MARCH 2026 PRAYER LETTER
As you may remember, we are stateside for a short medical leave which has been very productive. Our medical appointments have gone well. A few more issues came up than we expected, but nothing major so far. It has been a blessing to be here where we have access to trustworthy medical care to address some specific needs.
January was filled with Vacation Bible Schools, and we are grateful that all six of them went well. The number of children at several was lower than usual, but overall, everything went smoothly. Originally, we had planned to hold only five VBS programs because the pastor of our first church had surgery in his hometown and was unable to help. In spite of this, some of the church members asked if they could still host a VBS. The lady who taught in our other programs helped them organize the same VBS that the other churches held. While we have been stateside, it has been a blessing to see the ministry continue in our absence. We are especially grateful to the Blackburn family and others who helped make this possible.
I ended up traveling more than expected. I had a week scheduled in Indiana when a major ice storm hit the mid-west and our area. Some services were postponed, and I returned home to take care of my family. This meant a second trip to Indiana, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. On my drive back to North Carolina, I was able to stop by the printing press that had just begun printing our Guaraní John and Romans. It was incredible to see this project more than three years in the making finally going to print.
Between doctor appointments and traveling, much of our spare time has also been spent helping our home church with Share-A-Thon. Before moving to Bolivia, I worked for the radio station and had several specific responsibilities. After moving to the field, I continued helping with certain online tasks, but this year it was a joy to be back on the ground assisting with preparations and participating in the meeting itself. Share-A-Thon is by far our church’s biggest week of ministry each year. During those eight days we raise funds for the gospel radio station while also hosting live music and preaching each day. It is always a challenging but very blessed week, and with the Lord’s help we were once again able to meet the goals needed to keep the station on the air for another year.
During Share-A-Thon I had to step away when Jessica’s grandmother suddenly took a serious turn for the worse. She had been struggling with her health for years but was still doing fairly well for 89 years old. Sadly, she passed away on March 6th. While this has been very difficult for Jessica and her family, we have seen the Lord answer prayer through this situation. Jessica has always been very close to her grandparents, and since we moved to Bolivia in 2013, she has prayed that the Lord would allow her to be here if her grandmother passed. The Lord graciously met this request by having us here at this time, making it possible for Jessica to be by her side during her final days. I am very thankful for that answered prayer. Another blessing during this time was seeing the support of our ministry family. Six or seven of our supporting churches and one of our Bolivian friends were present during the visitation and funeral. Their presence was a tremendous encouragement during such a challenging time.
As I write this letter, we were originally supposed to be on our flights back to Bolivia. However, we postponed our return until April so we can spend a few more weeks here with Jessica’s grandfather and family as they adjust and work through some of their grief.
Lastly, we would ask you to pray with us about a couple of upcoming opportunities. One is the possibility of starting a new outreach ministry, and the other is a small medical clinic we hope to hold in May.
In closing, we apologize for being behind in sending our monthly prayer letters. Since the new year, we have experienced many ups and downs, but we are thankful that our God has been in control the entire time. We truly appreciate your prayers for us during this time, even during the months when we could not communicate regularly.
