Greetings everyone!

April was a big month full of a lot of activity and pleasant moments. The English courses are continuing to do well. I’ve never had so many dedicated students who have started the course and successfully completed it. Recently my students presented their final projects, which included the recitation of John 3:16 for the beginners and Psalm 121:1-2 for the intermediates. Throughout the past two months we’ve had meaningful conversations about the character of God and what a relationship with Him looks like. A number of students are on a spiritual journey and I feel privileged to be a part of it.Evangelism at the nearby university is going remarkably well. We’ve witnessed a significant increase in students walking through the doors of El Alfarero in order to spend time in the cafe, make an appointment for counseling, study in the library, or inquire about the English classes. Soon we will be opening up more evangelism teams in order to pray for more students at the university and invite them into our community.On a personal level, the greatest joy of April was my parents coming down for their first visit. I enjoyed taking them around the city and introducing them to the people with whom I work at El Alfarero and Talita Cumi. My parents sat in on my English classes, which was a lot of fun for my students who enjoyed asking them a lot of questions–all in English.

My parents recently joined the United States board for Talita Cumi (there are two boards: one in the U.S. and the other in Bolivia), so their visit there was immensely meaningful. They ate lunch with the children, led a devotional, played games (puzzles and checkers), and gave them lots of hugs and words of encouragement. It was a time of a lot of processing as well, and I’m excited to see how the Lord moves in the weeks and months to come through the American board.

When I reflect upon last month I am most thankful for the Lord’s spiritual blessings that come through relationships. Please continue to keep my English students and the children of Talita Cumi in your prayers. Specifically:

1) El Alfarero is undergoing a ministry-rich season, but the finances are a constant struggle. The economy is continuing to slow down, which hits non-profits the most. Please pray that we can have the necessary financial resources to carry out our mission.

2) Thank you for your prayers over Talita Cumi and the changes on the Bolivia board. A number of new members have been added in who will make a great impact for the children over the long term.

3) I’ve recently started mentoring three university students. Please pray for wisdom for me.

Thank you!

When I reflect upon the month of March, I consider it to be one of the most gratifying months in terms of ministry since I moved to Bolivia over a year and a half ago. For much of last year I felt like a farmer planting seeds. It was simultaneously difficult and rewarding. Now, I am beginning to see a harvest.

Last month my English courses started–and while my capacity is 20 students–I lifted the cap to accommodate 21 students in one course and 22 in the other. The students seem thrilled to be attending the classes and I’ve been quite pleased to pray with them, discuss God’s protective nature and love, and listen to their life stories. Moreover, I’ve been meeting regularly for coffee with one of my students from last year who has challenging questions about God’s word and is interested in learning more.Once a week, members of the Alfarero team and I evangelize at a university campus. My vision for this year was to double or triple our impact on campus. Thanks to God, we’ve made this vision a reality by adding in numerous volunteers to help. My next goal is to begin opening up new schedules so that we can have a presence on campus from Monday through Friday. The evangelism has been effective as university students have begun to join our Alfarero community by either visiting the cafe or library, or requesting Christian counseling. The frequency with which students are showing up to Alfarero because of our evangelism is so astonishing that I can’t help but believe that the Lord is doing great work here in the lives of many.It was a joy for me to participate in our recent Expo Evangelism. Christians from across a wide variety of churches and ministries gathered together at El Alfarero to partake in evangelism workshops and then put that knowledge immediately to work by going to the main square. We shared the gospel through various means: a puppet show for children, a worship band, prayer teams, and other skits and activities designed to open up conversations.Time at Talita Cumi with the kids is still sweet. There are too many stories to share, but I have witnessed a number of moments of spiritual growth and maturity. Many of the younger children have started attending a weekly Awana program that includes games and biblical lessons. Trust continues to be built between the boys and I, and I sense that there is greater camaraderie among them as well. For sure there is still the occasional conflict, but thank God a greater peace has settled over the home in comparison to what I saw last year.

On a personal note, I was able to visit the ancient Inca site of Machu Picchu in Peru and attend my first professional Bolivian football (soccer) game. I’m proud to say that Blooming–my hometown team from Santa Cruz–beat The Strongest from La Paz.Praise God that the ministries are flourishing in terms of the numbers, the gospel is being shared, and people are integrating into the community at Alfarero. Praise God that the children of Talita Cumi are in a season of spiritual growth and learning.

Please continue to pray for the English courses–that students would open up and desire a closer relationship with the Lord. Please pray for the evangelism teams as we seek to expand our presence. Please also pray for wisdom for the leadership of Talita Cumi as they seek to add new members to the board.

Thank you!