Hermanos y Hermanas en Cristo

"Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" (Psalm 133:1)

There is no better way to see this verse in action than in the mission field. God put a team of 50 North Americans and 50 Bolivian ministry partners together to serve 19 churches and areas in Tarija. In this second update, I provide photos and blurbs of the many wonderful "hermanos y hermanas en Cristo" (brothers and sisters in Christ) with whom I was blessed to serve. 

Team Tarija

Our team of 100 campaigners included 50 North Americans from Alabama and Texas, along with 50 Bolivian ministry partners from Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, Sucre, La Paz and Tarija.

Team "Texas"

Thirteen of the brothers and sisters were from Texas.  We traveled together, served together... 

...and had fun together, too. 

Team Nueva Jerusalem (aka "Team Awwwwesome")

Before the trip, God repeatedly impressed three words on me: LOVE, PRAY and WAIT. Those were three key lessons that He wanted me to learn about during this trip and they were embodied in the three team members that I had the privilege to serve with at Iglesia Nueva Jerusalem in Tarija.  

Meet Courtney.  Officially, she was one of our "Bolivian" ministry partners.  In actuality, she is from Virginia, USA.  She came to Bolivia because of her passion for the Latin American culture. I learned from her how to wholeheartedly LOVE on the beautiful people of Bolivia.  

Say Hello to Lacey.  She is from Alabama and, from the moment you meet her, you cannot help but be impressed by her infectious enthusiasm and indomitable spirit.  "This is awwwwesome!" was one of her catch phrases (and the inspiration for our team name) and aptly describes her attitude about everything our team encountered.  This young lady is also a person of PRAYER.  Every morning, she spends quality time with the Father and it is quite clear that she is in close fellowship with the Spirit as she serves, ministers, and shares the love of Christ with every person around her.

The dude on the right is David. He is from Sucre, Bolivia. Don't let those cool dreadlocks and his boyish charm throw you off, this young man loves God and has a passion to see Christ preached everywhere in his beloved homeland. While he has a very laid-back demeanor, he always answers the call when needed. Through him, I learned what it means to WAIT on God and trust in His purpose and timing.  Don't worry! Just enjoy who God is and His blessings because He is in control.  

Our team embraced every opportunity to serve and we became like a well-oiled machine as we served more and more together. Here, you see David and Courtney leading worship at one of the evening services. They did this "on-demand" - with no advanced notice and little time from preparation.  And they did an awesome job!  We also did "on-demand" children's program, discipleship lessons, counselling and preaching.  Praise God for my teammates' flexibility and heart of service. 

Of course, our team also had a lot of fun!

And we did not take ourselves too seriously...

We forged strong bonds and everlasting friendships with one another.

God is amazing! He put together four people who are as different as four people can be in terms of background, temperament and personality. Yet, we were united in Christ and functioned as one effective team on mission for Him. There was never a word of complaint nor any hint of conflict during our five days of ministry.

Truly, how good and pleasant it is when brothers (and sisters) dwell in unity!

Prayer Requests

• Spiritual Protection - We experienced spiritual warfare during the entire trip. THANK YOU for interceding on our behalf; it was definitely felt. The spiritual battles, however, did not end after we left Bolivia.  It continues and will likely even intensify once we get home. So please pray for each of the 100 campaigners. Pray that the Spirit will cast out any doubts and skepticism in us and affirm what He did in Bolivia will continue to grow and bear fruit in the days, months and years ahead. Pray also that team members will overcome any letdowns after this "mountain-top" experience (literally and spiritually).
• Physical Healing - Praise God that only a few team members got physically ill during the trip and were feeling a lot a better by the end of the campaign. With a team this large, this was truly a blessing. Thanks for your prayers! It is not uncommon for campaigners to get sick after the trip once we've settled back into our daily routines and relax our bodies. So please pray for everyone's physical health in the days and weeks to come.
• Living out the Gospel - Please pray that this lifestyle of relying on God at every moment, sharing His love and Good News, and making new disciples does not end with the conclusion of the mission trip. Please pray that each team members will continue to live this out every day and be intentional about building relationships with those in their circles of influence.