May God bless each and every one of you during this brand new year! It is such a joy to remember the wonderful things that our God accomplished during 2007 and to think of the great things that He will do in 2008.
Praise Point: Our family spent New Year's in Cuzco, Peru at a Pioneers Latin America Conference. What a wonderful time of rest and reflection it was as we sat under the teaching of God's Word,
reconnected with missionary friends from other countries and spent quality time with family. The Lord provided us with the opportunity to visit Machu Picchu, the Incan sacred city. It was beautiful.
Praise Point: Our work continues during 2008 with the churches in Potosi. Just this past month we participated in a family retreat and were able to speak on unity in the family, especially between our teens and parents.
Prayer Point: Some plans for the coming months are two trips to the countryside around Potosi to distribute the solar radios with the help of two teams from North America. Please be praying for tender hearts to receive God's Word through the radio.
Praise Point: We are so thankful to the Lord for hearing our prayers for a teacher to help out with home schooling. The Lord provided a wonderful young man from the US, Aaron Hedges. He has been working daily with Patrick. Even though Aaron's commitment is only short term right now, we are praying that he will continue. It is great to see Patrick excel in his school work. Lily has been able to dedicate more of her time in the mornings to teaching Andres.
Praise Point: The house we are currently living in has been sold and so we have been looking for another house to rent. Praise the Lord he answered our prayers and we have found a home. We will be moving into it during the month of February.
Prayer Point: Please be praying about our plans to be in Canada for 4 months starting in May.
Thank you so much for your partnership with us. The Lord continues to do mighty things among the Quechua People. We praise Him for opening the hearts of the Quechua People to receive His love. Be encouraged that the Lord Jesus is building His Church in Bolivia. (Matthew 16:16, 18).
We are trying our best to send out an update every month. This update will only be sent to those for whom we have email addresses. Every three months an update will be sent to both email and “snail mail” addresses.
Things have been so busy over the past month. We finally got moved in to another house. It was a big job as we did it with our vehicle and trailer. We are thankful to the Lord for Jamie, Susan, Aaron and Hector's help (our co-workers) with the move. We could not have done it without them. Dios les Bendiga! (May God bless them!)
We have also been busy preparing for the arrival of a Team from North America to distribute the solar radios in Potosi. Many arrangements have to be made before hand in order to ensure a smooth trip (accommodations, transportation for 26 people (Team and Co-workers), food, bottled water, etc). Please be praying for this trip from March 14thtill the 28th. Pray for our effectiveness and for the effectiveness of the radios as they are placed in the hands of Quechua people in the countryside. Our family will be traveling together on this trip.
The boys are doing well in their home schooling. Aaron continues to be a blessing to Patrick's studies every day. Aaron has been helping out with the home schooling since January but will be going back to the States in May to work at the Kids Across America Camps. We are praying for God's direction in his life but also, if it's the Lord's will, that he would be able to continue helping us with teaching here in Bolivia.
In May, we will begin 4 months of home leave or furlough as it is more commonly called. During this time we will be visiting our supporting churches, visiting friends and family and getting our “tanks” refilled before returning to Bolivia for another couple of years. Basically we would like to use late May, June and July for visiting churches and then August for refilling our “tanks”. If you can think of a date in these first three months that would work for your church, please let us know before we run out of weekends. Thanks to those who have already contacted us!
It is a joy to serve here in Bolivia and to see Quechua having the opportunity to hear God's Word and respond to it. Thank you again for your part in this ministry through your prayers, gifts and participation on teams. It is wonderful being on the Lord's Team!
In Christ's Love,
Greg, Lily, Patrick and Andres
We are very excited about what our God is doing through the radio distribution. Two teams joined us (one in March and one in April) from North America to help distribute radios in the department of Potosi. It is amazing how God is using these little "red missionaries" where there are great needs and few opportunities to hear the Gospel. We have heard that thanks to the radios, new groups of believers have started to get together to learn and start a new group of believers, in towns where there was no Christian witness. Praise the Lord! We travelled as a family with the Canadian team and it was a blessing to be able to minister side by side. Even the boys took part. We were short on teachers for the children's ministries, so they stepped in and start helping mommy and other missionaries. Patrick is quite the evangelist! Thank you to the team and all who had a part in whatever way in them being here. God knows!
