September 9, 2007
Dear Friends:
Our FIRST working furlough!!!
We are so excited about Steven’s short trip to the U.S.! He will have the blessing of presenting our ministry in many churches across the country. His primary focus is to raise more support for work funds. We are also raising the funds for a badly needed vehicle! Please keep these needs in prayer!
Last letter we told you about a Bolivian funeral. At the other end of the spectrum of life, we have birth! Here in Bolivia, parents will take a long time to carefully consider what name(s) to give their children. There is a complex method of determining a person’s heritage by examining their “apellidos” [last name], but much care is taken in choosing their given names. It is not unusual for children to have 3 given names, so our children fit right in!
It is a deep honor for a child to be named for you. While the naming does not enlist the honored person as a “God-parent”, there is still an expectation of spiritual and emotional investment in that child and/or parent. The parents of a newborn have about a year to figure the name out. The 1st birthday of the child is a BIG deal, with lots of relatives and the “giving of blessings” by all involved.
Our taxi driver, Marco, is a sweet Christian man who has been hurt by things in his life. We have known Marco for a year now and have seen him grow in his spiritual life through our talk while riding with him. We have to use taxis a LOT here, so there are many opportunities to witness and counsel! He and his 2nd wife had just had their baby prior to meeting us. As he and his wife Susi began working on names for their baby, they went through a variety of choices. During this time, we were able to help him from time to time with one thing or another, but mostly we gave him our friendship and mutual respect. This offering of respect for her husband and our compassion for Susi, blessed Susi as well.
When the time came to name their baby, since the 1st birthday was approaching, it was quite a surprise when Marco told us that Susi had decided upon a name and Marco had agreed: Leonardo Steven [not "Esteban"... STEVEN] and yes… they named their baby boy for my husband, Steven!!!! But the blessing didn’t stop there. They invited us to Leo’s birthday party the next day.
When we got to the party, we were met with some skeptical eyes at the “gringos”. Why were they invited? Those eyes were joyful and friendly by the time we left. The birthday customs were familiar, and yet different. A very special part of the celebration was when the family members were called over to say a blessing “over” Leo. That was really special! They spoke of how they loved and respected Marco and Susi and what they hoped for Leo in the future. So you can imagine our shock… humility and speechlessness when we were asked to say a blessing over Leo too! As one of Leo’s namesakes, Steven was asked to give Leo a blessing. We were so honored.
Please keep Susi in prayer. She is not yet a believer, and we long to see this sweet family united in Christ!

Serving Christ in Bolivia
Steve, Cyn, Thomas, Nicholas, Staton and David Johnson