, proclamation of the Gospel with the JESUS Film and follow-up using the audio Bible from Faith Comes by Hearing in Spanish, Quechua and Aymara.

It was astounding and moving to hear the pastors' stories. People's lives are being transformed! This is a picture of Julia who was paralyzed for much of her life. God has healed her to be able to minister to other Aymara women. We met Julia in her home along with several of the women she ministers to. They gave us a traditional lunch. Please pray for Julia and the pastors in El Alto.

CineCenter Invasion

The biggest multiplex cinema in Bolivia is right here in Santa Cruz. It also the biggest hangout for kids in town, since we don't have a real mall. The CineCenter, does, however have a big food court. It is sort of like a big mall, minus the stores (OK, it has a FEW stores).

I have been meeting with a couple of small groups of guys for lunch there for a year and a half. We have pizza and talk about Jesus and His word. Well, this school year (just started), I decided to make the CineCenter lunches an incubator for new small groups and also to start inviting the girls.

This week we had a total of 60 students, divided into 15 small groups eating pizza and studying what Jesus says about worrying in Luke 12. There were 8 girls groups and I had 7 guys small groups. Can you imagine the joy of seeing 15 new small group leaders caring about the guys in their groups, leading discussion and praying with them? I am excited! Please pray that the groups will continue to multiply and that many students will come to know Christ as Savior.

Also ... please pray for the management at CineCenter. They are a little overwhelmed by our numbers. I guess as long as we keep buying pizza they can't throw us out :)