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We
began preparation for this trip in November of 1999, meeting weekly upon our
return from Christmas Break. Our meetings covered
informational topics like cultural "do's and don'ts," securing
appropriate travel documents and vaccinations, and what to expect during
our week stay. The focus of our weekly time together however was preparing for ministry.
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Practicing the Kumbayah skit
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Each
meeting one of us practiced giving our testimony. This time of sharing drew us closer
together as we heard every week how God had worked in the lives of our team
members. In addition to our normal weekly meetings, we met a second day
each week for a time of prayer. It was amazing to see God answer our team's
prayers often in the week they were requested! We left for Bolivia knowing
that God was in control and that He answers prayers.
To
overcome the language barrier we would incur, we learned several songs in
Spanish as well as three skits. The skits were mainly pantomime, with very
little Spanish, so we could get the message across. We also checked our
testimonies for any content that might cause confusion and polished them to be
easier to translate.
Once we arrived in Bolivia, we spent most of our time with the Bethel Church,
the site of our work project. In addition to our work project we
participated in the congregation's three evening services, where we were able to perform all three skits, give
several testimonies, and sing lots of songs. We even learned the Spanish
words to "Celebrate Jesus Celebrate" that turned out to be our most used song of all -- "Celebrat Cristo
Celebrat"
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Diane Plays "Duck, Duck, Chicken"
with the Compassion International
Children
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We also had the opportunity to visit the Compassion International Center that
Dan and Peggy Zimmerman, our host missionaries, help with and made many wonderful memories
there. The "chicken skit" made a real splash with the boys and
girls at the
center, and afterward the children were given an opportunity to accept
Christ. What an awesome privilege! Much of the remainder of that
afternoon was spent playing and laughing with the attention-starved
children. Games of "Duck, Duck, Chicken" (the kids didn't know what a goose
was), blowing bubbles, and the abundance of hugs kept the children there long
after they were free to go home. Many rolls of film were used to capture
their precious faces although they were already imprinted on our hearts.
Our most unusual service occurred the Friday night before we left. Bethel
Church wanted to thank us for the work we had done with them on their
mountainside church,
so they planned for a Despedita (farewell service). The tiles that were
freshly laid in the sanctuary were not yet dry, so we all met in the nearby yard of a
church member's home. The strands of lights and the mobile sound
system made a perfect set-up for an outdoor meeting. We were singing and clapping
when the first rain drops were felt, but it wasn't until it was obvious that we
all were going to get very wet that we scurried to Plan B. Plan B
was about a 10' by 20' room into which we crowded over 40 people! As
soon as we were all in, the only light in the room burned out. The singing
and praising God never stopped! One of our team members commented,
"This is what it is all about!"
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Charity and some boys at the
Despidita.
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God met us in that room.
Our hearts were full of praise for the chance to worship Him with our brothers
and sisters in Bolivia. We performed our last skit by makeshift lights on a "stage" close to 1/8 of the size on which we
practiced. We then heard a Christian folk group perform and continued to praise
God. There was almost an air of disappointment when the rain stopped and
we were able to go back outside. The service concluded with an impressive
parade of traditional dress typical of each Bolivian department (state). Many tears were
shed as thank you's and gifts were exchanged. We felt that we had given so
little and received so much that it was very humbling to receive their thanks
and prayers.
The family of God is truly global! We are excited to someday worship in
the throne room of God with our newly found Bolivian brothers and sisters if not
before!
For many more pictures of ministry times visit the Our
Pictures page
Back to Bolivia 2000
If you would be interested in how you could be involved in a
future Task Force Missions Trip, visit the World
Gospel Mission web site or e-mail us.
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