Proclaim and Serve

Andrés, Me, Edson, and Carlos
The day they were baptized as a public profession of their faith in Christ Jesus. 

We have been laboring for while now and the first group of teens the Lord gave us to teach and disciple have grown so much. We are now beginning to see the fruit of the gospel as it permeates their lives and is changing those around them. I would like to take a moment to tell two small testimonies about two believers who are part of our church. Please continue to pray for God to keep working in our midst and that he would provide every tool, skill, and resource for labor to his glory. God bless! 

Andrés

Psalm 105:1 

"Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his Name; make known among the nations what he has done." 

I've been working with Andrés for 2 years now. On Easter of last year he gave his heart to Christ and has been seeking the Lord since. A young man from a poor family, he's never had a father in his life and dealt with depression, anger, and rejection. Now, I see a young man of 20 who has become like a son to me, and who has developed the heart of an evangelist. Sharing one's faith is not common here, and to challenge the culture, particularly Bolivian catholicism, is risky and costly. Yet, in the face of this, Andrés shows such an openness with his faith and is quick to share his hope in Christ with the hopeless.

About two months ago, he told me of a schoolmate who he'd been sharing the gospel with. This teen, Miki, asked to come by the house to speak with me. A few days later, he came by and I was expecting him to have many questions, to ask about the gospel, to pose his doubts, etc. But he didn't. The first thing he said was, "I want to be baptized. I want to change and be a new creation with a new heart that honors God. I want my life to bring him glory." I was shocked. Where did he get these concept? Who had been answering his questions. The more we talked, the more I realized that Andrés had been investing in his classmate for months, sharing the gospel with him and answering his questions. Andres never talked about this, but the more time I spend with Miki and the more I get to know a few others at his school, the more I realize that Miki wasn't an anomaly but the norm, that Andrés is sharing his faith with those who will listen. He told me the other day that there were a few others who are interested in coming. Please pray for Andrés, that God would give him wisdom and understanding as he walks in obedience to the commission. Pray for his joy and his influence and for more believers like him. He isn't bothersome or self-righteous, but loves God and lets the Spirit work naturally in him, giving him wisdom in each opportunity to share Christ with the lost. May we be encouraged by what God is doing in him and in his life.

Edson

Matthew 25:35 

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat..." 

In our family, we have a few "adopted" kids. Of all our "Bolivian children" (as they all like to say),

Edson is probably most like part of our family. He is the youngest, 15, and after the death of his father last year, he has become a fixture in our home and sees me as his dad. His mother has had a hard life, is somewhat emotionally vacant and has little financial security, especially since the death of her husband. She is grateful for the role of family we are to Edson in helping meet his needs and help him prepare for his future. He was the first person I prayed with in Bolivia to make Christ the Lord of his life and since then I have seen so much growth in him. He is young, has his faults, and makes mistakes, but he takes every opportunity to grow in Christ and honor God. He regularly offers counsel to classmates on how to seek the Lord, how to deal with sin habits, and what it means to be a light in the darkness. He truly has a servants heart and needs no praise or recompense.

A few weeks ago, I was taking him to a classmate's house to work on a project. As we were driving down the road, he suddenly asked me to stop for a moment. I pulled over, and Edson hopped out and ran to a man in a wheelchair who was trying to cross the street but was having trouble getting up the hill. Edson pushed him 2 blocks uphill to his house. Sunday night, while we were parked at the corner to get a hamburger at a stand, a boy approached to sell us gum. I gave the boy a few coins and told him to keep the gum. As the boy began to walk away, Edson called him back. He asked him if he was hungry and if he'd eaten. The boy said he was hungry, and Edson promptly gave him his hamburger and fries. Afterward, I offered to get him another hamburger but he declined. Later, he explained that while hungry, he wanted the boy to eat and not him. His heart was to identify with the hungry on the streets of his city. Pray that Edson would continue to grow in the Lord and that his heart for others would be met with resources and favor to meet needs around him and create opportunity for the gospel.