Spreading the news

Patty sharing @ a missions conf. in a local church here

Another thing that we felt was essential in this missions experience was a desire to expand the vision to reach the people of Haiti & the opportunity to go outside of just the circle of our church Aposento Alto, & into other local churches. Sure enough, God has responded & 5 different churches will be sending members on the trip! This is huge for us & for missions in Santa Cruz, & for Bolivia in general, & here's why:

There is strong mindset in most of the local church here that international missions is only for Christians from the rich nations of N. America & Europe. While this limitation is no where to be found in the bible, this notion rings true to most here, simply b/c they don't see many missionaries who aren't from an economically '1st world' nation; & the church here is used to receiving from these nations as opposed to giving. We believe strongly, however, that God has given Bolivia a lot to give & be able to bless other nations. There's a commonality that Bolivia shares w/ many other countries in its relational nature, hospitality, service to others, worship style, & commitment to following the Lord that's refreshing & profound.

May God continue to raise up & use Bolivians to help fulfill the Great Commission!