Greetings, We hope you are doing well, and things are beginning to level out for you, your family, and church. If the last year has taught us anything it is flexibility, creativity, patience, and trust. We are sure it has done the same for you. We are grateful for your faithfulness, interest, prayers, and support for the work we are doing.
The ministries in Bolivia continue to move forward, and we are pleased to see the Lord work even during what remains a tough time in many counties in Bolivia and South America at large. Our main Church, The Light Baptist Church has been able to resume all weekly meetings, and there are many post-lockdown visitors. The church we began in September 2019 is once again gaining momentum. Additionally, the church we helped start in February of 2020 is seeing steady growth. Of course, COVID is still impacting the way churches meet, and virus measures are still in place. We are praying that our brothers and sisters in Bolivia will continue pressing forward in their faith.
We have had 2 dates to return to Bolivia postponed due to virus restrictions and considerations. However, we have tickets in hand to return in August. Currently, we are reporting on our work and preparing for the trip to Tarija. Later this year, we hope to make a trip to the Yucatan and Chile to help some of our fellow-missionaries and churches with various projects. We will be in California at the end of May for a couple of weeks and have a meeting scheduled with a group of Bolivians that are connected to one of our Churches in Tarija. We hope to help these folks find a local church in their area.
Currently, Bolivia is one of many countries dealing with a 3rd wave of the Coronavirus including the variant from Brazil. The infection rates are increasing rapidly, and the supply of vaccines is limited. In fact, recent data released by the government indicated they expect it to take up to 3 years to get the country vaccinated. A couple of weeks ago the US State Department upgraded every country in South America (and many other countries in the world) to a “Level 4” travel advisory meaning they recommend that all travel to these countries should be avoided. Obviously, we do not know what this means for our August trip, but we are moving forward with our plans to travel to Bolivia.
We would like to give you a few prayer requests. First, please pray for the country of Bolivia, Believers, and Churches across South America as they try to work through the 3rd wave of the pandemic with medical systems that have collapsed. Also, in June Sandra will have minor surgery on her foot. This surgery was planned for last year and has just now been able to be rescheduled. Please pray that the surgery will go well, and that recovery will be swift. Beyond that, please pray for safety as we travel, the impact of our work, and our health and well-being.
Kind regards in the Lord. We love and appreciate you and trust that the Lord will richly bless you as you serve Him!
Jeff & Sandra