I hope that all of you had a restful Labor Day.

August was a tremendously exciting month for me. I launched two English courses: a level one class for beginners and a level three class for low-intermediates. One of the greatest joys was seeing a number of my students from my previous courses enroll again.

It’s also a joy seeing new students join. In the level one course not only are my students learning greetings, basic conversation questions, and farewells, but they are also memorizing John 3:16 in English. For the students who are already Christians, my hope is that they will share the gospel in English someday. For those who are not Christians, they are learning the central gospel message. I pray that the Lord will speak powerfully through this verse to move their hearts.

This week we read and discussed Psalm 121 that begins: “I lift my eyes up to the mountains–where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.” I was impressed with the students observations and comments about the psalm: that we serve a God who is present with us, that we are never alone, that God is the creator, and that prayer is a great necessity.

Evangelism is also going strong at Gabriel University. In addition to handing out flyers advertising the cafe, the Christ-centered counseling services, and the English classes available at El Alfarero, we make a concerted effort to be as intentional as possible with three or four students through a ministry activity called Soularium (it utilizes picture cards to facilitate conversation). At the conclusion of this activity, we ask for prayer requests and pray over the students. Here are a few of the students that we got to know and prayed over in August:

I am still serving every Saturday at the children’s orphanage, Talita Cumi. My relationship with the boys is beginning to take root now that I’ve been volunteering there consistently for the past couple of months. I’ve developed a reputation among the boys as a volunteer who helps them do their chores. It may seem like a minor detail–but, taking into consideration that these young boys have very few responsible, male adults to look up to–it’s a big deal. My prayer is that through my example, they can learn a little bit more about what it means to be a loving, responsible man of God.  

Please keep the boys and girls in your prayers. Each one hungers for attention and love. Please keep the Talita Cumi employees in your prayers too. Jesus said “let the little children come to me” (Matthew 19:14) and James calls on us to look after “orphans” in their “distress” (James 1:27). In this spirit, the employees of Talita Cumi give abundantly of themselves to serve the children. 

For the safety of the children, I cannot post pictures of them online. If you would like to see photos of them, please see my monthly e-mail newsletter. Thank you!

Praises:
~ The English courses are launched, the attendance is solid, and the students are active learners. The gospel is being shared.
~ Evangelism at Gabriel University is bearing fruit–students are experiencing prayer for all sorts of things: stress, significant health issues, family challenges, and a closer walk with the Lord, just to name a few.
~ The children of Talita Cumi are in patient, loving hands. Unlike many orphanages in Bolivia, they hear the gospel message.

Requests:
~ Please pray that the students in my English classes will grow in their faith or come to a faith in Christ. May I share Christ with confidence.
~ Please pray that the evangelistic efforts would bear more fruit. So many students feel lonely, lost, and without hope. I would love to reach these students for Christ.
~ Please pray for the children of Talita Cumi. Each child experiences in his or her own way a profound hurt and challenge in life: not being raised by a mom and dad. Please pray for all of the employees and volunteers too: that God’s patience, wisdom, and strength would wash over them so that they may continue to serve with excellence.

Thank you.