Dear friends and family,

We are entering our always brief winter in Cochabamba. There is much political turmoil around us mixed in with the excitement of the 11th annual South American games which are being held in Cochabamba for the first time! Fourteen countries from across the continent have gathered here to compete. It is an unusual time for the city.

We have summarized a few of our activities over these past two months below. We wish there was a way to show you in person the flavor and rhythm of our lives here in Cochabamba. It is our joy and honor to be here experiencing God at work in and around us. It’s not always easy, but it is good.

WHEN HELPING HURTS SEMINAR

How do we help the poor in a way that recognizes their God-given talents, dignity and capability? We invited SIM missionary Jim Ardill to Bolivia to do a workshop on the concepts from the book “When Helping Hurts” after having been deeply impacted by it. The workshop was last Saturday, May 26th.

Near the end of the training, Jim encouraged the participants to carefully read and look for ways to implement Robert Lupton’s Oath for Compassion Service (from the book ‘Toxic Charity’).

1. I will never do for others what they have (or could have) the capacity to do for themselves.
2. I will limit one-way giving to emergency situations. 

• • Give once and you elicit appreciation.
  • Give twice and you create anticipation.
  • Give three times and you create expectation.
  • Give four times and it becomes entitlement. 
  • Give five times and you establish dependency.

3. I will seek ways to empower through employment, lending, and investing, using grants sparingly to reinforce achievements.
4. I will put the interests of the poor above my own (or organization) self-interest even when it means setting aside my own agenda.
5. I will listen closely to those I seek to help, especially to what is not being said – unspoken feelings may contain essential clues to effective service.
6. Above all, to the best of my ability, I will do no harm.

Please pray that these concepts would take root in the lives of the participants so that our ministries can cause others to flourish.

Missiology - Seminary Course

Only three weeks remain in the Missiology course. In the past three weeks we have had classes on community development, the 10-40 window, and the sending church. We will close out the semester with classes on the indigenous church, the greatest needs on the mission field and the mandate we all share as believers to not just participate but to be consumed by the Great Commission.

Students are currently presenting their 30 days of prayer project as a way to practice calling the church to prayer. Each student leads the class in learning about a specific people group or under or unreached area of the world and then uses creative techniques to involve the class in prayer. Please pray that our students would capture the essential nature of prayer for missions and become a catalyst for prayer for missions in their families, churches and communities.

Project Evaluation

Every six months Osavldo’s role as National Project Coordinator kicks into high gear with reports from each of SIM Bolivia’s projects due, communications regarding changes to programs, funding or vision, and lots of assessing. The assessing is taking even more of Osvaldo’s time in these months as he, along with the National Director and Administrator are traveling to conduct evaluations to determine if two specific long term projects are ready to become independent from SIM - a goal for most projects from their inception. The team looks at the impact of the project and its sustainability long term as well as other things to help make a determination. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for the team.

Carachipampa’s Vision and Mission

Why do ‘missionary’ schools exist? What makes Christian education important enough to invest resources and missionaries in this one area? 

As a member of the Board of the Carachipampa Foundation, I had the chance to survey parents about their views in preparation for review of the school’s vision and mission statements. Carachipampa’s slogan is “Educating for Eternity”. Most parents are familiar with the phrase. For the majority of families, their primary reasons for choosing Carachipampa are the values their children learn at the school and the quality of education they receive there. One parent put into words the essence of Carachipampa when he said, “If Carachipampa ever stops existing for the glory of God, that is the day its doors should be closed.” 

Please continue to pray that Carachipampa would serve to raise up generations of committed, faith-driven believers to be salt and light wherever they go. And pray that Carachipampa would be a lighthouse to all the community around it. 

Perspectives On the World Christian Movement

On May 5 we held a training for new graduates of the Perspectives course to learn how to coordinate Perspectives courses. We integrated the 25 attendees into our existing teams in La Paz and Cochabamba. 

At the end of July a 15 week class begins for Bolivia. Because we had a late start, we were concerned about getting instructors lined up and students signed up in time. God has provided all but one of our instructors so far! We are waiting on news from the last person invited. Instructors are coming from Mexico, the United States, Panama, Peru and Bolivia. They will travel to four cities this year: Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, La Paz and Potosi.

Please pray for God’s preparation of and protection for our instructors and that God would bring the students He wants to be involved.

The Guesthouse

We finished repairs on missionary housing next door to the guesthouse so there are no longer long term SIM missionaries living inside the guesthouse. We are entering a very busy team season. Though it is winter in Bolivia, June, July and August are vacation months in the United States and Canada making them prime months for short term teams. We said goodbye to one on Monday but look forward to saying hello to seven more in the coming weeks. Please pray for God’s rest and restoration for our guests as well as for God’s wisom and guidance for daily operations.