DECEMBER 2025 UPDATE
We are excited to share updates on how the ministry is progressing. Although this year has felt slower compared toprevious ones, reflecting reveals that God enabled us to accomplish more than it sometimes seems.
We have returned to the States for a brief medical leave. That trip feels longer each time we make it. We are grateful to be close to our family and home church for Christmas. We have already managed to address several medical appointments, and the most urgent need was resolved much faster than anticipated. In the past, this process took 2–3 months, but this time it was completed within minutes during the very first appointment, for which we are thankful. We still have several smaller medical needs to address over the next month or two, so we will continue to navigate through those.
As we were preparing to leave, we started organizing for Christmas and Vacation Bible School in our churches. Thanks to Change The World Relief Org, we have been able to provide a Christmas meal for the children in our churches for several years. This initiative has expanded, and we are now assisting eight different churches or Bible clubs with this special day. Each child will receive a meal, a small gift, and, most importantly, hear the gospel. Shortly after Christmas, we will also kick off Vacation Bible School. While most of our churches operate autonomously, we enjoy participating in this effort, and they seem to appreciate our support. This year, we have one scheduled each week in January across five different locations. Thankfully, God has provided assistance to ensure all these activities continue in our absence. With the help of the Blackburn family, Melissa, an intern working with us, and the local congregation, each VBS should proceed as planned. It’s a blessing to have co-laborers who help us fulfill the Great Commission.
In terms of updates, the Bolivian economy has experienced another shift. The new president has implemented changes that will significantly impact the average cost of living. One significant change is the removal of the government fuel subsidy, which caused fuel prices to double or triple overnight, leading to increases in costs across the board. This announcement came with little warning and resulted in major concern and discontent from most citizens. Fuel lines grew long again in an effort to purchase the last bit of reserves at the lower price; some vendors and retailers closed just long enough to raise their prices; public bus transport inflated their fares resulting in disputes and stranded commuters, and ultimately a 4-day strike from the bus lines. In Santa Cruz, the situation is much milder than other parts of the country where unions and protestors are more actively demanding that the president rescind that decision. I suspected this shift would occur, and I believe that the measure is necessary for stabilizing government spending. This was also a reason I felt comfortable taking our medical leave when we did. I hope the situation will normalize by the time we return, though this will undoubtedly affect us. When you calculate the 20% inflation from 2025 with what analysts are expecting of 30-40% cost of living increases for 2026, there will be over 50% increase in not only our personal finances but also our ministry expenses. That is a massive increase over a relatively short amount of time.
Lastly, we are thrilled to be sending more Spanish Bibles to Bolivia! With the assistance of BEAMs Bibles and Helps Mission, SA, we received four pallets of Bibles and the funding to ship them. Our home church and mission board undertook the long journey from North Carolina to Mississippi to collect the pallets and transport them to the port in Miami, Florida. We hope the Bibles will arrive in Bolivia around early February. God willing, our order of 6,000 Guaraní full Bibles should also be delivered around that time. We have also ordered our Guaraní John and Romans, but I am unsure of their availability at this point. While discussing Bibles, I would like to ask for your prayers for additionalBibles. Last month, I mentioned the need for Bibles in Uruguay, but there is also a great need for Bibles in Venezuela. There are over 85 churches requesting them, but currently, I lack the resources to fulfill this need. Please pray for wisdom in this matter.
As we continue our ministry, we are grateful for your ongoing prayers. Please keep our family and ministry in your thoughts as we strive to serve Him.
