Pictures!

I know many of you are eager to see pictures. However, I am not sure how to format them at blogspot, so I have created a Picasa web album instead.

You can access the pictures at this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/tolbert.luke/MissionBolivia09?feat=directlink

I tried to add some descriptions of the pictures as well. Hope you enjoy!

A Tired Crew

We spent the past two mornings working on the church building for the church we are planting. Luckily, some professionals already set up the tin roof and posts. However, the building is on an incline which means we need to level the floor so that we can lay a brick flooring. Today we spent three hours shoveling dirt and spreading it on the ground so the floor will be nice and level. Needless to say, most of the team was exhausted and very tired. However, hopefully tomorrow will be our last day of construction.

The afternoon was spent working with children in the neighborhood. We were hoping that we would have 50 children for our first day of VBS. However, when we arrived at the site, we looked up to see dozens of children running towards the bus. We ended up having around 100 children who we were able to share the Gospel utilizing the story of creation and "salvation bracelets." These bracelets have five beads that coorespond to the Gospel story (creation, fall, Jesus, redemption, restoration). Many of the children prayed to accept Christ and are excited about the VBS for the rest of the week.

This evening we showed the Jesus film again in the street outside of the new church building. Many people came and were excited about Jesus and the new church.

Please pray for:

• The children who accepted Christ - that they might continue in the faith and produce fruit that demonstrates a Gospel change
• The adults that we are meeting on the street - we have shared with many adults in the neighborhood and many have accepted Christ or have heard the Gospel. Pray that God might continue to convict the people of Monterro and bring them to salvation
• The team - we are beginning to grow physically tired and weary. Pray for physical strength and spiritual boldness as we continue to share with people of all ages the good news of Jesus!
  

Sorry that we have not updated sooner, but the internet connection was down for the morning and afternoon. We had a great morning worshiping with fellow believers here in Monterro. Luke preached in the morning and Josh preached at night (both were given little to no notice, but they did well). Also, Allison gave her testimony during the evening service.

During the afternoon, we did some training on how to share Christ using a 4 Spiritual Laws tract. Us Americans (or gringos as we are called here) practiced reading the tract in Spanish and working with our translators on how we would share effectively.

This evening we went door-to-door sharing Christ and inviting people to the showing of the Jesus Film in the local park. A number of people showed up and paid attention for the entire film. Following the film, we broke into groups and shared the gospel.

Here are some pictures from the Jesus Film showing:

Some prayer requests:

• Pray for the new believers that they might join the local church and begin the discipleship process
• Pray for our strength and discernment as we minister
• Pray for our translators as the continual translating process is exhausting
• Pray for God to continue to work in the neighborhoods

Everyone is Here!

We want to do a quick update and let everyone know that the team arrived safely. They got into the airport about 10:00 last night and got through customs by 11:30. We then took a rented bus to Montero and settled into our hotel.

We had a great breakfast this morning and everyone said that they slept well, except for a couple of people who heard a rooster throughout the night.

Today we are going back into Santa Cruz to do a little shopping and settle into the culture. We are also going to worship with some of the college students tonight and get to know the translators who will be helping us this week.

Pray that we will have divine appointments today with the people of Santa Cruz. Also pray that we might remain healthy and free from any traveler´s sickness. Hopefully, we will be able to update later this evening with some pictures or videos.

Team is Traveling

The rest of the team will be traveling all day before they arrive tonight at 10:00 PM. They have a little bit of a layover in Miami (about 6 hours) until they board the flight to Bolivia at 2:55 PM.

Pray for the team as they are going to have a long day of travel and will not get to their hotel until about 12:00 tonight. Also, the customs process here in Bolivia at the airport can be a little confusing and disorganized. Pray for the team to have patience as they try to get through customs after they have already been awake for 18 hours of traveling. Hopefully, we will be able to update the blog and let everyone know that we have arrived safely at the hotel this evening.

War and Urgency

Patty and I are headed down to Bolivia a few days ahead of the rest of the team. We flew out of RDU and will have a layover overnight in Miami.

While we were waiting, we noticed a number of people standing around a window. We walked over and saw a group of Marines offloading the casket of one of their comrades from a flight that had just landed. Probably twenty to thirty people gathered around in silence as the Marines picked up the casket and escorted it off the tarmac. It was a poignant reminder that we are still at war and there are still lives being lost daily. Because the battles are taking place 7,000 miles away, it is easy to forget that there is still a war being fought. The national sacrifices and efforts that marked WWI and WWII are absent, and instead Americans go on living their lives.

This post is not a political commentary on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but a reminder that we as believers are engaged in war as well. Sometimes it is easy to forget that we are engaged in a battle against the forces of darkness because we in America do not experience the persecutions and attacks that other brothers and sisters face. Instead, we gather weekly in a building which we call a "church," we can offer two dozen bible studies, we have "family-friendly" activities for almost every night of the week. These things are not necessarily wrong but I fear that we, the church in America, can sometimes lose our sense of urgency.

We cannot forget that we are engaged in war - a war that requires preparation, action, and sacrifice. We utilize prayer, not as a domestic intercom, but as a war-time method of communication whereby we receive our orders and call in reinforcements. We sacrifice our time, talent, and finances so people can hear the gospel and that God might gather a host of worshipers from every tribe, tongue and nation. My prayer is that this trip will reflect this urgency and sacrifice as we wage war with the knowledge that we have a power that can "demolish strongholds."

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." - 2 Corinthians 10:2-5

It's Almost Here

Well, we are now very close to our trip to Santa Cruz (less than three weeks!). Yesterday evening, our team gathered to go over some last minute details, eat homemade ice cream, and spend time in prayer for our trip. As the day for our departure comes closer and closer, there is a sense of nervousness and excitement.

I am excited to see what God will do. I know that He knew about this trip before we were even born and that even now, He is working to bring about his purposes to the glory of His name. I cannot wait to see how God will work in both the hearts of the people where we will be minister and in the hearts of our team, Pastor Mario, and the Campus Crusade staff and volunteers.
However, I am also nervous as there are so many details, last minute checks, and plans to nail down. Now is also the time where you can begin to doubt yourself, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It is a helpful reminder for us to realize that we do not go alone, but Christ has given us a helper, the Holy Spirit.

Some prayer requests:

• Pray for our team and pray for the hearts of the people in Montero.
• Pray for Pastor Mario and the Campus Crusade staff
• Pray for our last minute odds and ends (Packing, vaccines, etc.)