The first week of English class with university students was a blast. The first night had 10 students, the second night had 12 students, and we’re likely to add a few more. It’s a dynamic group that loves learning, interacting, and collaborating. I’m proud of how much progress they have made in two nights and I’m excited to see how they improve over the next 7 weeks.

So far we’ve practiced greetings, introducing yourself, asking common “get to know you” questions, and farewells. Last night we wrapped up with cognates: words that are similar in English and Spanish like “perfect” and “perfecto.” I shared with the class two verses–John 3:16 and Romans 6:23–and explained that my relationship with Jesus is the most important part of my life.

February was a month of fresh challenges, pleasant joys, and great gratitude. A few weeks ago my father suffered a heart attack. Thank God he was already at the hospital when the attack occurred and he received immediate care. As of now he is recovering so rapidly that one would never know that he faced such a life-threatening incident. The doctors say that no lasting damage occurred to his heart. I would like to thank everyone who was praying for him and my family. I experienced an enduring calm throughout the entire incident that I can only attribute to God. A couple of weeks after the heart attack, I shared my experience with the staff at El Alfarero during our daily devotional time. I reflected upon one of the verses that the Lord gave me when I first learned the news about my father: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

Sharing my devotional about my dad and Psalm 90:12.

Praying during the devotional.

One of the greatest joys in the past few weeks has been getting to know the body of believers at my Bolivian church Kairos. It has a vibrant atmosphere with an emphasis on gospel preaching, lively worship, and intentional relationship building. I’ve been received with open arms and I’m quickly meeting lots of new people.

The church I attend.

I am also playing a small role in helping to teach a semester course on discipleship at El Alfarero. This course is open to the public and includes a number of students who are congregants or pastors from various churches in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. It’s exciting to see such a large group of people–especially the college students–who are interested in learning more about how to disciple others effectively.

This particular evening in the discipleship course I led a devotional on the cost of following Jesus from Luke 9:57-62. In this passage, Jesus says, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Last week was a flurry of activity as I visited one of the local universities to hand out hundreds of flyers advertising the upcoming English classes. The first class is this Tuesday (March 6). Please pray that I can connect well with the students on that first day and that they would feel a warm sense of community.

The flyer advertising my upcoming English classes.

Handing out flyers at La Gabriel University.

Can you spot me?