Patrick has had the desire to teach children in the schools about dental hygiene and give them a toothbrush. This began back when we were in the town of Pocoata. He had been saving his personal money to purchase toothbrushes and his school in Canada gave to buy toothbrushes and toothpaste for the school in the community of Vacuyo. A Bolivian friend from Cochabamba donated small cups to go along with the gift. It was a blessing to be a part of this trip to Vacuyo and to see the smiles on the 52 children who received the brushes and cups.
We are getting ready for our furlough / home assignment in May (see furlough contact info below) and the boys are very excited to go back to Canada and see grandparents and friends. Home schooling is going very well and the boys are looking forward to attending school in Canada for a month. Please pray for a smooth adjustment for the boys.
The ladies ministries that Lily was helping with wrapped up in a very good way where they were challenged to have an intimacy with God.
Prayer Points:
Please continue praying for the political situation in Bolivia.
For a teacher for Patrick in September.
The wedding of our friends Samuel and Karina on May 3. That God will be the center on their new life together.
Our furlough and visit to the Pioneer's office in Orlando.
Lily's pregnancy and safe arrival of baby in August (in Canada).
May 1, 2008
Hello Friends
It is almost time to leave Sucre (for a short time) but we want to send out one more little update before our trip. The Lord has been so good to us during the past few months with the teams from North America that helped with the distribution of the little red radios in countryside communities. Please pray with us for God to use these “red missionaries” mightily to see Quechua people saved and taught in God's Word.
Many have been asking about the four wheel drive truck that we purchased in July, 2007. Well, it sure has been a blessing to our family and to our ministry in the countryside. It is a comfortable ride and can be loaded up both inside and on top for the countryside trips. We thank the Lord for it and for those of you who prayed and gave to make its purchase possible.
Our schedule during our home assignment will be busy during May, June and July with travelling to churches around Atlantic Canada and Maine. Please pray for a vehicle for our family during the four months we will be in Canada and for safety on the roads. Please contact us if you or someone you know may be able to help us in this area. The second part of our furlough (August and two weeks of September) will be busy as we welcome the newest addition to our family into this world. Lily's due date is around mid-august. Please be praying for a healthy pregnancy with no complications and a healthy baby!
Patrick and Andres will be attending the Somerville Christian Academy to finish this school year. We are sure it will take some adjustment as they join a classroom full of students. Both are very excited about it though. Please pray for their adjustment.
Lord willing, we will be seeing you folks soon. It is so hard to leave Bolivia, even if it is only for four months but we are encouraged as we sense our Bolivian co-workers' desire to continue forward and to hear them share their vision to reach the Quechua here in Bolivia. Thank you for standing with us in this endeavour to reach the unreached.
May the Lord richly bless you,
Greetings from New Brunswick where spring has welcomed us home. Canada is a truly beautiful country! Our family feels blessed to be able to experience God's creation in both Bolivia and Canada.
We arrived on Monday, May 12th in the afternoon. My parents picked us up at the Bangor airport. It was wonderful to see them both again. Our boys are adjusting fine to the changes that they encounter. Andres looked up at his mom when we first arrived and whispered, “They speak English well here”.
Accommodations have been looked after for our four months in Canada. We will be staying with my parents in Victoria Corner and are also looking forward to a few weeks in Geary, New Brunswick. The Lord provided for a vehicle through some great friends. Thank you for being proactiveand Praise the Lord for this provision.
As most of you know, Lily is due to have our third child in the month of August. Please continue to pray for her and the baby as the time for the delivery draws near. Pray for health for both of them and for Lily's comfort as many times neither lying down nor sitting up is comfortable anymore.
While we are here, our Pioneers co-workers, Jamie and Susan Ramge continue to work in Sucre. Please be praying for them and the task at hand with the Quechua churches and Christians there. Also be praying for our Bolivian co-workers who so graciously volunteer to work in the harvest field. Here is a list, just to name a few:
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Hernan and Eunice Gonzales – Potosi
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Hector and Estefania Mamani – Sucre
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Grover and Judith Chavarria - Potosi
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Jorge Gareca – Cochabamba
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The Staff of the Quechua Radio Station, Mosoj Chaski – Cochabamba/Sucre
Our calendar is full for the time we will be in Canada. If we do not get a chance to visit you this time, we will prioritize you for our next home leave. Thank you for understanding and thank you for your faithful support in so many ways.
In Christ,
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