January 9, 2008
Dear Friends,
The new year started with the sound of explosions all over the city! No, it was not civil war, it was fireworks! All over Cochabomba there were beautiful displays. Unfortunately, even on New Years, we’d like to get some sleep, but some folks insisted on partying all night. There is a popular huge firecracker named the “mother-in-law-killer” that sound like a grenade going off! These went off all night, leaving us bleary eyed in the morning. Everyone is taking a break from politics for the holidays. There are warnings that protests and confrontations will start up again mid-January, and some are predicting it will be worse than last year. Thanks to you, our faithful partners, we have a freezer stocked with supplies for even a two week blockade!
Two Baptist missionaries have left over fear of the “troubles”. One church (30 people) closed, and the other (25 people) has ceased having services for lack of a place to meet. We lack the resources to help, and our current house is too far away from the city for the churches to meet here. It is so frustrating to see these churches close their doors while we are eager to help, but lack the finances to sustain them. We have to trust God that He is still in control. Pray with us that we will gain more churches to partner with us.
We have to move, as our landlord has sold the house we are renting. Pray with us that we will find something inside the city that we can afford yet will be large enough to hold services.
Our street continues to be blocked due to the sewer project. It is like London after the Blitz, with piles of rubble everywhere. The “two week” project has already taken over a month, and local folks expect it will be April before autos can travel the street again. We are able to park the van in a field nearby. One of the neighbors has placed sturdy planks across the widest trench, so the “streets” are less treacherous.
We have begun the year with new semester of language study! God has made a way for us to study, even though we can’t afford the full tuition. One sweet Bolivian lady has caught our vision of what is needed here and is teaching us for free, and I am working with a student teacher who charges half of what the professionals do.
Serving Christ in Bolivia
Steve, Cyn, Thomas, Nicholas, Staton and David Johnson
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